The Last Horror Movie
Encyclopedia
The Last Horror Movie is a British
horror film
directed by Julian Richards
, starring Kevin Howarth
, Mark Stevenson
and released in 2004
. It is filmed in a found footage
style.
A disturbed wedding video cameraman and his assistant tape over a horror film that the audience has supposedly just rented, breaking the fourth wall and using meta-reference he then shows the audience his gruesome activities as a serial killer. The film raises questions surrounding visceral pleasure, this can be seen in one scene in particular during which the audience cannot see the victims (two at once) being murdered, Max Parry then asks the audience "I bet a part of you wanted to see that, and if you didn't, why are you still watching?"
At the end of the film the audience is left to think that the copy of Last Horror Movie they are watching is the only one, and that they will become part of Max Parry's sick lesson.
and premiered at The Alamo Drafthouse Cinema in Austin, Texas.
It was released in UK cinemas by Tartan Films
.
Gore Zone Label and is available at most DVD retailers.
In 2005 Tartan Films
UK release reached number two in the Blockbuster Inc. DVD rental charts.
In 2006 Tartan Films
withdrew the film from distribution in the UK after it was linked to a double murder.
rating of 56% "rotten".
'A full blooded portrait of amorality run amuck...designed to rob its viewers of a good nights sleep' - Dennis Harvey, Variety (magazine)
'A philosophising serial killer films his exploits in order to make the ultimate horror movie, in a British film that is actually pretty scary - and extremely violent.' - Peter Bradshaw, The Guardian
'Insidiously scary video diary of a vainglorious serial killer' - Ian Johns, The Times
'Effective Brit horror...scary and inventive' - Derek Malcom, The Evening Standard
'Gore Blimey...sick as hell. Horrifically funny Brit Flick...just don't take your mum to see it' - David Edwards, The Daily Mirror
'Chilling and flamboyant' - Perry Seibert, The New York Times
'One long confession of modi operandi from a gloating psychopath. Has much to say on the topics of horror films and societal violence and the bloody intersection of the two'
- Marc Savlov, The Austin Chronicle
'Richards "Last Horror Movie" has a lot to recommend, not the least of which is its unflinching integrity. Max has a hypnotic way about him. His Ginsu gaze stabs deep, his unctuous British charm coils around you. It's an unpleasant grip, especially when the blood oozes and the screams curdle on screen. Cerebral, realistic and troubling...a meditation on the morality, complicity and hypocrisy of voyeurism in the age of reality TV' - Chris Garcia, American-Statesman
'Knowingly ironic, gut churningly authentic and highly watchable' -Anwar Brett, Film Review (magazine)
'Smart British flick...with censor-baiting scenes of murder most foul' - Jamie Russell, Total Film
'Offers a potentially intriguing take on the horror movie as audio-visual relic" - Ben Walters, Time Out
'Grubbily authentic and shockingly brutal...one sick little puppy' - Jamie Russell, BBC
'A decent enough stab at that sub-genre of horror films, where we not only accompany the killer as he goes about his bloody business, but almost come to see him as the most nihilistic of anti-heroes.' - Richard Luck, Channel Four
'Stomps in the clay footprints set by Henry:Portrait Of A Serial Killer' - Jay Slater, Hot Dog
'One of the cleverest films I have seen in a long while' - Jeremy Knox, Film Threat
'Wincingly nasty...one of the best British movies of this year' - Alan Jones, Shivers (magazine)
'Takes the notorious home invasion scene from HENRY: Portrait Of A Serial Killer and multiplies it by 10' - Tony Timpone, Fangoria
'Disarmingly real...an ice pick meticulously inserted into your temple'- Rod Gudino, Rue Morgue (magazine)
'Darkly witty' - Nigel Floyd, SFX (magazine)
'Gripping, funny and frightening, an occasionally wicked commentary on horror movies, reality TV and that uneasy line between audience voyeurism and participation'.
- Don Kaye, Dread Central
'A clever narrative twist, intelligently handled themes, thought provoking dialogue; a multi layered lead loony and a biting bleak sense of humor...this was more than just a film, it was a visceral experience. From the performances; to the way the flick was shot, to the grounded and brutal execution of the murders… I truly forgot that what I was watching was a piece of fiction' - John Fallon, Arrow In The Head
'Violent, sadistic and amoral' - Kevin O Reilly, DVD Times
'The most incisive externalisation of a murderer’s thought process ever to be depicted in a British film. A picture of urban atrocity which takes the psycho film to its very limits. Utterly magnificent, a film that may well consign the likes of Dog Soldiers and 28 Days Later, to dim and distant memory. Do not miss this one - in fact, kill to see it'. - Darrell Buxton, The Spinning Image
'Think MAN BITES DOG with a RING style punch line and you'll get somewhere close to the fear this film delivers' - Lee Bailes, The Rumour Machine
'Perverse charm and uncompromising violence, this is one genre film that deserves to be huge. A horror film that makes you think
while scaring the hell out of you' - Kevin Lyons, EOFFTV
'An intense film that has an intelligent excuse for each and every horror it drops on us' - Paul Higson, The Zone
'Goes for the jugular and does more than deliver on the gore and body count quotas, enough to satisfy even the most desensitised gore hounds among us. Be careful what you rent'
- lee Bailes, The Rumour Machine
'Combines the reality-style filming of The Blair Witch Project, the self-awareness of Scream, and the shocking brutality of Cannibal Holocaust and puts them together into one unforgettable package. I was blown away by Kevin Howarth as Max, the serial killer. This is the kind of performance that an Oscar should be handed out for' - Eric Newell, Bloody Good Horror
'Reveals a relationship between director, killer, accomplice, victim and viewer that is a little too close for comfort. Disturbing, funny, and grim, it cuts much deeper than your average slasher' - Anton Bitel, The Movie Gazette
'A grainy glimpse into a modern urban nightmare that will jolt the viewer out of their soft-focus ITV daze' - Matt Hill, New-Noise.Net'
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
horror film
Horror film
Horror films seek to elicit a negative emotional reaction from viewers by playing on the audience's most primal fears. They often feature scenes that startle the viewer through the means of macabre and the supernatural, thus frequently overlapping with the fantasy and science fiction genres...
directed by Julian Richards
Julian Richards (director)
Julian Richards, is a British film director.- Early life :Julian Richards was born and raised in Newport, South Wales, where his father owned DIY retail store Handiland...
, starring Kevin Howarth
Kevin Howarth
"Krazy" Kevin Howarth is a British radio disc jockey best known for his radio and television presenting in the Kingdom of Bahrain...
, Mark Stevenson
Mark Stevenson
Mark Stevenson is a London-based British author, comedian, businessman, public speaker and futurologist, as well as a former semi-professional musician. He is Chief Operating Officer and a founder of Flow Associates, a cultural learning agency and a principal at ReAgency, a science...
and released in 2004
2004 in film
The year 2004 in film involved some significant events. Major releases of sequels took place. It included blockbuster films like Shrek 2, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, The Passion of the Christ, Meet the Fockers, Blade: Trinity, Spider-Man 2, Alien vs. Predator, Kill Bill Vol...
. It is filmed in a found footage
Found footage (genre)
Found footage is a genre of filmmaking, especially horror, in which all or a substantial part of a film is presented as discovered film or video recordings, often left behind by missing or dead protagonists. The events onscreen are seen through the camera of one or more of the characters involved,...
style.
Plot
At the end of the film the audience is left to think that the copy of Last Horror Movie they are watching is the only one, and that they will become part of Max Parry's sick lesson.
Theatrical release
The Last Horror Movie was the first film to be released in US cinemas by FangoriaFangoria (magazine)
Fangoria is an internationally-distributed US film fan magazine specializing in the genres of horror, slasher, splatter and exploitation films, in regular publication since 1979.-Planning:...
and premiered at The Alamo Drafthouse Cinema in Austin, Texas.
It was released in UK cinemas by Tartan Films
Tartan Films
Palisades Tartan is a US and UK film distribution company, founded by US-based Palisades Media Group to take over the film library of Tartan Films after it folded in Summer 2008.-History:...
.
DVD release
This film is distributed on DVD by Fangoria'sFangoria (magazine)
Fangoria is an internationally-distributed US film fan magazine specializing in the genres of horror, slasher, splatter and exploitation films, in regular publication since 1979.-Planning:...
Gore Zone Label and is available at most DVD retailers.
In 2005 Tartan Films
Tartan Films
Palisades Tartan is a US and UK film distribution company, founded by US-based Palisades Media Group to take over the film library of Tartan Films after it folded in Summer 2008.-History:...
UK release reached number two in the Blockbuster Inc. DVD rental charts.
In 2006 Tartan Films
Tartan Films
Palisades Tartan is a US and UK film distribution company, founded by US-based Palisades Media Group to take over the film library of Tartan Films after it folded in Summer 2008.-History:...
withdrew the film from distribution in the UK after it was linked to a double murder.
Awards
- 2006 - Montevideo Fantasico Film Festival - Best Film - Winner
- 2006 - Montevideo Fantastico Film Festival - Best Actor (Kevin Howarth) - Winner
- 2005 - Buenos Aires Rojo Sangre Film Festival - Best Film - Winner
- 2005 - Buenos Aires Rojo Sangre Film Festival - Best Actor (Kevin Howarth) - Winner
- 2004 - Espoo CinéEspoo Ciné International Film FestivalEspoo Ciné International Film Festival is an annual event held in Espoo, Finland, in August. The festival was established in 1990 and it has since grown to be one of Finland's leading film festivals , screening about 100 feature films each year in addition to short films.Espoo Ciné focuses on...
- Méliès d'Argent, Grand Prize of European Fantasy Film in Silver - Winner - 2004 - FantasportoFantasportoFantasporto, also known as Fantas, is an international film festival, annually organized since 1981 in Porto, Portugal. Giving screen space to commercial feature films, auteur films and experimental projects from all over the world, Fantasporto has created enthusiastic audiences, ranging from...
- Critics' Award - Winner - 2004 - FantasportoFantasportoFantasporto, also known as Fantas, is an international film festival, annually organized since 1981 in Porto, Portugal. Giving screen space to commercial feature films, auteur films and experimental projects from all over the world, Fantasporto has created enthusiastic audiences, ranging from...
- International Fantasy Film Award - Nominee only - 2004 - Malibu Film Festival - Audience Award - Winner
- 2004 - New Haven Film Fest - Jury Award for Best International Feature - 2nd Place
- 2004 - New York City Horror Film FestivalNew York City Horror Film FestivalThe New York City Horror Film Festival was established by Michael J. Hein in 2001. It takes place each year in New York City for a week in October or November and specializes in the horror film genre....
- Best Actor (Kevin Howarth) - Winner - 2004 - New York City Horror Film FestivalNew York City Horror Film FestivalThe New York City Horror Film Festival was established by Michael J. Hein in 2001. It takes place each year in New York City for a week in October or November and specializes in the horror film genre....
- Best Feature Film - Winner - 2004 - Rhode Island International Horror Film Festival - Best Director (Julian Richards) - Winner
- 2004 - Eerie Horror Film Festival - Best of the Fest - Winner
- 2004 - Eerie Horror Film Festival - Best Director (Julian Richards) - Winner
- 2004 - Eerie Horror Film Festival - Best Actor (Kevin Howarth) - Winner
- 2003 - Festival of Fantastic Films (UK)Festival of Fantastic Films (UK)The Festival of Fantastic Films is an annual non-profit celebration of cinema fantastique, held annually in central Manchester, England. It was created by Tony Edwards and the late Harry Nadler , together with their fellow enthusiast Gil Lane-Young.Past...
- Best Independent Feature Award -Winner - 2003 - Raindance Film FestivalRaindance Film FestivalRaindance is an independent film festival and film school that operates from various cities including: London, New York, Vancouver, Toronto, Montreal, Budapest, Berlin and Brussels...
- Jury Prize for Best UK Feature - Winner - 2003 - Festival de Cine de SitgesFestival de Cine de SitgesThe Sitges Film Festival is a Spanish film festival that is one of the most recognizable ones held in Europe, considered the world's foremost international festival specializing in fantasy and horror movies...
- Best Film - Nominee Only
Festivals
- FrightFest -UK
- Oldenburg Film Festival -Germany
- Lund Fantastisk Film Festival - Sweden
- Welsh International Film Festival - Cardiff, UK
- Sitges Film Festival - Spain
- Noir in Festival - Courmayeur, Italy
- San Francisco Independent Film Festival - USA
- FantasportoFantasportoFantasporto, also known as Fantas, is an international film festival, annually organized since 1981 in Porto, Portugal. Giving screen space to commercial feature films, auteur films and experimental projects from all over the world, Fantasporto has created enthusiastic audiences, ranging from...
- Portugal - Cinequest Film FestivalCinequest Film FestivalThe Cinequest Film Festival is an annual independent film festival held in San Jose, California. The festival highlights the work of new film makers....
- USA - Cine Fantástico Málaga - Spain
- Bradford Film Festival - UK
- Philadelphia International Film Festival - USA
- Madrid Fantastic Film Festival - Spain
- Commonwealth Film Festival - Manchester, UK
- Cambridge Film FestivalCambridge Film FestivalThe Cambridge Film Festival is one of the biggest film festivals in the UK. The festival historically took place during early July, but now takes place annually during September in Cambridge....
- UK - Melbourne International Film FestivalMelbourne International Film FestivalThe Melbourne International Film Festival is an acclaimed annual film festival held over three weeks in Melbourne, Australia. It was founded in 1951, making it one of the oldest in the World....
- Australia - Montréal Fantasia Festival -Canada
- Fantasy Filmfest - Germany
- Cine Macabre - Toronto, Canada
- Espoo Cine - Finland
- Seoul International Film Festival - South Korea
- Malibu Film Festival - USA
- Ravenna Nightmare Film Festival - Italy
- Shockerfest Film Festival - USA
- Silver Lake Film FestivalSilver Lake Film FestivalSilver Lake Film Festival ran from 2000 to 2007. It was a 501 nonprofit organization established to provide a showcase for cutting-edge independent film, music, digital, and other arts in Los Angeles, California. The Festival was held annually at various venues throughout Los Angeles’ Eastside,...
- USA - Calgary International Film FestivalCalgary International Film FestivalThe Calgary International Film Festival is a film festival held annually in Calgary, Alberta, Canada for ten days in late September and early October...
- Canada - Eerie Horror Film Festibal - USA
- New Orleans Film Festival - USA
- Columbus, Ohio)
- New York City Horror Film FestivalNew York City Horror Film FestivalThe New York City Horror Film Festival was established by Michael J. Hein in 2001. It takes place each year in New York City for a week in October or November and specializes in the horror film genre....
- USA - Rhode Island International Film Festival - USA
- Century City Film Festival - USA
- São Paulo International Film FestivalSão Paulo International Film FestivalThe São Paulo International Film Festival is a film festival held annually in São Paulo, Brazil since 1976. In 2004 Iranian director Abbas Kiarostami was a member of the jury.-International Jury Award:*2001: The New Country ...
- Brasil - Scienceplusfiction Film Festival - Trieste, Italy
- Braga Cine - Portugal
- Muskegon Film Festival - USA
- Valencia International Film Festival - Spain
- Milwaukee International Film Festival - USA
- Nisa Film Festival - Portugal
- Dublin Horrorthon - Ireland
- Montevideo Fantastico - Uruguay
- Corto Imola Festival - Italy
Critical reaction
Critical reaction was generally mixed with a Rotten TomatoesRotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes is a website devoted to reviews, information, and news of films—widely known as a film review aggregator. Its name derives from the cliché of audiences throwing tomatoes and other vegetables at a poor stage performance...
rating of 56% "rotten".
'A full blooded portrait of amorality run amuck...designed to rob its viewers of a good nights sleep' - Dennis Harvey, Variety (magazine)
Variety (magazine)
Variety is an American weekly entertainment-trade magazine founded in New York City, New York, in 1905 by Sime Silverman. With the rise of the importance of the motion-picture industry, Daily Variety, a daily edition based in Los Angeles, California, was founded by Silverman in 1933. In 1998, the...
'A philosophising serial killer films his exploits in order to make the ultimate horror movie, in a British film that is actually pretty scary - and extremely violent.' - Peter Bradshaw, The Guardian
The Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
'Insidiously scary video diary of a vainglorious serial killer' - Ian Johns, The Times
The Times
The Times is a British daily national newspaper, first published in London in 1785 under the title The Daily Universal Register . The Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times are published by Times Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary since 1981 of News International...
'Effective Brit horror...scary and inventive' - Derek Malcom, The Evening Standard
'Gore Blimey...sick as hell. Horrifically funny Brit Flick...just don't take your mum to see it' - David Edwards, The Daily Mirror
The Daily Mirror
The Daily Mirror is a British national daily tabloid newspaper which was founded in 1903. Twice in its history, from 1985 to 1987, and from 1997 to 2002, the title on its masthead was changed to read simply The Mirror, which is how the paper is often referred to in popular parlance. It had an...
'Chilling and flamboyant' - Perry Seibert, The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
'One long confession of modi operandi from a gloating psychopath. Has much to say on the topics of horror films and societal violence and the bloody intersection of the two'
- Marc Savlov, The Austin Chronicle
'Richards "Last Horror Movie" has a lot to recommend, not the least of which is its unflinching integrity. Max has a hypnotic way about him. His Ginsu gaze stabs deep, his unctuous British charm coils around you. It's an unpleasant grip, especially when the blood oozes and the screams curdle on screen. Cerebral, realistic and troubling...a meditation on the morality, complicity and hypocrisy of voyeurism in the age of reality TV' - Chris Garcia, American-Statesman
'Knowingly ironic, gut churningly authentic and highly watchable' -Anwar Brett, Film Review (magazine)
Film Review (magazine)
Film Review magazine first appeared in 1950, initially for a 3-issue trial run. At the time it was titled "ABC Film Review" due to being tied in with ABC cinemas. At the time it was just 20 pages and cost 3 Old Pence. It was published by Associated British in association with Pathé and produced...
'Smart British flick...with censor-baiting scenes of murder most foul' - Jamie Russell, Total Film
Total Film
Total Film is a British film magazine published 13 times a year by Future Publishing. The magazine was launched in 1997 and offers film, DVD and Blu-ray news, reviews and features...
'Offers a potentially intriguing take on the horror movie as audio-visual relic" - Ben Walters, Time Out
'Grubbily authentic and shockingly brutal...one sick little puppy' - Jamie Russell, BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
'A decent enough stab at that sub-genre of horror films, where we not only accompany the killer as he goes about his bloody business, but almost come to see him as the most nihilistic of anti-heroes.' - Richard Luck, Channel Four
'Stomps in the clay footprints set by Henry:Portrait Of A Serial Killer' - Jay Slater, Hot Dog
'One of the cleverest films I have seen in a long while' - Jeremy Knox, Film Threat
Film Threat
Film Threat is a former print magazine and, now, webzine which focuses primarily on independent film, although it also reviews DVDs of mainstream films and Hollywood movies in theaters. It first appeared as a photocopied zine in 1985, created by Wayne State University students Chris Gore and André...
'Wincingly nasty...one of the best British movies of this year' - Alan Jones, Shivers (magazine)
Shivers (magazine)
Shivers was a UK-based magazine that began publication in 1992. It was dedicated to horror movies, television shows and literature.-History:...
'Takes the notorious home invasion scene from HENRY: Portrait Of A Serial Killer and multiplies it by 10' - Tony Timpone, Fangoria
Fangoria
Fangoria is an American magazine devoted to horror and exploitation films, which has a number of associated brands:* Fangoria Comics* Fangoria Films* Fangoria RadioFangoria may also refer to:* Fangoria , a Spanish electro pop band...
'Disarmingly real...an ice pick meticulously inserted into your temple'- Rod Gudino, Rue Morgue (magazine)
'Darkly witty' - Nigel Floyd, SFX (magazine)
'Gripping, funny and frightening, an occasionally wicked commentary on horror movies, reality TV and that uneasy line between audience voyeurism and participation'.
- Don Kaye, Dread Central
'A clever narrative twist, intelligently handled themes, thought provoking dialogue; a multi layered lead loony and a biting bleak sense of humor...this was more than just a film, it was a visceral experience. From the performances; to the way the flick was shot, to the grounded and brutal execution of the murders… I truly forgot that what I was watching was a piece of fiction' - John Fallon, Arrow In The Head
'Violent, sadistic and amoral' - Kevin O Reilly, DVD Times
'The most incisive externalisation of a murderer’s thought process ever to be depicted in a British film. A picture of urban atrocity which takes the psycho film to its very limits. Utterly magnificent, a film that may well consign the likes of Dog Soldiers and 28 Days Later, to dim and distant memory. Do not miss this one - in fact, kill to see it'. - Darrell Buxton, The Spinning Image
'Think MAN BITES DOG with a RING style punch line and you'll get somewhere close to the fear this film delivers' - Lee Bailes, The Rumour Machine
'Perverse charm and uncompromising violence, this is one genre film that deserves to be huge. A horror film that makes you think
while scaring the hell out of you' - Kevin Lyons, EOFFTV
'An intense film that has an intelligent excuse for each and every horror it drops on us' - Paul Higson, The Zone
'Goes for the jugular and does more than deliver on the gore and body count quotas, enough to satisfy even the most desensitised gore hounds among us. Be careful what you rent'
- lee Bailes, The Rumour Machine
'Combines the reality-style filming of The Blair Witch Project, the self-awareness of Scream, and the shocking brutality of Cannibal Holocaust and puts them together into one unforgettable package. I was blown away by Kevin Howarth as Max, the serial killer. This is the kind of performance that an Oscar should be handed out for' - Eric Newell, Bloody Good Horror
'Reveals a relationship between director, killer, accomplice, victim and viewer that is a little too close for comfort. Disturbing, funny, and grim, it cuts much deeper than your average slasher' - Anton Bitel, The Movie Gazette
'A grainy glimpse into a modern urban nightmare that will jolt the viewer out of their soft-focus ITV daze' - Matt Hill, New-Noise.Net'