LUCKER Review

Let me start this review off by saying this is a movie most people have never heard of, even many horror fans. Those who have heard of it know it's reputation as "sicko-sinema" sleaze; and for those few who've actually seen it - you either love it or hate it. If Synapse Films hadn't released the DVD, it would have just languished in the obscurity of underground horror bootleggers (where it originally built its infamous reputation and gained its cult status). LUCKER is an ultra-low budget film shot for about $30,000 in Belgium back in 1985 by Johan Vandewoestijne. He was a film student at the time, and the movie definitely reflects that - with all the flaws that come with a first-time film. Nick Van Suyt's performance as John Lucker is effectively creepy and noteworthy. Suyt apparently committed suicide. The story begins with serial rapist, murderer, and necrophile John Lucker recovering in a clinic, after a suicide attempt. He's been locked up in an institute for the past 3 years, following the murder of 8 women. He escapes after the gory killing of a male orderly (screwdriver in the eyeball). Lucker kills a nurse inside her car in the clinic parking lot and makes his escape with her car (and her body). After desecrating her, he abandons the car and the body and walks into the city, where he begins searching for Cathy Jordan - one of his would-be victims who managed to escape his murderous rampage 3 years prior. Mayhem, gory murders and necrophilia ensues. That's pretty much all there is to the plot. And when I say necrophilia, I don't mean freshly dead. Lucker prefers a decomposed, putrefying corpse (in the movie's most infamous scene). This, of course, draws comparison with Jorg Buttgereit's NEKROMANTIK films and Nacho Cerda's AFTERMATH; but LUCKER (which preceded them) drops the art-house style employed in those movies in favor of a gritty vision inside the mind of a disturbed psychopath, in which necrophilia is just one of his sordid pasttimes (but it's certainly the one you'll remember most when the film ends). It's a shame though, if the story had been fleshed out more and the filmmakers had some more money to work with, LUCKER could have been a powerful character study like HENRY: PORTAIT OF A SERIAL KILLER. But I still find it enjoyable for what it is. As for the production aspect, it was shot on 16mm. The "look" of the movie brings to mind filmmakers like Jim Van Bebber. I really like the soundtrack. It's synth-driven like many '80s horror films, and adds to the ambience. The incidental music is also enjoyable like the synth-pop song playing in the bar scene and the electro-industrial track "Vengeance" by the Belgian duo A Split Second. The lighting is also of note, with many of the key scenes lit in bright primary colors - reds, blues, and greens; which again brings to mind Jim Van Bebber and his lighting scheme for DEADBEAT AT DAWN. Of course, this lighting style has been used since the early days of color horror films by directors like Mario Bava, Terence Fisher, and Roger Corman when they wanted to give a scene a surreal dreamlike quality; and it works to that effect here (somewhat). LUCKER is not a dialog-driven film, and it's these scenes without dialog that work best. The English dubbing (or overdubbing) cheapens the film some and adds a bit of unintentional humor (also part of the film's cult appeal), but if you're used to low budget '80s horror it shouldn't really be a problem anyway. LUCKER originally had spotty distribution on VHS in 1986. However, the film found its target audience (avid gorehounds) when it was bootlegged by underground horror distributors in the late '80s and early '90s. I originally discovered it through the video maniacs at the now-defunct Ultra-Violent Video, which later became Blackest Heart Media (for those who remember the-good-old-days of horror collecting and tape trading, when finding these types of films was more difficult, mysterious and taboo). Now, thanks to Synapse Films, you can walk into your local media store and pick up LUCKER. Speaking of the DVD, I was pleasntly surprised to find the addition of more gore in some of the scenes, which was not on the old VHS bootleg. The original VHS version is also included as a bonus feature. The only other bonus is an informative featurette entitled Lucker: The Story Beyond the Film. So, if you enjoy (or like having your senses battered by) films such as Jim Van Bebber's ROADKILL: THE LAST DAYS OF JOHN MARTIN, William Lustig's MANIAC, HENRY: PORTRAIT OF A SERIAL KILLER, and the above-mentioned NEKROMANTIK, then you may want to add LUCKER to your collection. It's not quite in the same league as those films, but it's similar in tone, and should appease those who have a rabid craving for cheap and tasteless cinema extremes; and if you're a gorehound who can appreciate ultra-low budget filmmaking on the cheap with no redeeming social value whatsoever.



7/10