I don't know whether I've ever encountered another film with quite as much on screen filth as this one... not filth in the pornographic sense, but in the sense that there is a layer of dirt covering just about everything all through the film. I remember looking at the case and seeing the claim that it compared to Brazil, Pink Flamingos and Eraserhead. At the time I thought it would be worth the money just to be able to tear it to shreds after watching it... but it turned out to be a very endearing film that paints a sinister picture of opportunism. Of course, The Dark Backward isn't going to appeal to just anyone, but anyone who finds humour in scenes of perversion and obvious discomfort will recognise this one as a gem.
Reviews
2 Reviews
The Legend of Hell House
(1973)
great build up...
29 March 1999
...that sort of fails with an ending that doesn't do justice to the rest of the film. It seems as if they just ran out of room for a decent resolution and shot the first thing that came to mind. That aside, it's pretty much essential viewing for anyone interested in building suspense in any genre. In terms of atmosphere for horror films I'd place it second only to The Haunting (which is one of the best ghost stories ever).
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