Skinned Alive (2008)

the audience applauded

It is an exhilarating, distressing, funny and profound film, with one of the more memorable film scores in years,

There are moments that feel comical, some horrific, and some downright inspiring but the tonal shifts hardly matter as the end results come to a film that's perfect for this time.

Story: It's very simple but honestly that is fine.

Gorgeous, but dangerous call girl Pandora (well played with smooth predatory grace by the enticing Melissa Bacelar) kills her johns and eats them. Sad and lonely socially awkward misfit Jeffrey (a solid and likable performance by Jack Dillon) falls in love with Pandora. Meanwhile, a vengeful stalker (essayed with frightening intensity by writer Joshua Nelson) obsessively tracks Pandora down because she murdered and devoured his brother. Director James Tucker relates the quirky and intriguing story at a steady pace, offers a vivid evocation of the gritty New York City setting, delivers a generous amount of yummy female nudity and copious in-your-face nasty gore, grounds the oddball plot in a plausible pedestrian everyday reality, creates and sustains a strangely haunting melancholy tone, and further spruces things up with amusing touches of offbeat dark humor. Moreover, the touching doomed romance between the two central characters and a strong theme about how far one is willing to go for the person that one loves give this picture an unexpectedly poignant element of tragedy. The sound acting from the capable cast rates as another definite asset: Bacelar and Dillon do charming and credible work in their roles, Jeanette Bonner lends fine support as Jeffrey's worried sister Laura, Alan Rowe Kelly breathes fire into his memorable part as profane and ruthless madam Mama, and the luscious Erika Smith has a funny bit as ditsy chatty hooker Passion. The sharp cinematography by Brian Fass boasts several breathtaking aerial shots of the Big Apple. Duane Perry's shivery score does the nerve-rattling trick. The downbeat ending packs a devastating punch. Worth a watch.

One of the best parts about this movie was the music... when watching at 1am in a dark room by yourself, this music can really bring out the scares. Although it is easy to see the blood as fake, and the movie as shoddily-made, I would have to say that it is one of the scarier movies I have seen. Personally, it did little for me--I really only pay much attention to the base story (something that wasn't ever-present in this movie). While it was a bit of a scare, and gave me pause for sleep, I don't think it was meant as a full horror movie... It rather left me staring at the screen. I wasn't "scared" as such, but the thought of the vile acts done in the movie was the part that "scared" me... The thoughts of it, not actually watching it happen. Still, if you are a fan of low-order horrors, this would work for you. Just remember to be in a dark room... by yourself... at night... or it will be about as interesting as a cereal box.

I rented SKINNED ALIVE, a name given to James Tucker and Joshua Nelson's film originally titled EAT YOUR HEART OUT by LGF, a few weeks back. I later found that the film is available as a "Producer's Cut" from melissabacelar.com in a beautifully and appropriately named DVD "GORE WHORE" and of course I had to own it.GORE WHORE is a better title for this film than either EAT YOUR HEART OUT or SKINNED ALIVE. Melissa Bacelar, Lost Angeles Films, stars as a zombie ghoul-like prostitute, Pandora, that feeds her ravenous appetite for flesh by consuming her johns. Jack Dillon co-stars as the lonely and pathetic Jeffrey, who in a desperate attempt to find love after being rejected by all of his female co-workers and pretty much every other female he's ever known, turns to prostitutes. Jeffrey asks his "dates" to go to dinner with him after doing "business" and finds rejection in all of them, until one day Pandora comes calling. They fall in love - aaaaawwwwww - and Jeffrey is willing to look past the fact that not only is Pandora not Jewish as he is, but she's a flesh-eating undead ghoul or zombie. Joshua Nelson plays a character, only known as the Stalker, who's looking for Pandora and pretty much killing every pimp along the way in an attempt to find her. Alan Rowe Kelly cameos as Mama - a sick and twisted madame of a brothel and pimp that Pandora works for. Alan Rowe Kelly's performance is excellent and twisted. I love an actor that performs in cameo and supporting roles as though it was the most important role in the film and puts 110% of his talent into the role.I LOVE THIS FILM. It's sick, it's gory, it's well acted, and technically well-executed. The story works quite well. Melissa Bacelar is as beautiful covered in blood and eating flesh as she is on the cover of LOW RIDER magazine. The principal actors all hit the mark and execute well in character. The f/x are low-budget but believable and naaaaasty! This is my favorite screenplay from Joshua Nelson (Savage Roses Films) who has also written a couple of my other favorite low-budget horror films: Aunt Rose and Pink Eye.The biggest injustice to this film is the stupid "saw-like" hanging skin mask or SKINNED ALIVE title that just makes no sense.

Skinned Alive proves that anyone can make a film, you don't even need money, just a bunch of people from the street.One of the call-girls isn't a regular one: she likes to bite, eat and kill you. That is already shown in the first 3 minutes, after that it already goes downhill fast. There are some boobs, there is some blood in the form of cheap glued-on prosthetics, it kind of stretches the word "special effects". The acting is rather bad, the music is totally misplaced. The story is very dull, with no tension, thrills or whatever. I really didn't make it until the end. I'm a horror fan, so part of that job it to sit through some really bad movies that makes no sense at all. This was one of them, and I already forgot about it completely. Do not waste your time on this one, even if you like the genre..