The name Dante Tomaselli is probably quite well known to readers of Atrocities Cinema.com. He's the visually-gifted and highly original director behind such hallucinatory shockers as Horror. In my recent interview with Dante, he spilled his guts about his new film Satan's Playground, now available from Anchor Bay Entertainment. To say that my interest was piqued would be quite an understatement. So, when I finally got the chance to see the film, I felt I just had to share my thoughts with all of you.
The synopsis...
After a slam-bang, vertiginous opening sequence where we see a jilted prostitute get attacked by an unseen presence in the woods, we join sisters Donna (Felissa "Sleepaway Camp" Rose) and Paula (Ellen "The Evil Dead" Sandweiss), along with Donna's oddly-old husband Frank (Salvatore Paul Piro) and their retarded and/or autistic teenage son Sean (Danny Lopes) and Paula's infant son Anthony, who are rolling down the road out in the middle of the infamous Pine Barrens region of New Jersey. They bicker pettily, and Paula disparages her (unpresent) ex-husband, from whom she recently separated. Aside from their bickering, and the somewhat offputting age gaps inherent to their family, they seem to be a fairly ordinary American family. Their familial bonds will be tested (and shattered) by the events that mysteriously and suddenly begin to unfold around them. After hearing a strange fluttering sound coming from above the car, the family experiences car trouble, and are forced to pull over in the wilds of the Pine Barrens. Frank, dutiful old Italian grumpus of a guy that he is, tells the women and children to stay put while he wanders off to seek help at the ramshackle house he "saw back down the road a ways". Problem is, it's getting dark outside, and the women and children are getting restless. Then there's that incessant fluttering...along with the swiftly-moving shadows of something just out of eyeshot. Frank finds the house, of course, but when he arrives and encounters a strange old woman named Mrs. Leeds (Irma St. Paule), who lives in the house with her mute and highly creepy daughter Judy (Christie Sanford) and son (known only as "boy", played by a somewhat underused Edwin "The Texas Chain Saw Massacre" Neal), Frank notices that things aren't quite right with these folks. Soon, he finds out just how weird they are, and after he goes missing, Donna intrepidly (and a bit stupidly) goes off in search of her husband, leaving Paula, Sean, and baby Anthony to fend for themselves in the car. What follows, told mostly from Donna's perspective, is a fairly standard "creepy ol' house in the woods" mystery, that turns into a somewhat "Chain Saw"-inspired study of two families at war in the cold, remote Pine Barrens.
What appears to be a super-traditional stalk-and-slash storyline is made much more interesting by Dante Tomaselli's trademark hallucinatory flourishes; victims are drugged and forced to wander around in a daze while experiencing events and scenes that may or may not actually be happening. Then, there's the fairly novel addition of the "Jersey Devil" mythos into the mix. Many films, notably Lance Weiler's The Last Broadcast, have used the Jersey Devil legend as a backdrop. Here, Tomaselli makes it an integral part of the plot, going so far as to name his main "villainess" Mrs. Leeds. For the two of you out there who aren't yet familiar with the Jersey Devil story, it goes something like this. Around the turn of the century (exactly when changes depending on who's telling the story), one Mrs. Leeds lived out in the Pine Barrens in a secluded house. There, she gave birth to twelve children in fairly rapid succession. So frustrated and nonplussed was she at popping out so many young'uns that, after giving birth to the twelfth child, she semi-sarcastically said, "If I have another child, let the thirteenth one be the Devil!" Naturally, she's soon pregnant with her thirteenth child. Upon giving birth to the child, she finds...much to her surprise (though I can't imagine why she'd be surprised...it's a fairy-tale, after all)...that the child is a leathern-winged monster/demon child. So, she throws the abberation onto the fire, and up up up it flies, emitting an unearthly screech all the while, out into the night air. Ever since, that thirteenth child...the "Jersey Devil"...has haunted the Pine Barrens, picking off unwary travelers, young lovers, naughty children, and in this case, ignoramous city folks with car trouble. There. So, as the story of Satan's Playground unfolds, our protagonists slowly discover the "truth" about Mrs. Leeds, who may or may not be hiding something truly horrible about her past. This mythos really sets Satan's Playground apart from the recent glut of "realistic" mainstream horror movies like Hostel (to cite just one example). Tomaselli unabashedly uses every aspect of the Jersey Devil story to put more meat on the bones of what would otherwise be a fairly threadbare movie, story-wise. The icing on the cake is that Tomaselli is such a gifted visual filmmaker. The guy simply doesn't need a screenplay to make effective, creepy horror movies. He could just string together a series of shocking, weird, hallucinatory sequences (like a latter-day Argento or perhaps more accurately, Mario Bava) with little to no rhyme or reason to them, and he'd still manage to produce a provocative, unsettling movie. Lucky for us, there's just enough story (and backstory) in Satan's Playground to prevent the less tolerant or patient viewers out there from getting bored with the repeated sequences of something fluttering just off camera, then someone noticing the fluttering, then something bad happens (directly related to the fluttering or not), rinse and repeat as necessary.
Since we've established that Satan's Playground is a highly visual-driven film, let's talk about what that means in context. Tomaselli takes visual cues...and even whole shots...from a slew of various sources. Some of the more obvious influences on the "look" of Satan's Playground are Dario Argento, Mario Bava (and to a lesser extent, perhaps, his son Lamberto), Sam Raimi, Tobe Hooper, and more. While the influences are there...they're tangible and real...they never (to Dante's credit) blatantly step over the line into pure homage. Homage has its place, but what Dante does best is taking his influences, his own ideas, and wrapping them all together into a copacetic melange of spicy, scary cinematic goodness. He's one of the most original filmmakers working today, and maybe Satan's Playground will prove to be his "breakthrough" project...the film that takes him out of the relative obscurity of just being a "crafter of surrealistic horror mini-masterpieces" and truly thrusts him into the status of "respected horror filmmaker". Time will tell.
Now, on to the cast. Hmmm. The thespians at Dante Tomaselli's disposal are mostly seasoned working actors, combining several of his usual stable of actors and more "well-known" types. Furthermore, since we're dealing with several actors whom are quite well known for specific roles, (Felissa Rose for "Angela" in Sleepaway Camp, Ellen Sandweiss for "Cheryl" in The Evil Dead, and Edwin Neal for "The Hitchhiker" in The Texas Chain Saw Massacre respectively), Tomaselli has the advantage of having not only some pretty decent actors to work with, but also a set of actors that embody specific archetypes. Rather than saying (for example), "Hey, there's Cheryl from The Evil Dead! Uh oh...don't go in the woods Cheryl! You know what happened last time...yep! That's right. You got raped by trees!", those associations remain firmly in the back of our minds, creating a subconcious association that adds to the tension of the film. Kudos to Tomaselli for hand-selecting his cast for their faces and associations, and for letting the audience do the rest of the work. The one complaint I have about the cast is the gross underuse of Ed Neal. His character "boy" is an important...even pivotal one, but Neal doesn't have a lot to do with the role other than look alternately menacing and somewhat sympathetic (in a sick, "look at the poor retarded maniac" kind of way). Whatever. It's a little thing. I just dig Ed Neal, is all.
But, is it scary? Dante Tomaselli works on a different...somehow transcendant...level than do many directors. He simply knows what scares people, and injects that knowledge into every frame of Satan's Playground. These are subconscious frights, for the most part; an overpowering sense of doom and gloom. We don't know and certainly can't see what lurks around each corner (as Tomaselli wisely keeps his "monster" completely offscreen), but damn, is it scary! Shadows ooze across the frame, and his Pine Barrens are practically alive with id-shredding ferocity and dread. This ain't just some cozy September stroll through the woods, is all I'm saying. Satan's Playground may not be the outright scariest movie you've seen, but it sure hits the mark when it needs to with its disconnected, disjointed, hyperreal scares. Like most of Tomaselli's work, Satan's Playground isn't the goriest thing under the sun, but there are a few visceral shocks that really liven things up when necessary. Of particular note is one of the most righteous throat-slashings...replete with a majestic, almost "Shogun Assassin-ish" geyser of blood...that I've seen on screen in a long time. These moments are few, but they are used quite well. They're punctuation for the film's generally more emotional and mental shocks. In other words, they're used pretty much as they should be. The only real complaint I could level at the film is that it tends to get a bit lost in its own hypersurrealism. Whole concepts, characters, and scenes show up and then, without warning, they disappear without a trace. Fairly early in Satan's Playground, Tomaselli establishes a weird subplot concerning, I think, cultists/"satanists" running around in the woods performing unholy rituals (including the whipping of a buck-naked dude tied to the ground). I suppose one could argue that these scenes are there to act as a sort of "red herring", intended to throw off the viewer that thinks they know what's going on. Or, to play devil's advocate for a moment, one could assume that the raison d'etre for these sequences is to add to the overall surrealism of the film. That, they certainly do. But, they also come across as an under-developed plot point that was simply abandoned in favor of giving the principals more screen time. Dante, care to enlighten me on this matter?
Anchor Bay is a great company, ya know? Sure, they release some total dreck, and they have the tendency to flood the market with re-release after re-release of all your favorite horror flicks (Army of Darkness and Halloween are notable examples of this phenomenon), but every so often, they take a chance on a "smaller" indie film and give it a very respectable release. Thus, their very welcome release of Satan's Playground. The film itself is presented in a very serviceable widescreen format (enhanced for 16x9 screens), and the sound is in a very well-used 5.1 surround format. The sound here is of particular importance, as the swooping/flapping of the unseen "Jersey Devil" plays a big part of the tension in several sequences. On the "special features" front, there's a commentary by Tomaselli, who is his usual entertaining self. He shares the expected anecdotes and technical information, making for a balanced and enjoyable listening experience. There's also a "behind the scenes" piece, but it doesn't really shed any light on anything. Hey, who am I to complain? Finally, there are the requisite still and poster galleries, and a brief "interview" piece called "Dante Tomaselli and the Jersey Devil" where the director shares some of his ruminations about growing up in New Jersey and his fascination with the Jersey Devil legends. This isn't exactly a "mega edition" or anything, but it's a pretty serviceable release for a movie that will (regrettably) likely slip under too many fans' radar.
Satan's Playground, like the rest of Dante Tomaselli's films, is not for everyone. It's far too surreal and obtuse for so-called "mass consumption", but it's a damned fine, scary ride for those of you who are willing and able to let yourselves get totally drawn in by a movie. It's like an acid trip...a bad acid trip, mind you...that takes you to places in your own mind that just aren't very pleasant to visit. But damn if it isn't a fun ride! Give Satan's Playground the chance that it deserves...you'll be glad you added this weird, wild film to your collection.
The name Dante Tomaselli is probably quite well known to readers of Atrocities Cinema.com. He's the visually-gifted and highly original director behind such hallucinatory shockers as Horror. In my recent interview with Dante, he spilled his guts about his new film Satan's Playground, now available from Anchor Bay Entertainment. To say that my interest was piqued would be quite an understatement. So, when I finally got the chance to see the film, I felt I just had to share my thoughts with all of you.
