THE LAST HORROR FILM (1982) - Troma Entertainment

The Last Horror Film
Troma Entertainment

Original Release Date Oct. 9th, 1982
Written by Judd Hamilton, David Winters, Tom Klassen
Directed by David Winters
Starring Joe Spinell, Caroline Munro, Glenn Jacobson, Don Talley
Language English (subtitles available)

Get your copy HERE from MVD

by "Doc" Hunter Bush, MovieJawn Podcast Director and Staff Writer 

The Movie Itself: Excellent

More than most labels, a Troma release is always something I kind of have to steel myself for. No disrespect to them at all, I'm a fan (Lloyd Kaufman even once told me he loved me), but with Troma, much like a certain much-discussed box of chocolates, you don't always know what you're gonna get (*). Sometimes you get gleefully gross, intentionally button-pushing, gory, silly, horny, fever dream films like The Toxic Avenger (1984), Class of Nuke 'Em High (1986), or my personal favorite: Tromeo and Juliet (1996). Sometimes you get a lesser-known, overlooked horror film that Troma have just picked up to release. If I'd done even a cursory look into the background of The Last Horror Film, I'd have known what I was in for, but I prefer to go into these disc reviews as blind as possible; it's just more fun. 

(*) This initially came down to whether the film was being made in-house by the Troma team and the creatives in their orbit, or was an independently made film that they just decided to distribute and release. Obviously, as Troma's goopy, radioactive shadow has grown over the years, more films are being independently made that ape the Troma style, which muddies the water a little bit. But I digress.

All of which is to say that The Last Horror Film is the latter: independently made on the heels of the success of Maniac (1980) which also starred Joe Spinell as a sweaty, bug-eyed weirdo and was produced in part by Judd Hamilton. Maniac made such a splash that Hamilton was asked to get another film under production ASAP. Though he wanted to work on something more in the science fiction genre, he was essentially forced into playing in the horror space again. Obviously, reteaming with Spinell was the smart move, and locking down the beautiful Caroline Munro, former Bond girl in The Spy Who Loved Me (1977), makes perfect sense.

In The Last Horror Film (also known as Fanatic), Spinell plays a movie-obsessed NY cabbie Vinny who buys himself a ticket to crash the Cannes film festival so he can convince scream queen Jana Bates (Munro) to star in his debut feature. Once at the festival, murders begin happening, all with Bates at the center: her husband, various industry professionals, etc. Obviously, Vinny must be behind it all... right? The film plays with the audience's understanding and love of horror movies to get a little bit meta, using the movie-within-a-movie format as a way to showcase creative kills and keep viewers guessing.

A high concept, low budget slasher, The Last Horror Film knows what its audience wants and in my opinion it really delivers. The kills are creative and nasty--Munro herself, in clips from some of the films she's starred in as Bates, dies via electrocution in a hot tub and by having her face blowtorched off--and Vinny's numerous fantasy / dream sequences look fantastic; all smoke, abstract light, and bizarre imagery like a melting Academy Award or Vinny confronting the pretentious director within himself!

Filming guerrilla style at the Cannes film festival lends the film a lot of production value (and casual nudity), as does a third act location change to a gorgeous castle villa! Personally, I'm a fan of fake movies in movies, and The Last Horror Film has a handful. All are a lot of fun and utilized to keep the momentum up throughout the film's runtime. But so much of the film's success really falls on the shoulders of Caroline Munro and the late, great Joe Spinell. Munro weaponizes her beauty to play a put-upon actress being driven to near madness by shocking acts of violence at nearly every turn and Spinell gives another fearlessly grimy performance as a degenerate who nevertheless loves the same kind of movies we do. Just, hopefully, not the same way.

The Packaging: Average

This is slightly wider, and therefore slightly sturdier blue snap case with a single-sided cover and the disc included. It's perfectly fine, but I'm not a fan of how busy the cover is. It depicts a frame of celluloid with Jana screaming while in a shower, and it has been scratched out, as happens in the film. This is all fine, but then there is a LOT of text. A banner advertising "TROMATIC SPECIAL EDITION", the Troma Entertainment credit, AND the logo, a pull quote from Fangoria, then the title, some cast & crew bonafides and finally a legend advertising "Featuring the music of DEPECHE MODE".

Y'all. It's one song. It's a perfectly well-suited Depeche Mode song--Photographic off of their debut album Speak & Spell--and it's utilized well in the film, but did we really need to advertise that on the already-crowded cover? For what it's worth, the back is also crowded, but as is the case with a lot of modern physical releases, the majority of that real estate is taken up with the hefty list of special features. I won't really complain about that for obvious reasons.

The Video: Good

The transfer here looks great! In transfers, occasionally you'll find some instances of the clean-up/restoration process adding extra visual noise (an overall sandy texture), especially in scenes shot in low light. Here, while there is some film grain which is to be expected, even the lower-light scenes look well-made and well-preserved. The colors really pop, and the more abstract visuals are all the more exciting for it.

Whether we're on gritty New York City streets, the topless beaches of the French Riviera, a glamorous gala, or a sun-drenched villa, the entire film has a seedy nervous energy to it, translated to the audience through the frequently active camera work. It's not Paul Greengrass levels of motion anything, but there were frequent instances of the camera roving about.

But my personal favorite visuals from the film are these sequences that kind of function like interstitials, of someone isolating a single frame of celluloid film featuring the next victim, and marking it--either scratching them out or circling them. It's just a great break from the action and tension.

The Audio: Good

This is a very solid audio transfer. I have a three-channel soundbar and at no point did I notice any issues; anything that took me fully out of the experience. There are, to be fair, moments where a bit of dialogue was obviously ADR'ed (Automatic Dialogue Replacement, meaning dropping in some dialogue recorded at a later date, usually because the necessary dialogue wasn't properly recorded or audible) but that's nothing unusual, given the era and genre.

Fun fact: aside from that one Depeche Mode song, the most interesting thing about the soundtrack is that it features seven songs written and performed by Jesse Frederick and Jeff Koz. Both men would go on to some acclaim in the television theme song realm, with Koz creating the song Faces of the Heart, which was the opening theme for General Hospital from 1993-2004. Frederick meanwhile wrote (with Bennett Salvay and show producer Jeff Franklin) and performed Everywhere You Look, the theme song to Full House. As a TGIF kid and a mid-to-late '90s soap opera viewer, it turns out BOTH of these songs are very familiar to me.

The Supplements: Excellent

The number one thing I look for in the bonus features for a physical release is: context. I like to be able to learn as much as I can about the situation(s) that a particular film was created in. In that regard, this release of The Last Horror Film is a home run and then some. There are three commentary tracks--two with (as he is described) "Joe Spinell's Best Friend", Luke Walter and one with Caroline Munro and film critic and Frightfest co-founder Alan Jones--and two illuminating interviews. Producer / co-writer Judd Hamilton's interview especially gave great insight into the film's origins, while Spinell's personal friend Sal Sirchia's interview is more about his relationship with Spinell during the last two years of Spinell's life.

There is also a ton of Troma-related material, so if you're unfamiliar with their whole deal and aesthetic, you'll definitely be more familiar after checking these out. I would like to draw special attention to the 5 minute feature Highlights from Tromadance (which is Troma's version of Sundance). The clip really highlights Troma's whole ethos of never giving up. Make your movie, your way; keep trying to get eyes on it; make it happen. I know Troma gets a lot of flak for their overall house style, and while I understand it (and could write an entire piece on the studio's evolving aesthetic), they're nothing if not inspirational.

• Commentary track with Joe Spinell's Best Friend Luke Walter
• Commentary track with Caroline Munro and Frightfest's Alan Jones
• New commentary track with Luke Walter
• Like a Father Figure: Sal Sirchia remembers Joe Spinell (21:11)
• My Last Horror Film Ever! Archival interview with producer Judd Hamilton (18:58)
• The Last Horror Film: New York and Cannes Locations (14:24) (HD)
• Mr. Robbie (a.k.a. Maniac II) (short film featuring Joe Spinell) (8:05) (SD)
• The Last Horror Film Trailers:
• Trailer 1 (as Fanatic) (0:32) (SD)
• Trailer 2 (as Fanatic) (0:31) (SD)
• Trailer 3 (0:58) (SD)
• Tromatic Extras:
• Highlights from Tromadance 2015 (5:21) (HD)
• The Return of Dolphin Man (4:48) (SD)
• Kabukiman's Cocktail Corner (9:44) (HD)
• Troma Trailers:
• Return to Nuke 'Em High - Vol. 1 (2013) (3:24)
• Return to Nuke 'Em High - Vol. 2 (2017) (1:49)
• The Toxic Avenger (1984) (3:32)
• Class of Nuke 'Em High (1986) (3:23)
• #Shakespeare’s Shitstorm (2020) (3:14)

One last thing I want to mention, and I've put it here because I guess it's sort of an unadvertised bonus feature(?), but when you start the movie, a brief intro (4:08) plays starring Troma founder Lloyd Kaufman. In it, he briefly talks up the film you're about to see before taking a pill that instantly changes his sex. He then hits the streets, playing into Troma's image as somewhat regressive, and deliberately provocative, before having Lloyd get told off by some guys (including Troma regular and former The Last Drive-In bandleader John Brennan!) who inform him that "It's 2015, dude. (Cross-dressing) is no big deal. Get over yourself!"

To be clear: after the introductory bit, none of this skit has anything to do with The Last Horror Movie, it's just Troma being Troma, and while it's a little clumsy and a little messy, the heart of the piece is in the right place. Just wanted to mention this because it comes out of nowhere and was an ...odd note to open on.

Final Thoughts: Highly Recommended

I'll always enjoy this variety of '80s slasher. They might not have a ton to say beyond the titillation, but not every ride at the amusement park can be The Hall of Presidents. Some are a rollercoaster, built purely for giddy thrills, cheap scares, and copious toplessness ...Okay, my analogy fell apart near the end there, but you get what I'm saying.

This is worth watching for Joe Spinell alone. The man is a particular kind of character actor / genre legend--he also appears in the first two Godfather and Rocky films, Sorcerer, and Taxi Driver for starters--and with any performer like that, I find watching them get to play the lead an endlessly entertaining use of my time. But beyond that, between the locations, the clever meta story, and the creative death scenes, The Last Horror Film offers a lot of entertainment for slasher fans.