NIGHTMARES IN A DAMAGED BRAIN
The Madness Of Killer George
RELEASED OUT NOW! 1981 | 18 | Blu-ray (4K/standard)
Director Romano Scavolini
Cast Baird Stafford, Sharon Smith,
CJ Cooke, Mik Cribben
Notorious for its “video nasty” status, this slasher also led to a UK distributor serving jail time after they failed to carry out Bbfc-mandated cuts.
Mostly shot in Florida, it follows George (Baird Stafford), a schizophrenic released back into society. Supposedly cured, he’s anything but. A string of murders follows – some startlingly abrupt – as this pathetic figure traverses a shabby, uniformly brown ’70s landscape to his ex-wife’s house.
There’s not much to it beyond death and sex – the two meshing memorably in a flashback which weds bondage and decapitation. Shots of the camera cruising past the peepshows of 42nd Street also hold a sleazy fascination.
There’s certainly some craft on display, though. The gore effects – prominently credited to Tom Savini, who in reality had a minor advisory role – are decent, and the editing is quite artful: jump cuts rendering scenes of George’s car en route more ominous; flash cuts conveying how his primal trauma is bubbling up from the depths.
Extras A 72-minute doc explores the life of disgraced distributor David Hamilton-grant, about whose name scurrilous accusations circle. Ultimately the trail goes cold, but the journey – which takes in ’70s sex comedies, The Goons and Throbbing Gristle – is interesting. An epic 72-minute interview reveals director Romano Scavolini as articulate and erudite; you don’t expect the man behind a nasty to discuss Kierkegaard!
Stafford and an effects guy provide further details in their commentary; a second sees producer William Hall grinding various axes. Intercutting old and new interviews, “Dreaming Up A Nightmare” (39 minutes) paints a picture of a seat-of-the-pants production. Savini also clarifies his role (seven minutes). Plus: a deleted scene; a comprehensive gallery; trailers. Ian Berriman
To achieve the moments where George foams at the mouth, they simply popped an Alka Seltzer tablet in the actor’s gob.