Body Bags is one of the finer anthology movies out there, believe it or not. I first saw it on some kind of movie channel in Sweden, recorded it and that was my only source of viewing for many years. Since I dumped all my tapes deep down in the basement I haven't seen it, even if I've been on the hunt for it ever since. The German DVD is said to look good and be uncut, but is not English-friendly - and the old US DVD is the rated version. So Imagine my joy when Shout Factory announced they would release it in 2013! I've heard some negative opinions about it recently, the closer we got the release date, but after watching it again I think it's better than ever!
The wrap-around story is told through the eyes of John Carpenter as a very weird and sick-looking morgue assistant, who's using the bodies in there to tell the stories. He's a fun host, one of the best ever, up there with The Crypt Creeper - and just for his sake it's a damn pity this never became a TV-show. Anyway... The first episode is The Gas Station, set outside Haddonfield. It's a very classic slasher story, a brilliant little thriller about a young woman and her first night working at a gas station. But there's a serial killer creeping around the hood and soon she's in grave danger!
The second story is Hair. Stacy Keach, in a very funny part, plays a man who just can't accept he's losing his hair. After trying out some ridicolous methods he's buying the services of a sinister Doctor Lock (David Warner) who gives him a long, sexy mane of hair... but slowly he realizes something is very wrong with his newfound hair!
Third story out is Eye, where Mark Hamill plays a successful baseball player who loses his eye in a nasty car accident. After discussing the matter with his wife, Twiggy by the way, who's also deeply religious, he decides to try out an experimental surgery which gives him a new eye... the eye of a sexual sadist and serial killer! Soon he starts to see things... very disturbing things!
Body Bags is - and I'm using a very over-used word - underrated. It's not getting the respect it deserves, until now at least. The production values is just awesome, especially The Gas Station which is classic Carpenter, one of the best things he directed during the nineties. It's a simple story, but it fits Carpenter's visual style Also watch out for some fun cameos, for example Wes Craven, Sam Raimi and George "Buck" Flowers. Hair is a lot more light-hearted, more of a black comedy, but the performance by Stacy Keach makes it a wonderful episode. He really knows how to have fun with a part and he also used his own experience with losing hair (he's been using a wig for the most of his career, which was news to me! His mother bought him his first, so he could get more work as an actor). I've always had a soft spot for Mark Hamill, he's way more edgy and talented than people gave him credit for before, and he makes one of his best parts in Body Bags. He completely transform himself from the "Good Old American Boy" to a sadistic killer without any problem at all. A damn fine episode.
Body Bags looks gorgeous on blu-ray and is a must purchase for fans of anthologies, John Carpenter and Tobe Hooper (who directed Eye - which also have cameos from John Agar and Roger Corman!). I love it this film, so should you!
"Body Bags is one of the finer anthology movies out there, believe it or not."
Never seen it, but I like horror anthology films.
"So Imagine my joy when Shout Factory announced they would release it in 2013! I've heard some negative opinions about it recently, the closer we got the release date, but after watching it again I think it's better than ever!"
So a new release huh?
Great work by Shout!, and never mind trolls and their sad opinions.
"He's a fun host, one of the best ever, up there with The Crypt Creeper"
Just as good as John Kassir...?
I got to see that....
"Body Bags is - and I'm using a very over-used word - underrated. It's not getting the respect it deserves, until now at least."
Yeah, but it´s a fitting word sometimes.
"Also watch out for some fun cameos, for example Wes Craven, Sam Raimi"
Raimi can be a helluva fun to watch sometimes.
"Hair is a lot more light-hearted, more of a black comedy, but the performance by Stacy Keach makes it a wonderful episode."
Keach and Warner together.....must be a great watch.
"I've always had a soft spot for Mark Hamill, he's way more edgy and talented than people gave him credit for before"
Hamill.....haven´t seen that much by him, The Big Red One (1980), Guyver(1991), and of course him chewing up the scenery in Hamilton(1998)is hilarious.
Hamill was great as the Joker as well.
"Body Bags looks gorgeous on blu-ray and is a must purchase for fans of anthologies,"
Blu-ray is a great format, good review and thanks Fred.
Posted by: Megatron | January 28, 2014 at 16:40