Week 5 (July 19 – 25) – Sub Rosa Studio
Ron Bonk’s SRS Cinema has been providing the underground with TOP QUALITY GRIME since the 90s. Not only does he release a deluge of Sharksploitation, Amityville ripoffs, and Cocaine-addicted critter flicks, he also distributes auteurist masterpieces like Tim Ritter’s Truth or Dare? – A Critical Madness, Hugh Gallagher’s Gore Trilogy and the Polonia Brothers’ Hallucinations, plus he’s moved into the world of Japanese kaiju cinema with Howl From Beyond the Fog and The Whale God.
Arianna (Alyssa Paige) has just signed a contract with the Massimo Modeling Agency. However, the veneer of high fashion quickly cracks as she finds herself thrust into a world filled with predatory power dynamics and possessive handlers. As she navigates the high-pressure world of photo shoots and glittering parties, a masked killer begins to systematically stalk the agency’s models. With a rising body count and a web of jealousy, Arianna must figure out who she can trust—including the owner of Massimo, Contessa (Jennie Russo); strange boyfriend Jack (Addison Turner); icy, enigmatic former agency head Helen (Lynn Lowry); and the investigator, Officer Dante (Jeff Kirkendall).
This movie is the answer to the question, “What happens when Mark Polonia makes a giallo?” I was already excited by the description and by Lowry being in it, and seeing that Polonia directed it made me overjoyed. Most of the character names — as well as the killer’s look and motive — come from Blood and Black Lace, which I am totally good with. Instead of Italy, this is Richfield Springs, NY, and instead of film, it’s digital video. But whatever, you know?
Polonia knows one fact which always serves him well: Keep the movie under 90 minutes.
This isn’t anywhere near the golden days of early 70s Italian insanity, but it doesn’t have to be. It’s quick, bloody and gets the job done.
You can watch this on Tubi.
