Excision (2012) User Reviews

A Believable Portrayal of a Disturbed Teenager

[fureetutawk · 6/10 · 12 February 2013]

Not a typical horror or gore movie. Instead, this is a great pleading for why it is necessary to pay attention to your children, instead of ignoring the unpleasant things because they don't suit you. It's not one I would watch again, but it was definitely worth one trip into the minds of this family, the very kind of family we read about after some tragedy, and notice everyone says "They were such a good family. They seemed like such sweet children. Well, the older one was a little odd, but isn't any awkward girl just a little odd?"

This line is added to convince IMDb's review writing parameters that I have typed enough about this movie to satisfy everyone, including the fact that I was not privileged to see this at any kind of festival and have no obsession with following any particular directors, actors or producers outside of common knowledge.

Strange but somehow compelling

[Stevieboy666 · 6/10 · 8 May 2018]

Film about an 18 year girl called Pauline and her rather shocking dreams or fantasies of sex and death. She is also desperate to lose her virginity. AnnaLynne McCord plays the role and considering she is a model the make up team have done a good job of making her look, frankly, pretty ugly. Traci Lords, Malcolm McDowell & John Waters, a few famous cult names, also help make up the cast. Hard to classify this type of film. My TV guide, Wikipedia & IMDB all describe it as horror and it certainly has a lot of nightmarish stuff and gore going on. But it's also a teen drama, a black comedy and dare I say even a bit of an art movie. But whatever genre you want to label it as it's a shocking, strange but also riveting watch. Perhaps experience would be a better word. Certainly not for everyone & a strong stomach is advised but credit due for pushing the boundaries.

McCord is fantastic.

[Hey_Sweden · 7/10 · 5 June 2013]

"Excision" is a consistently interesting concoction from the mind of writer / director Richard Bates Jr. Combining straight drama, horror, and very dark comedy, it's twisted to its core, with a very memorable character driving the plot forward.

That character is Pauline (AnnaLynne McCord, in an utterly fearless performance), a strange and off putting teenage girl living with a sister (Ariel Winter) who has cystic fibrosis, a reserved father (Roger Bart), and a demanding mother (long ago porn queen Traci Lords, who finally gets a chance to show some real acting chops) whose love Pauline desperately tries to win, while deluding herself into thinking she could have a career in surgery.

Some of the cast members (Malcolm McDowell, Ray Wise, Matthew Gray Gubler, John Waters (as a reverend!) and especially Oscar winner Marlee Matlin) have what amount to little more than cameo roles, but it's still nice to see all of these familiar faces. Anyway, McCord and Lords do a fine job of carrying the movie, and their scenes are uncomfortable as they're clearly meant to be yet undeniably compelling.

Bates sets his story in a typically placid looking suburbia which serves as an appropriate contrast to the bizarre psycho sexual elements of his plot. He serves up plenty of grotesque, bloody imagery for the horror crowd yet films it all in such a slick way that it's oddly beautiful. He takes full advantage of the 2.35:1 aspect ratio in which the movie is shot, considering the way he arranges actors and objects within the frame.

Adventuresome cult movie lovers tired of the soulless quality of bigger budgeted studio based productions should appreciate the daring with which Bates approaches this material. Once it's all over it's the kind of thing you *don't* easily forget; the ending is not that surprising but it's pretty devastating just the same.

Seven out of 10.

Deliciously Macabre

[ozraw · 13 June 2012]

This film played as part of the 2012 Sydney Film Festival's "Freak Me Out" section. Director, Richard Bates Jr, set out to make a movie that he and his friends would have loved to watch in high school. This he's achieved and so much more.

From the outset, Excision seizes your attention, with its deliciously macabre imagery and malevolent audio track. Unfolding amidst the perfect banality of middle class suburbia, the stage is set for a savage assault on your sensibilities.

Annalynne McCord is fantastic as Pauline - the slouched, ragged, blemished, sociopathic, vexed atheist, sangrephile*, virgin with surgical aspirations and necrophilic fantasies.

In fairness, the entire cast is impressive. You need to keep in mind that this film is the debut feature for a 25 y/o and he claims that persistence worked a charm in signing the talent -- including an Academy Award Winner!

But it's the fantasy sequences that will leave you truly in awe of Excision. Pauline's dreams are tantalisingly lurid, so utterly vile -- yet shot so beautifully. Luminous and vibrant, these scenes impact and leave a stain that won't come out in a cold wash. In fact, at least one person passed out at the screening I attended -- for real.

Far from wallowing in this depravity, Excision succeeds in exploring complex relationships, themes of religious zealotry and how problematic being a self-taught expert can be. All this and a killer soundtrack to boot.

I have to add that I had the extraordinary privilege of enjoying the greatest Q&A session in Sydney Film Festival history! Richard Bates was "slightly intoxicated" and proceeded to share some outrageous stories with us all. It caused a slight scandal, but, given the content of the film we all came to watch, his conduct was completely acceptable. Moreover, it was rare to see a person be so genuine and hysterically funny.

With his next project in the works, Richard Bates Jr just might be a name to keep an eye out for. I mean, if Peter Jackson can start with Bad Taste...I'm just sayin'... ;)

More importantly, for those of you with a taste for twisted film making - Excision is a must see.

*sangrephile - I made this up because I couldn't find a word for someone who loves blood & isn't a vampire!

An suburbia nightmare

[mdnobles19 · 7/10 · 20 January 2013]

Excision is an artistically blood-soaked film that will have you squirm in your seat one moment and laugh in the next, thanks to its cleverly dark humor. I've never really seen a film quite like this as it's in its own league of twisted shenanigans. The most unique character study of 2012.

AnnaLynne McCord completely disappears into her character and gives an insanely off the wall, brilliant performance that will leave you bug-eyed. She plays Pauline, a disturbed 18-year-old high school student that has a strange fetish for blood. She desperately wants a career in the medical field and goes to the extreme to practice it, as she tries to get approval from her mother. Traci Lords also impressed me as the over controlling mom Phyllis, who tries hard to get through to her unbalanced daughter to no avail. She has a lot of layers to her character as she can be ruthless in one scene and caring in the next, I really felt sorry for her in the end. The rest of the cast was pretty impressive and you might recognize Ariel Winter from Modern Family who plays the younger sister Grace, who is ill with Cystic Fibrosis. The dad, Roger Bart plays Bob, he plays a helpless role of a guy stuck in the middle of the chaos. There are also appearances from John Waters, Malcolm McDowell and Marlee Matlin, which was entertaining to see them in the film.

Director, Richard Bates Jr. makes an explosive début as newcomer of this genre and has a bold eye that's unflinching. The disturbing style, nature mixed with the dark humor, yet at the same time visceral, is just bloody brilliant. He is one to look out for, as this is an insane first effort! Overall, Excision is not a movie for all tastes, but the bluntness, wit, dark humor, unapologetic attitude and blood drenched, stylishly brooding dreamscapes, made it refreshing and daring. The ending was shocking, but I was kind of unsure what to make of it. One of the more memorable horror offerings of 2012.

As Much As I Wanted to, I Could Not Pull Myself Away

[gavin6942 · 7/10 · 3 October 2012]

A disturbed and delusional high school student with aspirations of a career in medicine (AnnaLynne McCord) goes to extremes to earn the approval of her controlling mother (Traci Lords).

Looking at the cover of this movie, you would get the impression they are trying to sell it by the cast. There are many names listed on the cover -- far more than necessary. And the fact that Ray Wise, Malcolm McDowell and Traci Lords all appear should be enough to make any genre fan curious. I can confidently say, however, that this film stands on its own without the familiar names (though Lords plays a fairly big role).

Everyone involved did a great job making McCord look socially awkward and physically appear to be the daughter of Hilary Swank and the Geico caveman. I have not seen "90210", but I am willing to bet she does not normally look like a stringy-haired, ape-armed freak. (Or maybe Beverly Hills is full of that... what do I know?)

In some ways, I feel the film takes a cue from Lucky McKee's "May". We definitely have the awkward girl who wants to be with the popular guy, and the attraction to medical / surgical things. But the films are so different, it would be unfair to say this film is not its own animal. The medical theme is taken much, much farther, and McCord/Pauline is far more wild and untamed than Angela Bettis.

The dream sequences seal this film's creepy factor. People in bandages crawling over each other? Surgery being done, body parts removed... the C-section birth of a human head. And just including a bloody tampon in the film made it nasty enough.

Is Pauline truly crazy or just acting out? That is a question that remains unclear through the bulk of the film, but by the end you may be able to decide one way or the other. The final scene is indeed a tragic one -- we see what happens when some feels love for another but does not have the ability to respond to it appropriately.

Go hurt yourself!

[thehellhole · 7/10 · 25 September 2012]

This movie is basically a portrait of the auto-aggressive tendencies of a young girl (Pauline) who goes overboard in the end. She is 18 years old, has unkempt looks, a very masculine body and rejects her womanhood. She dreams about lesbian sex connected with violence as a symbol of self-neglect and hidden homosexual desires. There are a couple of artistically styled dream sequences, where this situation is spelled out very violently (for example: she removes an unborn child from her womb and gives it to a devil-like figure, who puts it in an oven). So, if you have some insight into auto-aggressive behavior and are able to read the signs, it is quite easy to decode the symbolic level of Excision.

Yeah, and there are a few funny scenes to lighten up things.

So: 1) If you love and adore women and can fully understand the wondrous miracles of life (giving birth, for example) this movie is a very sad movie 2) If you are a naive, extremely sensitive or overly religious type this movie is a rather disturbing movie 3) If you think that this film is a freaky cool fun flick filled with bloody and gross scenes to cheer about, then go and hurt yourself!

I saw this movie at a festival and at the end the majority of the crowd cheered enthusiastically and applauded, so they might fall into category 3…

*** out of ***** stars.

A terrible 'look at me acting' performance

[TheMarwood · 3/10 · 21 June 2014]

Excision feels like a threadbare short film padded out to feature length and low and behold it's an expanded version of the director's short. It's an annoyingly angsty film about a social misfit who wants to be a surgeon and the whole film is just filler until the final scene. Perhaps that would be fine in the short film, but this is unbearable. We are also subjected to an atrocious performance by AnnaLynne McCord who seems to be juggling tics, facial expressions and acting with a capital 'A'. A terrible 'look at me acting' performance, made even more cartoonish from her over the top zit makeup. This is the kind of character that needs a strong director to modulate the performance and reign it in to be effective. The film is fine to look at. It's shot in a very classy way -- slow, well composed moves -- which makes McCord's performance at even more right angles to the film. Everyone downplays their role and the look of the film is very grounded and then here's this ridiculous actress who couldn't have played her role any more broad. It tries to be edgy and artful - it really does try, but Excision is immature junk.

Masterful

[dfranzen70 · 8/10 · 11 October 2012]

In Excision, a high school misfit goes to great lengths to win over her domineering, conservative mother. Although it's presented as a horror film - and opened the Spooky Movie International Horror Film Festival - it's a psychosexual thriller, rife with imagery set against a pastiche of normative teenage angst and desperation. It is a brilliant, provocative, unsettling film.

Pauline (AnnaLynne McCord) is the misfit. Scarred with acne and and overall unkempt look and poor posture, she is the poster child for unpopularity. But, like many cinematic rebels before her, she looks upon the idea of being liked almost with disdain. The opinions of others don't influence her.

Pauline aspires to be a doctor, but she is anything but a model student. She challenges her teachers and plays her classmates against each other for her own gain. She has no friends, and her therapy consists of visits to the local priest, whereupon she notes the hypocrisy of his understanding her moral issues when he's by definition pretty repressed himself.

She's part of a nuclear family. Dad Bob (Roger Bart) is a success at something, but he's under the thumb of his controlling wife Phyllis (Traci Lords). Sister Grace is the favorite of the family, partly because she's so nice and good and sweet but also because she is suffering from cystic fibrosis.

Of all the people with whom Pauline interacts on a regular basis, she cares only for Grace. She despairs of her sister's imminent death and wishes the same on her mother. Typical for a teenager, to an extreme perhaps.

Throughout the movie, Pauline sets particular goals for herself and then completes them, in opposition to her attitude toward school and life in general. When her mother forces her to be (at an advanced age) part of a cotillion, Pauline understandably ruins the affair. But when she wants to pursue a career in medicine, she goes to the library (cutting school) and researches her sister's condition.

You may well ask what the title implies. Something is being excised. We've already established that Pauline wants to be a doctor, but what is to be excised is something I cannot reveal here. On a less literal front, Pauline wants to excise her mother's influence from her own life and the pain and suffering from that of her sister.

This is not a movie for the faint of heart. It is not dripping with blood and contains no projectile vomiting, but Pauline's dreams - which include impromptu surgeries that equate to intercourse in her mind - are erotic, disturbing, grisly, and symbolic.

McCord nails the role of Pauline. Dolled up for the cotillion, she looks almost presentable, but even when she's her slovenly self you can see her beauty - eyes, wit, intelligence, smile - even if no one else in the movie can. McCord sells the film by subtly morphing Pauline from an outcast to a sociopath; at first, you take her for just another weird kid in the hall, but over time you see her as clearly losing her grip on reality.

And I didn't think I'd say this, but Lords is really good - in an ironic role - as the pushy, moralizing mom. Traci, you've come a long way, baby.

It's very hard to believe this is writer/director Richard Bates Jr.'s first film, feature or otherwise. The writing is tight, and he gets a lot out of his cast - which includes John Waters and Malcolm McDowell. It's a stunning debut.

I wasn't sure how the movie was going to end, although it was clear I was being led in a particular direction. I wasn't misled, but the conclusion is still a knockout; leaving just enough unresolved to be satisfying.

Excision is thrilling, a movie that will resonate with anyone who's felt unloved and with anyone who likes tales of revenge and redemption. It wisely picks a course and never goes too over the top with its set pieces. It's not a mild-mannered film, but it's also not an overwrought, ham-fisted gorefest. It's cleverly nuanced, achingly acted, and a mind- blowing masterpiece.

Surreal, as trippy as Altered States.....

[FlashCallahan · 7/10 · 14 February 2013]

Pauline is a young woman who lives with her family and her younger sister Grace who has Cystic Fibrosis.

Pauline has some delusions of being a great surgeon, and she also has some horrific dreams that she finds stimulating to say the least.

Her family put up with her delusions and her school classmates find her annoying.

But as this is all happening around her she has a plan, a plan that will leave them all shocked, and some people may not survive.....

Every now and again, you get a really bizarre release that separates audiences,many becomes something of a cult thing, to say that this is one of those movies is like saying to someone it gets dark at night.

From the upstart, it's got a really psychedelic, 'May' feel to it, and although there are parts that are truly hilarious, there are also scenes that really repulse, and the film gives you that guilty, dirty feeling whilst watching. It's not an ideal film to watch with a loved one.

Saying that though, it's a fascinating journey into someone's delusions, someone who thinks they are superior to the majority of people, and eccentricities are garnered from her parents struggles and possessiveness of their youngest.

Lords, is brilliant as the mother, and has a 'Carrie' vibe to her portrayal.

Dream sequences are sublime, and full of connotation regarding sexual orientation, and repression.

It's a hard film to recommend, but if you like extreme cinema, you will find a good addition to the Sub-Genre, but something distasteful, and really pushing taboos and boundaries.

I think the director is very pleased with the outcome..

Disappointg Horror Flick, Semi-decent Comedy

[deth_before_dishonor · 4/10 · 7 October 2012]

So, this movie is awkward and clunky. Pauline's dream sequences aren't that scary, in fact, they are sort of hilarious. Half of the movie feels like a teen movie about an awkward, weird girl, the other half is a comedy. The best scenes are the scenes with jokes and witty lines in them. The only scene that could be considered a bloody or gruesome part of the whole movie happens in the last ten minutes of the film, and even that is only a surgery scene (Pauline has aspirations of becoming a surgeon). Not once did I find myself scared, shocked, grossed out, or covering my eyes because of what was on the screen. I will commend the director (Richard Bates Jr.), and the casting director (Carmen Aiello) for assembling one of the most solid and talented casts in recent low budget horror movie history, although I will say John Waters as William the priest is pretty friggin' hilarious. If you watch this movie as a comedy and not as a horror film, you will be let down a lot less. There are some laugh out loud moments for sure. If you're looking for any scares, though, I suggest you look elsewhere.

Surprisingly Good

[NukeCalifornia · 8/10 · 9 October 2012]

First I thought this movie would be purely splatter and gore but it turned out to be quite good yet tragic film. AnnaLynne McCord and Traci Lords gave strong performances that really carried the movie, particularly Lords who successfully left the Adult Industry and became a credible actress. I mentioned it was tragic as I really felt for the family struggling with a delusional elder daughter and a dying younger one. Kudos to the makeup artist(s) who worked on McCord making her character (Pauline) look like a really out-of-sorts teenager. There were scenes (in the Unrated version) where a lot of blood was involved coupled with some perverted scenes, but it worked in looking inside the mind of Pauline.

'Excision' is weird in all the right ways

[obesetrackstar · 7/10 · 16 October 2013]

So I just finished watching 'Excision'. I came across this in the endless search to find horror movies a little bit off the beaten trail. AnnaLynne McCord plays 17 year old Pauline who is just trying to find a place in a world that doesn't have room. Just like every teenager, she talks about how much no one understands her and how much she hates her mom and such, but she truly is all alone in the world. The director does give us cliché archetypes in the family structure (parents that hate each other, father who just says "Listen to your mother.", the perfect other daughter), but he makes them all seem so terrifying in their own perfect way. The same goes for the creepy priest, the no nonsense principal, the super hot popular girls (AnnaLynne McCord is definitely the hottest girl in the cast, but they greased her forehead, gave her cold sores and acne, and a constant look of sleep deprivation), and so on. This is the kind of movie you hate to love, but with superb casting and an excellent vision from Bates Jr who wrote and directed, 'Excision' is a terrifying look into the mind of a supremely disturbed young girl (to the point of psychotic) who has no idea just how differently she sees the world. If you are pregnant or have a heart condition, I'd watch at your own risk. Plenty of gore and nudity. 7.5 out of 10.

Movie Really Sucked. Some Good Actors

[bshaef · 4/10 · 4 November 2020]

Did little to advance their career by being in Excision. Lots of gratuitous sickening bloody scenes, short choppy, boring dialog and in general, little plot to hold my interest. I must quit watching these obscure Amazon offerings. They remind me of cheap Cinemax Friday night knockoffs.

The nightmarish surrealism which is achieved will resonate for days afterwards.

[cjmccracken · 1 December 2012]

A paradoxical myriad of influences and styles runs through Excision, the feature debut from NYU graduate Richard Bates Jr. A development of his 18 minute short which played the festival circuit in 2008, the film charts a brief spell in the life of Pauline (AnnaLynne McCord), one of the most dysfunctional teenagers to hit the screen since Todd Solondz's Welcome to the Dollhouse (1995). Far less fetishized than Terry Zwigoff's teenage female outcasts, Pauline is the epitome of awkward. Her gait eschews any form of grace, leaving her a hunched over, lumbering mess. Even keeping her mouth closed appears, at times, to be too much effort. In short, she's the perfect representation of the unfathomable levels of apathy and brooding that exist within the mind of the troubled teen.

McCord, better known to television viewers as the star of shows such as Nip/Tuck and 90210, is almost unrecognisable as the scowling girl with greasy hair and bad skin. It was not, however, an easy part for her to attain. In a recent interview both Bates Jr. and McCord stated that it was a difficult process. From the offset, the director refused to entertain McCord's persistent applications to be associated with the feature. Luckily for us her tenacity paid off and she was granted an audition. Bates' scepticism continued until the young actress showed her commitment to the feature by responding to the statement that she would have to cut her hair for the role by hacking at her locks right there and then. Seeing more of Pauline in the glamorous actress than he could ever have imagined, the partnership was made and the process began.

One of the aforementioned paradoxes within the film is the drafting in of a delightful range of the Hollywood bad boys (and girls); Traci Lords, John Walters, Malcolm McDowell and Ray Wise all appear. All of these characters could have been utilised as the outsiders and freaks of the movie with whom Pauline connects and finds solace, yet in a clever play against type, it is this motley crew who comprise the upstanding, conservative and unprogressive adults in the movie. Lords plays Pauline's God-fearing mother Phyllis with her trademark vigour and wit, clearly loving the experience of taking the moral high ground over the rebellious youth. Waters plays a chaplain and Wise and McDowell both work at the school as headmaster and teacher respectively.

Pauline aspires to one day become a successful surgeon, something which is greatly hindered by her lack of academic capability. Experimenting on roadkill and dreamily pondering over medical textbooks culminates in bizarre fantasies which range from brutal eviscerations to necrophilia.

All of this is heavily coincides with the social dilemmas which she faces on a daily basis (ranging from puberty to friends and relationships). Modern Family's Ariel Winter plays Grace, Pauline's younger sister, who is suffering from Cystic Fibrosis. The strain which her illness puts upon the family often trivialises the nature of Pauline's growing pains. This parallel makes for one of the most interesting aspects of the movie, alluding to the insular and self- absorbed nature of the teen mind.

There is a great deal of dark humour on display in Excision. Humour as pitch black as coal and as sharp as surgical steel. The nightmarish surrealism which is achieved will resonate for days afterwards. A well written and enjoyable debut which manages to balance a sinister side with a tender character study, resulting in an exceptionally strong feature, Excision is well deserving of the praise which it is currently receiving.

Excision is available now through Monster Pictures UK. You can find out more about the movie on the Official Website, Twitter or Facebook.

Colin McCracken writes extensively for zombiehamster.com as well as a number of genre publications. He can be found on Twitter as @zombiehamster

Original Horror Film

[billcr12 · 7/10 · 12 October 2012]

A very different horror movie, Excision stars Annalynne McCord as Pauline, a troubled outcast and high school student, with aspirations of a career in medicine. Her little sister, Grace, is awaiting a lung transplant, and Pauline hopes to help her sibling live a long and healthy life. Mom is controlling, neurotic martyr, played surprisingly well by the former teen porn star, Traci Lords. The unusual cast also includes Malcolm McDowell as a teacher, and the director John Waters as a preacher who is drafted into being a counselor to the disturbed adolescent girl. Pauline has fantasies filled with blood, and at one point, carves a cross on to her arm. She asks a fellow student to relieve her of her virginity, and he obliges in an extremely original "first time" scene. McCord is impressive, as is the entire cast, and the ending is not a disappointment. The bizarre dark aspects of the script reminded me of some of David Lynch's work, in a positive sense. Check out Excision, for an entertaining black horror film.

Step into a demented sensual mind in Excision

[rgblakey · 7/10 · 24 October 2012]

There are movies that come along that are hard to figure out what category they belong in. Sometimes there is a blurred line in between thriller and horror, with these films usually coming off just so out there it either works really well or not at all. The trailers for Excision seem to be just this kind of film. With an interesting cast including AnnaLynne McCord (90210), Traci Lords (Zack and Miri Make a Porno), and Ariel Winter (Modern Family) attached to this story that seems way out there could this be one of the intriguing ones that delivers?

Excision follows a young woman with delusions of being a surgeon who has horrific dreams that she finds stimulating. While everyone around her including her family thinks she is just annoying and weird, most just put up with it, but her ultimate plan will shock everyone to the bitter end. This is a really strange awkward movie that works on almost every level. The performances are all strange on some level, with the exception of a few of the characters, which helps these select few to bring it all together. McCord is almost unrecognizable from her normal look 90210 fans are used to which adds to her bizarre performance. The story is simple on the surface, but as it progresses begins to deliver a very disturbing look into someone's mind. The dream sequences are graphic, gory, and sensual and deliver an unsettling look into the mind without ever really knowing what she is truly feeling. For most of the film despite the wacked out dream sequences the film doesn't really explain the direction it is really headed, but once it gets there it delivers an unexpected payoff.

This is an insane movie on every level that if you open your mind to the bigger picture is a sight to behold. While there are horrific moments, this is not a horror film, but plays stranger like Donnie Darko with a sexually charged bloody twist. If you are looking for something different that stands out then give this film a chance. You will either like it or you won't but either way you won't soon forget it.

Surgery usually leaves a scar or two...

[MrGKB · 6/10 · 14 December 2012]

...and "Excision" is no exception; tyro auteur Richard Bates Jr.'s feature debut---expanded from his identically titled short four years earlier (and, yes, it would have been nice to have had that as a DVD extra)---is a decidedly uncomfortable peek at a seriously disturbed young woman's descent into homicidal psychosis. I am unsurprised that it failed to find theatrical distribution as it is by no means a feel-good film. It leaves the viewer feeling somewhat abused, much like films like "We Need To Talk About Kevin" or "Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer" do.

Bates' mostly tight script, some nice lensing by Itay "movin' on up" Gross, excellent art direction and production design, and a cast loaded with brand recognition all combine to concoct a psychodrama that transcends its lo-fi nature with a sure hand. Complaints are duly noted elsewhere as to the general unlikability of the protagonist, and they're hard to argue with, but I still found this demented character study to be compelling. I'll throw AnnaLynne "90210" McCord a round of props for her excellent portrayal of a femme psycho-geek, even as I reiterate how much I'd like to have seen what the original short's actress (Tessa "Grey's Anatomy" Ferrer) did with the character (mostly to see if she could subsume her natural beauty as effectively as McCord did--extra major props to the makeup crew!). Tracy "The Tommyknockers" Lords deserves mention as well for playing the straitlaced mother way against type. Various other notables appear, lending much credence to the project; maybe their casting was a deliberate ploy to gain "cult" recognition, maybe not. It certainly didn't hurt the tone of the film.

"Excision" topped off a week of under-the-radar films and was by far the most successful of them overall. If you like stuff like "May" and so on, you'll enjoy "Excision."

A good plot with really bad acting

[jmlefebvre-80543 · 3/10 · 5 March 2021]

Analyse McCord is so bad I almost quit right a the beginning it was painful to watch. She overact, it's too much , she is a caricature . The plot is ok and a much intense but subtil approach would have make all the difference and would have follow the crazy journey, but for me it was laughable . I know some scenes are meant to be funny but that's not we're I was laughing, so that's a problem. I usually like that kind of twisted , gory and surrealist movie but the main character was too off for me.

Twisted Fun!

[hagerty73 · 8/10 · 3 October 2012]

What a deserved change from the same old recycled junk out there. Now Im no professional movie critic, and I wouldn't even know what category Id place this movie, but to me it wasn't a horror. Whatever the genre is, Id like to see more like it. McCord did an excellent job and I hope she stays out of the mainstream roles. The cast delivered in a big way and sucked me in to the story. For some reason McCords character makes me think of Napolean Dynamite, but a sick, twisted and female version. I don't want to say much, you can form your own opinion. But it is a solid movie with good acting, great visual dream segments and a decent plot. So check it out if you want to see something weird and different and get some really good laughs along the way.

Uncomfortable and understated horror drama

[youngcollind · 7/10 · 29 April 2022]

I know you shouldn't judge a book by it's cover, but this one's especially misleading. Sure the surrealistic horror imagery does make an appearance in the film, and it's as enjoyably grotesque as the cover suggests. However, it's relevance to the plot is merely as dream sequences which are sparingly peppered throughout the film.

What actually transpires is a dark family drama focusing on the coming of age of a teenage sociopath. Once I got my brain to switch gears from the abstract terror I was expecting, there was still plenty to enjoy. It still has many of disturbing elements, it's fixation on blood, surgery and STDs is enough to make anyone a little squeamish. AnnaLynne McCord totally nails her role, delivering a uniquely awkward and horrible character.

Even with a lean runtime, the film does start to drag at points as there's a redundancy to the cringey scenarios. It's a curious stylistic blend given how the extreme nightmare imagery often gives way to aggressively dry high-school minutia.

However, they really pull off an impressive finish. It's obvious the whole time that it's building up to something, though it's hard to guess exactly what. The finale does a great job walking the tightrope of delivering something shocking that still makes sense to the character arcs they had developed throughout the film.

The casting is also a riot. Googling AnnaLynne McCord makes you realize how far they went transforming this potential runway model into a grotesque teen. Also, the puritanical mom is played by former teen pornstar Traci Lords, it's my first time seeing Ariel Winter outside Modern Family and I am always pleased with a nice John Waters cameo.

Gross.

[MagicMurderFan · 1/10 · 20 October 2019]

If you want the equivalent of this movie and don't want to waste your hour and half, dig through the sanitary napkin disposal in a public bathroom, just as gross. That's basically all it is, her being a necro who is obsessed with her period. Very cutting edge, so artistic, playing with your tampon like a monkey plays with poo. Put out the red carpet (pun intended) for a gross girl that is obsessed with her own body fluids. She's just a mental patient that the staff warns you about..."don't shake that ones hand, dear." Went for the shock factor in discovering what makes a psycho tick, all you ended up with is the grossest thing a teenage boy can come up with. Pass, I want my rental fee back.

Bloody fine comedy

[horizon2008 · 9/10 · 9 April 2013]

I loved every minute of this blacker than black, bloody, comedy, horror, weirdfest. I'm sure some will be shocked by certain scenes in the movie but they exist in an almost familyguy-esque fun cutaway way where there's little gross out value (well not for me anyway) but......try describing to someone some of the scenes included and see their reaction! On paper they sound quite shocking indeed (I'm not going to spoil them you'll have to see for yourself). Traci Lords (a bit of a strange childhood herself) plays Paulines mother really well as she creeps around uttering whatever thoughts pop into her (spotty) head. Her dreams (day and night) are filled with gallons of blood and bizarreness hard to imagine. I look forward now to recommending this rancidly funny little gem to those of my friends who watch pathetic romcoms or flicks with Adam Sandler in. Something much more strange to me than anything this movie threw up.

Youth is a Living Hell

[UnluckyLuke · 7/10 · 3 April 2013]

Pauline (AnnaLynne McCord) is a quite typical teenager - not. She's an outsider, who has no friends, but pimples, herpes, and oily hair. In her imagination she has blood splattered sex , covered in blood like Countess Bathory or does it with headless corpses. Actually Pauline is quite a freak. The grades in school are fine. In other ways she doesn't get along. Whether parents (Traci Lords), her teacher (Malcolm McDowell), classmates or the priest (John Waters), all think Pauline is sick and bizarre. In addition her destiny is overshadowed by the one of her little sister, who has a serious lung disease. But the gifted wallflower Pauline already cherishes plans ...

EXCISION is an exhilarating roller-coaster ride through the ups and downs of youth, consisting of disorientation, feelings of inferiority, sex and murder fantasies. Actress AnnaLynne McCord shows courage and her ugly face. Her consistently outstanding performance carries the film. She sniffs used tampons, pukes on a classmate during class and lets her boyfriend satisfy herself orally, although she has her period, resulting a bloody lipstick and disgusted displeasure. German writer Charlotte Roche's "Wetlands" greets violently. The visually dreams, bathed in neon colors and blood, are another highlight of the film. Although these are only short sequences, they have a perverse degree, allowing the comparison with films like MARTYRS or HUMAN CENTIPEDE. In these dreams Pauline breaks her "ugly duckling image". In them she is a splatter queen full of beauty ideals.

The plot of the film is quite weak. It's about several themes like sexual curiosity, confusion, hormone surges, low self esteem, lack of confidence, problems with trying to cope with society – ergo: relatively "normal" teenage problems. Indeed they are shown in an extreme way, but relatively normal problems. The story jumps from one topic to another. First, Pauline wants to get rid of her hated virginity. Then she takes part at a dance class she hates. Then there's the problem with her sister with the lung disease. One central theme is not given. Only main character Pauline, who is quite nice to watch.

A genre friend freaks out, when he takes a look at the cast list, containing the heroes and flagships of former Mondo-, Porn-, Sex- and Sleaze-Cinema. Ex-Pornstar Traci Lords plays the conservative middle-class mother and housewife, Malcolm McDowell the strict teacher and John Waters, who let Trashqueen Divine eat dog poo, plays a prude priest. The appearance of these stars is like a gigantic broad hint and makes EXCISION to a kind of homage to the experimental sleaze movies of the 70s.

EXCISION is hard splatter, a breaking with morality and criticism of the small town life, and a story of minor matters. The images are more powerful than the plot. The film is a play with taboos, sometimes crude, mostly brilliant. As a fan of movies offside the mainstream you will have to love this to hit in the face of decency.

Resume: American BEAUTY goes MARTYRS – puberty as a splatter film.

Lacking & Boring

[co6779 · 4/10 · 23 January 2020]

Not a horror movie nor a comedy just BOREDOM I cannot find a better description of this movie the wife & I suffered through.

While it had an occasional funny line or scene they came too far apart to keep our attention.

We are left wondering what the movie was about? a family struggling with a sick child? A child that didn't fit in well at high school?

The dysfunctional American family?

We like everything from gore fest to comedies this movie was just boring leaving us both in a discussion afterwards.

The wife & I agree Pauline (AnnaLynne McCord) was awesome in her role after just watching her play the opposite type role in 68 Kill probably the only thing that kept us from giving up.