Tantrum

Director - James Bell (Dog Dick, Manuer)
Starring - James Bell, and Mae Bell (Manuer),
Release Date - 2015
Genre - Horror
Format - DVD (Personal Collection)

Rating (out of 5):

     Indie director James Bell has become a force to be reckoned with in the indie horror scene with the release of his two experimental horror flicks Dog Dick and Manuer.  Both films have been met with positive reviews and both films sit proudly on my shelf .  Bell soon set out working on his third indie horror film which he titled Tantrum and was said to be his goriest flick yet.  This was rather shocking considering how gory Manuer ended.  Fans of Bell waited patiently for the film while close friends of Bell were bragging about receiving the film already on social media which only fueled the desire to see the film.  I finally caved in and ordered the film knowing it would not be released for several months and I waited patiently until one day I received a rather oddly packaged parcel in the mail.  When I cut it open I was surprised to see a copy of Tantrum to add to my collection.  Thanks James and Mae for sending it my way!

     The film follows a young man who is paying his respects to a grave at the local cemetery before returning home.  Once inside his home, he goes to the bathroom where he finds a bible resting on the back of the toilet.  After kissing it several times, he decides to pluck a razor off the shelf and slit his wrist.  Once he has his wrist open, he starts pulling out tendons.  He then begins having visions of a human wearing a giant mask cutting open her belly and pulling out her insides.  We then get several visions of the young man cutting his penis off, the weird headed people killing each other and themselves, and we finish the film with the young man fucking a hole in the back of a young woman's head.

     No one really knows what they will be getting into when they pop in one of Bell's films.  That is a true sign of a great filmmaker.  No two films are the same and Bell is able to keep his viewers on their toes.  Dog Dick was family video footage edited together with random videos Bell had acquired at yard sales and pawn shops.  He then made Manuer which was a horror short that followed a linear story line unlike Dog Dick.  Now, he threw something new at us with Tantrum which no one saw coming.  This is not a conventional horror flick so trying to review the acting in this one is almost impossible.  James and Mae both give the film their all and create some amazing scenes that will stand out for years to come.  There is no dialogue and no real characters that they have to try to stay in.  The story for this one is all over the place.  We get suicide, penis mutilation, people with strange masks fucking each other up, and then a raw, sex scene to cap things off.  Though the story lacks order and rational thought, it is still insane.  The film does not have a dull moment.  Finally, the film has several death scenes that are perfectly shot and full of great practical effects.  These were pulled off by James and Mae both doing everything involved by themselves with only help from Jason Koch who provided the penises.  Overall, Tantrum is a wild fucking ride.  Fans of experimental horror will really enjoy this one.  However, if you are a fan of horror flicks with stories then you will be let down.  I find myself falling in the latter but I still had fun with this one.  Check it out.