Absurd was directed by the prolific Joe D’Amato (Emanuelle and the Last Cannibals, Beyond the Darkness, Porno Holocaust), under the name Peter Newton. The screenplay was written by George Eastman, who also stars in the film. It is a slasher/horror film made on the cheap and was made and released in such close proximity to Anthropophagus that it was often billed as a sequel because they share the same writer and director. Outside of that, the two movies don’t really share much in common. Well, they do both have a giant man as a killer (Eastman stood 6’9”).
Absurd centers on a man named Nikos, he is something of a Wolverine styled mutant in that he can cure any injuries that he sustains, he also happens to be quite insane. This information is delivered by a priest (Edmund Purdom, Pieces), who has been pursuing him since his escape from a Greek facility. Just let that piece slide, the movie is set in a small American town, that looks suspiciously like a small Italian town. Never mind how this deranged killer, who has no ID or passport was able to hop a flight to the US.
When we first see Nikos, he is running down a country road where he attempts to hop a fence, which impales him, ripping out some of his intestines. He stumbles up to a house whose inhabitants call an ambulance. He is rushed into surgery where the surgeon calls him some sort of medical miracle as his injuries are healing themselves. Well, the mountainous fellow gets off the table, uses a medical drill to kill a nurse in gruesome fashion and stumbles along his way.
The movie meanders around as the priest is picked up by the local sheriff, to whom he tries to explain what is going on. Meanwhile, we are introduced to a girl, confined to bed recovering from some manner of spinal surgery, her annoying younger brother, and her nurse, Emily. As you can probably guess, this is where Nikos is going to end up.
The last third of the film takes place in this house. The priest trying to get people to listen to him while the killer stalks the people in this house. The whole thing feels like Halloween without the skill of John Carpenter to guide it along. Think of Nikos as Michael Myers, the priest as Loomis, and the kids in the house as Laurie Strode and the kids she’s babysitting. It all lines up so easily.
Simply put, Absurd is not a good movie. It is poorly acted, poorly written, and poorly directed. Still, I found myself liking it. It isn’t a good movie, crawls at times, but does have some decent gore effects and I like the music. If you enjoy low budget Italian horror, this may be worth checking out.
It should also be noted that this movie was on the original Video Nasty list, films deemed obscene and subject to censorship if not outright banning in the UK in the early 1980’s. I am not sure why it was on the list. Maybe it was the power saw to the head? Maybe the threat to children in the movie? I don’t know, but there you have it.
Absurd, an original video nasty, low grade Halloween knock off, and still manages to entertain. So, take a stab, if you dare.
Recommended.
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