Announcement

Collapse
No announcement yet.

Diary Of A Sex Offender

Collapse
X
Collapse
  •  
    Ian Miller
    Flattery and foreplay

  • Diary Of A Sex Offender

    Click image for larger version

Name:	Cover.JPG
Views:	1
Size:	40.3 KB
ID:	383702

    Released by: Independent Entertainment
    Released on: 11/23/10
    Director: John Niflheim
    Cast: Peter Grouse, Allison Quick, Karma Jean, Penny Nichols, Lilly St. Claire
    Year: 2010
    Purchase From TLA

    The Feature

    Michael (Peter Grouse) is an unhinged and orphaned loner fixated on discovering the mysteries of the universe, a journey made possible in his twisted mind by the sacrificial defilement and eventual murder of several young women; an obnoxious teen sexpot runaway he picks up hitchiking, a nosy waitress who overhears a philosophical discussion between he and his only friend Bill whom Michael convinces to come back to his grungy pad ("wow man, what a shithole!" she smugly remarks before noticing artwork of a distinctly Joe Colemanesque nature adorning nearly every available bit of wall space), as well as one tattooed lass already bound and gagged by the time she appears onscreen.

    Click image for larger version

Name:	Img 1.JPG
Views:	1
Size:	59.8 KB
ID:	383706
    Click image for larger version

Name:	Img 2.JPG
Views:	1
Size:	56.0 KB
ID:	383704
    Click image for larger version

Name:	Img 3.JPG
Views:	1
Size:	80.5 KB
ID:	383703

    Seemingly orchestrating all of this mayhem is a hooded and cloaked deity named "Iwas" that speaks to Michael, taunting him with promises of ancient knowledge if he is to finish the task. In fact, this Crowley obsessive is working on a massive tome himself, and every victim brings his "book" (a tattered and stained notepad) closer to completion. Each time, the m.o. is nearly the same: trick the victim into coming in, and roofie'n them so he can squeeze their breasts and maybe worship their feet a little before raping and stabbing/slashing them, resulting in a powerful "braingasm" (cue trippy visuals and NIGHTMARES IN A DAMAGED BRAIN-style mouth foaming) for the perp.

    Click image for larger version

Name:	Img 4.JPG
Views:	1
Size:	40.7 KB
ID:	383701
    Click image for larger version

Name:	Img 8.JPG
Views:	1
Size:	62.0 KB
ID:	383707
    Click image for larger version

Name:	Img 9.JPG
Views:	1
Size:	40.2 KB
ID:	383705

    One day, Michael discovers a new young woman has moved in upstairs from him, and as they discover, they have a little in common (she too digs Crowley), prompting a get-together, whereby Michael discovers that their backgrounds are similar, and though he goes through the typical drugging procedure in order to have his way, he finds her to be a willing accomplice! In fact, he seems to actually be wanting to (get this) give her pleasure, and in doing so receives the first declaration of love in his miserable existence. Too bad a certain jealous deity isn't about to let this go much further......

    Directed, written and shot by John Niflheim, DIARY is a fairly accomplished indie sexploitation/horror hybrid distinguished by a genuinely unsettling visual sense (sound design also) and claustrophobic vibe where very little of the outside world creeps in. The fact that the two victims we get to spend any time with are about as annoying as one can imagine (by design, the performances are both entertaining in their own fashion) does little to distance the viewer from the main character's misogynistic psychosis (portrayed with reasonable effectiveness by Grouse), but that very angle is rendered all the more ridiculous by the swiftness with which his attitude changes (accompanied by a sardonically archetypal "falling-in-love" montage, just about the last thing the viewer would expect given the previous hour).

    What that leaves is a number of loooong forced sex/murder scenes that surprisingly feel more like something out of a 60's b&w "roughie" (maybe a result of all that gropin') than, say, MURDER SET PIECES, but this shouldn't be construed as a complaint, as that is a vibe that will probably only survive in features like this. Given how far all of this COULD go, the quaintness (as well as Niflheim's sharp cinematography) is what makes DIARY a moderately enjoyable watch.

    Click image for larger version

Name:	Img 5.JPG
Views:	1
Size:	59.5 KB
ID:	383711
    Click image for larger version

Name:	Img 7.JPG
Views:	1
Size:	46.4 KB
ID:	383709
    Click image for larger version

Name:	Img 6.JPG
Views:	1
Size:	76.5 KB
ID:	383712

    Video/Audio/Extras

    DIARY is presented in an 16x9 enhanced (and progressive scan-flagged, it would appear) transfer with a ratio of 1.78:1. Given its "indie" origins, it's a little startling to see a grungy little item like this have so little in the way of digital noise and the like while also having deep, well-replicated color schemes (from pop art psychedelic to richly natural autumn tones in the love montage) and challenging lighting situations looking so pro.

    On a similar note, the lone audio option is a simple-yet-effective 2.0 stereo track that fuses Michael Parsons' diverse musical score with.......well, itself, mostly, though the occasional narration and dialogue all have good separation from the f/x and music, and nothing ever sounds pushed too hard or distorted.

    Click image for larger version

Name:	Menu.JPG
Views:	1
Size:	67.5 KB
ID:	383710
    Click image for larger version

Name:	Menu 2.JPG
Views:	1
Size:	58.6 KB
ID:	383708

    Extras? Well, this baby is pretty bare bones, and apart from trailers for BLOOD AND SEX NIGHTMARE, ROT: REUNION OF TERROR, SHOCK FESTIVAL, STASH, and (a pleasant surprise) Bruno Mattei's WOMEN'S PRISON MASSACRE, you get bupkiss, but this (and the lack of any additional audio tracks) can only be a contributing factor in the overall handsome appearance of the feature itself. Given the obvious care with which DIARY was shot, this was probably the nicest thing I.E. could have done for both Niflheim and the viewer.

    The Final Word

    Independent Entertainment brings you DIARY OF A SEX OFFENDER, director/writer/DP John Niflheim's unsettling (yet droll) 74 minute trip inside the mind of a psycho sex killer that manages to surprise the viewer even as it pays homage to similar films of the past (also: nudity!).
      Posting comments is disabled.

    Latest Articles

    Collapse

    • Hot Spur (Severin Films) Blu-ray Review
      Ian Jane
      Administrator
      by Ian Jane


      Released by: Severin Films
      Released on: April 30th, 2024.
      Director: Lee Frost
      Cast: Joseph Mascolo, Virginia Goodman, John Alderman
      Year: 1969
      Purchase From Amazon

      Hot Spur – Movie Review:

      Director Lee Frost and Producer Bob Cresse's film, Hot Spur, opens in Texas in 1869 with a scene where a pair of cowboys wanders into a bar where they call over a pretty Mexican waitress and coerce her into dancing for them. She obliges, but
      ...
      03-22-2024, 11:53 AM
    • Death Squad (Mondo Macabro) Blu-ray Review
      Ian Jane
      Administrator
      by Ian Jane


      Released by: Mondo Macabro
      Released on: April 9th, 2024.
      Director: Max Pecas
      Cast: Thierry de Carbonnières, Jean-Marc Maurel, Denis Karvil, Lillemour Jonsson
      Year: 1985
      Purchase From Amazon

      Death Squad – Movie Review:

      Also known as Brigade Of Death, French sleaze auteur Max Pecas’ 1985 film, Death Squad, opens with a night time scene outside of Paris in the Bois de Boulogne Forest where cars pass by a small gang of transsexual
      ...
      03-22-2024, 11:46 AM
    • Roommates (Quality X) Blu-ray Review
      Ian Jane
      Administrator
      by Ian Jane


      Released by: Quality X
      Released on: February 28th, 2024.
      Director: Chuck Vincent
      Cast: Samantha Fox, Vernoica Hart, Kelly Nichols, Jerry Butler, Jamie Gillis
      Year: 1982
      Purchase From Amazon

      Roommates – Movie Review:

      Directed by Chuck Vincent and released in 1982, Roommates opens with a scene where a young woman named Joan Harmon (Veronica Hart) gets a hotel room with an older man named Ken (Don Peterson, credited as Phil Smith),
      ...
      03-15-2024, 01:10 PM
    • Night Of The Blood Monster (Blue Underground) UHD/Blu-ray Review
      Ian Jane
      Administrator
      by Ian Jane


      Released by: Blue Underground
      Released on: March 26th, 2024.
      Director: Jess Franco
      Cast: Christopher Lee, Maria Rohm, Dennis Price
      Year: 1970
      Purchase From Amazon

      Night Of The Blood Monster – Movie Review:

      Directed by Jess Franco, The Bloody Judge (or, Night Of The Blood Monster, as it is going by on this new release from Blue Underground) isn't quite the salacious exercise in Eurotrash you might expect it to be, and while it
      ...
      03-15-2024, 01:07 PM
    • Phase IV (Vinegar Syndrome) UHD/Blu-ray Review
      Ian Jane
      Administrator
      by Ian Jane


      Released by: Vinegar Syndrome
      Released on: March 26th, 2024.
      Director: Saul Bass
      Cast: Nigel Davenport, Michael Murphy, Lynne Frederick, Alan Gifford, Robert Henderson, Helen Horton
      Year: 1974
      Purchase From Amazon

      Phase IV – Movie Review:

      Saul Bass’ 1974 sci-fi/thriller Phase IV is an interesting blend of nature run amuck stereotypes and Natural Geographic style nature footage mixed into one delicious cocktail of suspense and
      ...
      03-15-2024, 01:02 PM
    • The Bounty Hunter Trilogy (Radiance Films) Blu-ray Review
      Ian Jane
      Administrator
      by Ian Jane


      Released by: Radiance Films
      Released on: March 26th, 2024.
      Director: Shigehiro Ozawa, Eiichi Kudo
      Cast: Tomisaburo Wakayama, Minoru Ôki, Arashi Kanjuro, Bin Amatsu, Chiezo Kataoka
      Year: 1969-1972
      Purchase From Amazon

      The Bounty Hunter Trilogy – Movie Review:

      Radiance Films gathers together the three films in Toie Studios’ Bounty Hunter Trilogy, starring the inimitable Tomisaburo Wakayama. Here’s how the three movies in this
      ...
      03-13-2024, 11:30 AM
    Working...
    X