Razor

This is not a satire or a parody, it is a parody of the movie itself, if this makes sense. It starts as a very serious dark thriller and quickly turns into a very fake slasher, with very bad dialogue- that actually turned bad after intentionally dubbing it in English, even though the original dialogue was also in English. That created a very fake feeling and a sterilized sound environment, that spoofs European thrillers from the early 80's. But instead of having actors talking about serious matters, like in most thrillers (for no apparent reason and with no explanation), everyone in Razor is talking about moronic everyday needs, like cooking, sleeping, eating, having sex etc. It's not philosophical or clever, it is just what normal people do. And that is the hidden layer in Razor, why most people are victims and why they don't fight back.

The movie criticizes something else than slasher movies, it is not Scream or Scary Movie. Razor hides a layer of hate against people who spend their weekends somewhere close to nature, together with friends. This probably sounds weird to most of you, because you probably think that such a weekend is fun. And that is why you probably will not understand the humor of Razor. The director tried to make it from the perspective of an alien life form, who tries to understand humans and their habits. Like a predator, that alien life form is convinced that you need to put just the basics inside a movie and to torture people and kill them to have a great body count. The shock value in the beginning and in the end of the movie are there because of lack of filtering, how extreme it is and when you go too far. Incest, sensitive body parts, weird motives, if you really think about it, is actually great fun.

So what is this movie all about? Why spend 75 minutes of your life watching it? The plot is pretty basic, so basic that you can describe it in one single sentence: Friends spend the night in a mansion, they have dinner and sex and someone captures, tortures and kills them one by one during the night. The movie plays with the idea of having such a basic plot, only to focus on how torturing people actually works. The camera focuses only on the victim and his/her reactions, and is mostly close-ups. The movie is a study in reactions, because the actors were tortured up to a certain degree for real. The chains and locks were real, the whip, the electric saw, so what you see is almost real footage of torturing. Having that information, the movie is a different beast, right? It's not snuff, but it is indeed a study in reactions, you can tell when the actor hated the situation and when he or she needed to stop. They were free to express themselves, because they could not really move, so their fear is real. It was scary for most of them and the shootings were done with appointments, like BDSM sessions, it was an extreme experience for all of them. So, if you are willing to watch it, do it with that in mind...

Very funny (especially for Horror fans), the movie plays with all the standard clichés that can be found in slasher thriller classics, especially in the European ones like Bloody Moon from the early 80's, movies like Kolobos, Halloween, Friday The 13th and The Toolbox Murders. The killer in Razor uses some very unorthodox methods for torturing his victims before killing them, including a variety of tools like a razor blade, a saw, a whip and even a dildo! The dildo is probably the most unique item ever used in a slasher movie.

The movie includes some cheesy dialogue and although it was shot in English, it was later dubbed in English by the same actors for a different sterilized sound that feels fake. One actress is talking in German through the entire movie, and somehow the killer actually responds to her in German as well.

The Special Effects are a huge part in Razor. The props were created by Alahouzos Bros (George and Roulis Alahouzos (http://www.alahouzosfx.com/), one of the few SFX experts in Greece. The applications were done by MacabroFX crew on the spot with the help of another make-up artist. Some of the FX were really complicated and dangerous, especially because of the real electric saw that was used and its reaction to foam and latex, which was unpredictable. A scene involving a male's genitalia was one of the most expensive ones, because there is no easy way to make a mold out of the specific area. The scene is probably the most notorious one in the movie, together with a reference scene to Lucio Fulci's New York Ripper.

The movie is finally out in its original intended form, as a slasher comedy with a lot of gore and crazy disturbing situations, while there are many moments that are finally funny, as was the original intention of the director. A co-producer in 2007 who wanted a serious slasher for the US market and a distributor in Greece in 2008 are the ones who ruined this movie back then, while the director and producer tried to satisfy their demands. The movie never got a proper release back then, because it was messy and it couldn't serve as a serious thriller, but also could not satisfy as a comedy. The mistakes are now corrected and although it runs at 75 minutes, it is fully uncut and cool.

Why is it important to watch such a movie? It's not funny for most viewers, except for hardcore horror fans, they get the in-jokes and the references. Razor is almost boring as a movie, but extremely intense as a documentary with re-enactments of torturing sessions. So what the hell is it?

A movie doesn't need to be part of a genre and to represent it. Slasher is a sub-genre that became popular in the late 70's and early 80's and found new life with Scream and later with Saw and Hostel. Razor isn't a slasher, it plays around the whole idea of creating a slasher and intentionally pretends that viewers are mostly stupid, it is academic trash and the most clever stupid movie you can find. You will get attracted to watch the whole thing, you will hate it, but you will not be able to forget is somehow. There are some hidden ingredients inside, that will make you enjoy the fact that you are hating it while watching it, you will see the potential and you will hate the fact that nobody tried a bit harder to turn this into a real slasher. But you are missing a very important information. This was done exactly like the 48-hours short movies. The principal photography (about 50 minutes of the whole movie) was done between 9 o'clock on a Saturday morning until 8 o 'clock Sunday evening, with no pause and no breaks. The actors went for it and supported it. The torturing sessions were done with appointments, during the following week. Is this important? Shouldn't they take more time and put more effort? Yes and no!

The original script was hated so much by so many people, that the director chose to just use the basic idea and to shoot around it, with actors improvising. It wasn't meant to become a comedy or to have dubbed dialogue. The original script was a very disturbing movie, where everyone inside had his/her own perversion and everyone was involved in a different crime and murder. The original was close to Bay of Blood, the mother of all slashers. The plot involved real BDSM, bisexuals, slaves, transgenders and real incest with twins. Some of those elements survived in this simplified version, with some mild bondage, the incest as an act, and the killer using the dildo to hit people's faces, where in the original script he used it for penetration. The reactions from people were so extreme, that even in public places they start shouting and crying, while they were discussing the plot with the director. It is unfortunate that the whole thing turned this way, but sometimes you need to take a decision and to start shooting. Razor is still kinda extreme for being a slasher comedy, but at least it is not the most extreme disturbing thriller of all time, like it would be. Now that you know, you might watch it with different eyes...

This movie is BAD/AWFUL. First off, I almost fell asleep during the first half hour because is starts out so slow and then from there it still drags on and on.

I have seen better acting in High-School Theater. In fact the acting is so bad, Its a major turn off for me.

This movie does have a few sex scenes in it. And even the acting in those are bad. Worse than I could write.

When it does get to a part that should get your adrenaline going. With the acting and the music and probably the budget, It never gets off the ground.