Very Scary Productions - Jeff Kirkendall's Thoughts For The Month

Welcome to my Thoughts For The Month page.

This is the spot where I discuss, and offer my opinions on, different topics (both horror-related

and not) each month. I decided to create this page because I find that I often come across things that either interest me, excite me or maybe just bug me. For example, I'll often read about movie projects that

I have a strong interest in, or opinion on, for one reason or another. This page gives me a forum to discuss these things. Anyone who has feedback concerning what I have to say here, feel free to contact me. I'd also like to point out that the following is just my opinion, and everyone is free to agree

or disagree with what I have to say. ENJOY!

Contribute to "The Democratization of Filmmaking!"

SUBJECT: A look at the Evolution of Underground Digital Cinema - A discussion of some of my experiences, insights and perspectives - Part 10.

(Note: See the October 2007 Thoughts For The Month for Part 1 of this continuing column, the November 2007 TFTM for Part 2, the December 2007 TFTM for Part 3, the February 2008 TFTM

for Part 4, the March 2008 TFTM for Part 5, the April 2008 TFTM for Part 6, the September 2008

TFTM for part 7, the November 2008 TFTM for part 8, and the May 2009 TFTM column for part 9.)

As mentioned in the previous column, W.A.V.E. Productions went on to produce whole series of movies with characters similar in nature to their Sisters killer The Valley Strangler. In this installment I’ll continue the discussion of this New Jersey-based indie company by taking a look at their 2002 release The Revenge of the Necktie Strangler. This digital movie, which runs just over 30 minutes, follows the events which took place in the previous W.A.V.E. production The Go-Go Strangler. The story follows a killer (G W Lawrence, who also Directed & Edited) whose M.O. is strangulation using a necktie, and who is hot on the trail of newlyweds Charice (Barbara Joyce) and Jeffrey Holmes (Dean Paul).

In The Revenge of the Necktie Strangler we are clearly in digital video territory, with the technology being

put to good use in some bright, scenic shots at the opening of the aforementioned newly married couple on honeymoon in Las Vegas. Set to romantic music, the loving couple stroll around near some picturesque fountains and casinos and watch an impressive fireworks display along with a huge crowd of people. However following this tranquil beginning the proceedings quickly take a dark turn as the thought-to-be-dead Necktie Strangler awakes from the morgue and goes on a killing spree on his way to get revenge on the young couple. Hapless female victims falling by his hands include a morgue attendant, a friend of the couple, and some cute women hiking in the woods. The climax of the movie features a showdown between a traumatized Jeffrey Holmes and the killer.

In this movie the strangler character takes center stage and the mystery-whodunit plotline prominent in Sisters

is jettisoned in favor of a more basic, stripped-down, killer-on-the-loose story. The scene of the killer laying on

the mortuary slab and then waking up to dispatch the (female) attendant is reminiscent of slasher franchises

such as Halloween and Friday the 13th, where sequences of the thought-to-be-dead killer jump start sequel

after sequel. * The Revenge of the Necktie Strangler, like most of W.A.V.E.’s productions following Sisters, also leans heavily into exploitation film territory with its use of a lengthy topless scene - in this instance provided

by indie starlet and frequent W.A.V.E. actress Tina Krause (billed as Mia Copa). Here Tina is tied up and stripped down by the killer before being forced to give information about the couple’s whereabouts and finally dispatched. Nudity is a key selling point for The Revenge of the Necktie Strangler, as is evidenced by the front and back DVD box covers prominently featuring shots of Tina Krause topless. Additionally, the DVD features an extra short called At The Wrong Place, At The Wrong Time, which is a tale of a woman who comes between her friend and a killer. This movie features an abundance of topless shots, in addition to drowning, strangling, gunplay and wet t-shirts (also noted on the DVD box). The wet t-shirt element was something discussed in the introduction to the Sisters DVD (see last month’s column), and it appears W.A.V.E. continued on with this theme in future productions such as this one. (Their website promo even features an actress wearing a W.A.V.E. Productions wet t-shirt.) And the other exploitation elements in At The Wrong Place, At The Wrong Time are ones often featured prominently in underground horror movies, as well as being reminiscent in basic style to elements of cult classic, extreme shockers such as The Last House on the Left and I Spit on Your Grave

(also discussed in last month’s column).

On the technical side this digital production features familiar elements of low-budget indie movies of this type such as buyout production music, lots of handheld camera work, and basic locations (such as the woods).

It’s also worth mentioning that W.A.V.E., like many other underground video companies, has a regular stable

of actresses populating their productions. For those who read the previous columns discussing POP Cinema (formerly E.I. Cinema) and Seduction Cinema, I noted that actresses such as Misty Mundae, Darian Caine and Ruby DeLarocca appear in movie after movie. Similarly, The Revenge of the Necktie Strangler stars W.A.V.E. regulars Barbara Joyce, Laura Giglio, Debbie D. and Pamela Sutch, along with the aforementioned Tina Krause. Put simply, filling underground horror movies with beautiful, scantily-clad women (or scream queens) often proves to be a major draw for audiences. Stay tuned for the next installment of this continuing column series…