Overview
The sickest film ever made.
Imagine walking down the street and finding an unmarked VHS tape. Curiosity piqued, you take it home and pop it in. What starts off as two men screwing around with a video camera quickly transforms into an ultra-realistic torture sequence where the unidentified psychopaths tape their exploits as they torment and violate a woman tied to a chair.
Review
Back on the crazy, sick train in my pursuit to view the most disturbing films ever made. Next is August Underground which is basically a glorified found footage snuff film. But it goes beyond even that. Now I’ve been rather stoic in my journey of tackling disturbing cinema. But this one was tough to get through at points. Imagine something you watch that you need to constantly look over your shoulder to make sure no one else sees you watching it. That’s August Underground.
What makes this movie so disturbing is that it plays as a random VHS recording of two friends’ everyday activities. It’s not just a snuff scene included. It’s far more immersive. You see these psychopaths at a concert, in a convenience store, picking up prostitutes and other deviant acts that take place within those confines. August Underground is not framed as a movie two guys set out to shoot. It is showcased as a lost relic of their history together and includes their evil acts.
This all culminates back to a few scenes of snuff, the first of a tied up naked women who’s been partially mutilated. She exists as a prop, almost as an unwilling housewife or flatmate, so the two psychos can torment and abuse at will. This was the toughest of the scenes for me to get through. The rest is easy by comparison.
Dual Rating
It’s difficult to rate a film of this nature. No one likes what’s in this film, but to give a movie a low rating because you hated its taste, its amoral characters or vile content is really unfair. Especially when a film is created for the sole purpose of disturbing others. August Underground is meant to be hated by its very creation and essence. And it’s a job well done by director Fred Vogel.
Rating: ★★ (out of 5)
Level of Disturbance: ★★★★★ (out of 5)
