Luther the Geek (1989)

It's fun, it's light, [but] it has a hard time when its tries to get heavy.

This is a dark and sometimes deeply uncomfortable drama

It is a whirlwind of delight --- attractive actors, stunning couture, spectacular sets and outrageous parties.

This film is so real. It treats its characters with so much care and sensitivity.

Luther the Geek (1989) ** (out of 4)As a child Luther saw a "freak" or a "geek" bite the head off of a chicken and this sends him to murder years later. After spending some time in prison, Luther (Edward Terry) is granted parole and he's not out very long before he starts biting the necks of people to watch them bleed out. Soon he's attacking a mom, her daughter and her boyfriend on an isolated farm.LUTHER THE GEEK became a cult favorite because it's rather unique in certain ways. There's no question that it became popular on video because of it being released by Troma. We all know that the company has a strong cult following and their titles were quite popular in the video stores back in the day. With that said, I must admit that I enjoyed the horror elements of the film but there were some things that just rubbed me the wrong way.I actually got violently angry at this movie because of how stupid the characters were. This mother and daughter combo has to be the dumbest in the history of horror films. I honestly couldn't believe some of the things that I was watching because the characters made one dumb decision after another. There are moments where the characters disappear for no reason at all and when they do reappear, sure enough, they do something stupid yet again. I know horror films wouldn't work if the characters were smart all of the time but this here is just ridiculous. Things actually get worst when a cop shows up and then things turn even dumber if you can believe it!The film does a nice job working with its low budget and there are some good and gory death scenes. The teeth in Luther's mouth are quite effective and they lead to some bloody and gory death scenes. The cast are okay for this type of film but I will say that Terry does a nice job as the main freak. Throw in some nudity and a silly sex scene and you've pretty much got everything that made this a hit on VHS back in the day. LUTHER THE GEEK isn't a complete success due to how stupid the characters are but it's worth watching.

A man named Luther once had a bad childhood when he witnessed a real freak eating live chicken heads then he grows up to be a maniac who can talk like a chicken and wears special sharp metal dentures to rip people's flesh off. After killing an old lady outside a grocery store, he stowaways in a lady's car then takes her hostage in her farmhouse as her daughter must try to save her including her boyfriend.Violent and maniacal low budget horror thriller that works on many levels with an interesting and original storyline. The acting maybe bad even though it's a b-flick but it's got some gruesome violence with it, director Carlton J. Albright ("The Children") succeeds here to make a cult favorite and has been re-issued thanks to Troma.Also recommended: "The Hills Have Eyes" ( 1978 and 2006), " Cannibal Apocalypse", " Maniac ( 1980)", " The Bird with the Crystal Plumage", "Psycho ( 1960)", "Rabid Grannies", "Hostel", " High Tension", " Wolf Creek", " The Texas Chainsaw Massacre series including 2003 remake", " Last House on The Left", " The Toxic Avenger", "House on The Edge of the Park", " Jeepers Creepers 1 & 2", " The New York Ripper", "Scream", " Evil Dead II", "Terror Firmer", " Intruder", " Blood Diner", "Cannibal! The Musical", "Silence of the Lambs", and " Natural Born Killers".

I'm not one to comment on the directorial merits of any film. I judge movies on what they have to offer, and what they seem to be intending to be. So when commenting on a movie like Luther the Geek, re-released by Troma, you know what it is trying to be- comic horror exploitation.Luther the Geek is of higher quality script wise than one would expect. The plot, though ridiculous, isn't overly campy. Luther's uniqueness is portrayed in a manner that almost make it plausible. The gore is second rate, but some decent chills are had from the situations presented.The two winners are the actor who played Luther (sorry, too lazy to go back and check) and Stacy Haiduk, the hottie (there's only one). Ms. Haiduk, now a TV vet, but then a nubile late teen, delivers on the exploitation with a shower scene fit for rewind and pause. Her acting? Awful, but who cares. I'm not watching a movie called Luther the Geek to see fine actors.I don't want to get into plot, or staging, or whatever. For fans of the unusual LTG is a surprisingly fun romp. Might not contain enough scares to entertain true horror fans, but followers of the odd will revel it its independent spirit.

I rented the out of print video version of this about a year and a half ago from a mom and pop video store down the road from my house. I watched it and liked it. I asked the old guy who ran the place to sell me the video but he declined. A couple of days ago I saw Troma re-released this and I quickly snatched it up. I'm glad I didn't buy the video. The Troma DVD has some really good extras (love the shower scene outtakes). Anyway, this is a pretty good horror movie and the first hour has plenty of out-of-nowhere twists and turns and the villain in this is entertaining to watch (he clucks like a chicken). The gore is spaced out but heavy and the story moves at a fast pace even though it's pretty slim. A chunk in the last half hour features a cop sleuthing through a dark barn and the scene takes an eternity (my girlfriend then fell asleep). Thats the only downfall of the movie. Otherwise, an original, gruesome, fast-paced time-waster that I don't mind watching now and then. Features gory neck bitings. Three stars.