Quite a difficult movie to come across, this "State of Mind", but it sure looks like a worthy purchase in case you're an avid cult-collector
at least, on the surface it looks like that. The DVD-cover proudly lists the names of famous horror stars like Fred Williamson, Jill Shoelen and above all Paul Naschy and the film is produced by James Desert, known for unleashing the notorious "Lucker the Necrophagous" upon the world. The famous names are merely just touts (especially Paul Naschy's appearance is incredibly brief) and the story isn't nearly as shocking as that of "Lucker". Still, this movie isn't a total waste of time and, if you don't expect much, you might even find it enjoyable. The plot makes absolutely no sense and contains more holes than a teabag but, at the same time, it's delightfully deranged and awry, and thus very appealing to sick puppies as myself. The story is typically set in James Desert-world
This means there are no normal people at all. Everyone is either an eccentric loner with a dark past
or a homicidal maniac on the loose. "State of Mind" combines both as an escaped female serial killer finds shelter at the mansion of an insane single woman. Two serpents on one film-set
satisfaction guaranteed! Handsome police duo Loomis & Wishman (Fred Williamson and Jill Shoelen) don't have a clue since they assume that the serial killer died in a car accident. I counted a handful of really atmospheric sequences and there's a lot of sickening gore. Like we expect from James Desert, the violence is very graphic and thus definitely not for the squeamish among us. Of course, if you want to enjoy this film, you have to look past the terrible acting performances and the imbecile dialogues. Perhaps it's mainly because I'm Belgian myself (like James Desert is) but I'm glad to have this movie in my collection. The absurd plot, the violence and the cheap production values make it feel like an old-fashioned exploitation film and I applaud that.
