Unmasked Part 25 — Unmasked Part 25( Blu Ray & DVD)
Unmasked Part 25( aka Hand of Death, Part 25: Jackson's Back) appeared in 1988- it was directed by Anders Palm(Deadline, Murder Blues), and written/ produced by Mark Cutforth. The whole thing is certainly well enough shot, though at the times a little stagy & episodic- and the blending of the genres of horror, humor, and romance can sometimes unbalance its self- but this is certainly a curio, really unlike anything else in the slasher genre.
After some nice credit shots of London in the late 1980s, the film begins with a couple making their way to a party down one of the cites side streets. Just as they're about to make it into the arty painted squat, where the party is taking place, they are jumping on by a grimy tramp, who warns them he’s ‘coming home, back to his birthplace’- they push him aside and make their way into the party- and fairly soon one-by-one the party goers are brutally done away with- we get a face ripped open & heart through chest killing, a couple making love stand-up been impaled by a fencing spike, and a face battered in by a shovel. All but one partygoer is left, Shelly(Fiona Evans) who is sat alone in the glossy white & black painted front room- the killer, dressed in a goalkeeper's hockey mask and trench coat goes in for the kill with his knife, but we quickly find out Shelly is blind & believes the killer is her date. Fairly soon the pair head back to her place, the killer starts talking- and we find out he’s a well-spoken & educated brit called Jackson- who has been pushed into killing over the last 24 Unmasked films- so added to everything else we get a film within a film concept.
The film unfolds in a decidedly schizophrenic manner- we move from the brutal & impressive killings, onto comical quipping & classical literature quoting dialogue, though to weird romantic interactions,onto genre parody sending up mostly the Friday 13th pictures, back to the brutal killing. It certainly is an often unbalancing experience, and at times it feels it all goes on a bit too long- even though it slips in under the hour and a half mark. But if you're looking for a wholly unpredictable & distinctively British take on the slasher genre I think you’ll enjoy what Unmasked Part 25 has to offer.
Moving onto this reissue, and we get another great print from VS- with nice and clear night shoots, well-defined reds on the gore scenes, and balanced definition of the more arty/ moody shots. Moving onto the two commentary tracks- and first of these is with Swedish director Anders Palm and film journalist David Flint- this starts with the pair discussing the impressive effects work which were apparently done by those behind the first Hellraiser film. Moving onto talk about locations, the short shoot of just 18 days & key members of the cast- many of whom where classical trained. Before going onto chat about the films genre-shifting- and how it fairly unique for a horror-comedy, both having moments of nasty & bleak horror, before dropping into more playful moments.
The second track is with writer/ producer Mark Cutforth, and Peter Kuplowsky & Justin Decloux of the Laser Blast Film Society- this starts off with Cutforth talking about being an English lit major- hence the classic literature in the script. Before moving onto talk about Friday 13th influence on the film, chatting about the Post-punk vibe they where trying to get. Later going on to discuss the films ltd initial video release first in the UK, then in the USA and elsewhere. Both tracks are most worthy & informative- so I’d say it’s certainly worth checking both of them out.
Unmasked Part 25 is another great addition to VS growing library of slasher based release- and it’s certainly is one of the most bizarre, unpredictable and unusual films to appear from the late 1980’s stalk ‘n’ slash trend.