The Editor

Director(s) - Adam Brooks (Father's Day) and Matthew Kennedy (Father's Day)
Starring - Paz de la Huerta (Nurse 3D), Adam Brooks, and Matthew Kennedy
Release Date - 2015
Genre - Horror/Comedy
Tagline - "He'll leave you on the cutting room floor"
Format - BluRay (Personal Collection)

Rating (out of 5):

     Way back in 2011 I came across the bluray for the Troma released film Father's Day from the folks over at Astron 6.  The set included 2 DVDs, a blu, and the film's soundtrack.  The set was reasonably prices so I picked it up.  I tossed it in one day after work and watched it twice that night.  The following week I watched it three or so more times.  I started searching around for more work from Astron 6 and came across their short compilation.  These shorts impressed me even more.  A few months later Astron 6 released Man-Borg and it was another fucking hit.  These guys has taken indie horror to a whole new level and they have a life long fan with me now.  When news broke that they were taking on giallo horror I had to jump on it.  I reached out to Matthew Kennedy and he was nice enough to talk to me a little bit about it but could't really go too in depth due to distribution deals and so forth.  This only excited me more and when the film was finally released on blu from Scream Factory I had to check it out so I ordered a copy and here we are.

     The film follows Italian film editor Rey Ciso (Brooks).  He was once known the world over for his editing skills but a horrible accident has left him with four wooden fingers.  This has forced him to work in the editing room of a sleazy, low budget film company.  Before long a series of murders breaks out on set of the production company's new film.  People are brutally murdered and four fingers are chopped off the victims.  The detective suspects Rey as the killer where the victims are missing fingers.  Rey tries to clear his name but things turn bleak when the detective discovers that Rey was once locked in an insane asylum.  As Rey rushes to find the killer his mind starts slipping but soon discovers that the killer is closer to home than he would like.

     Giallo is a sub-genre of horror that I don't venture into that often.  Most of the time they are fun but these are films that require your unadulterated attention and if you blink you missed one crucial point to the story.  That is part of the charm of the giallo.  They are the thinking man's horror flicks that are often shot with some style and not just big breasted blondes getting cut upon.  Sadly, I am too simple minded to truly admire these type of films but I fucking love Astron 6 and I am glad I gave this one a chance. The film perfectly captures that giallo essence.  The acting in this one is top notch by the entire crew but the members of Astron 6 are what made this film as fun as it was.  Adam Brooks, Matthew Kennedy, and Conor Sweeney bring about some great performances that hinge on the cliches of giallo films.  That bring about a comedic charm to the film while fully embracing these stereotypes in almost a parody type manner.  The remainder of the cast does a great job at supporting these three but the film does feel flat when they are not in the scene.  The story for this one is a comedic take on several Italian giallo films with other Italian horror references tossed in for good measureincluding Fulci's The Beyond.  The story is one we have seen before, especially in Italian giallo films, where someone is accused of murder because the victims have identifying marks on them that can be traced back to that person.  That person then begins an unbelievably bloody adventure to find the real killer while several red herrings are tossed at the screen.  What makes this story stand out from the others is how it does not take itself too seriously and offers up some good laughs along the way.  The Editor does a great job at hiding the killer until the very end and I will be the first to admit that I did not see it coming.  Finally, the film has several bloody and gory on screen kills that look fantastic.  This is gory enough to make Lucio Fulci smile and stylish enough to make Dario Argento proud.  The deaths are brutal and always hit when you least expect them.  The effects in this one are fucking fantastic.  We get some great practical effects, as well as, several scenes full of amazing visual effects.  Overall, The Editor is another hit from the masters of genre film making.  Astron 6 has another hit on their hands and I can't wait to see what these mother fuckers bring us next.  The Editor is stylish, gruesome, and funny as hell.  Check it out!