Amsterdamned

Director - Dick Maas (Saint, The Adventures of Young Indiana Jones: Masks of Evil)
Starring - Huub Stapel (The Dark House, The Lift), Monique van de Ven (Daylight, Paint it Black), and Serge-Henri Valcke (Slaughter Night, No Man's Land)
Release Date - 1988
Genre - Horror
Tagline - "The danger lies just below the surface"
Format - Bluray (Personal Collection) (Screener)

Rating (out of 5):

     After checking out the relatively unknown slasher Victims! I wanted to keep the slasher films going.  After going through my stack of flicks I need to review I came across several slashers waiting to be put on the chopping block.  One film that really caught my eye and stood out was the Blue Underground release of Amsterdamned.  This was a new one on me and the title alone was enough to sell me on it.  I love clever titles and that was part of the charm of renting slashers back in the day on tape.  I also really enjoyed the film's artwork.  Knowing Blue Underground and their track record I knew I was going to enjoy myself.  I want to take a moment and thank Blue Underground for sending Amsterdamned by way for review.

     The film follows a police detective who is investigating a series of grisly murders that occurred in the murky canal of Amsterdam.  His investigation leads him to a diving club in Amsterdam where he falls in love with a beautiful scuba instructors.  Their heated affair causes a stir between the instructor and her therapist who secretly likes her.  The investigator suspects the therapists is behind the attacks but quickly learns that it is someone else committing the crimes.

     I knew I was going to enjoy Amsterdamned.  I mean, who wouldn't like a movie called Amsterdamned?  The slasher was well put together and looks fantastic which is weird to say considering it is a slasher from the 80s.  Typically, the slashers from this time period that I watch are gritty and dark.  The acting in this one is great.  The entire cast is perfect and does a fantastic job in their roles.  I really enjoyed the characters that they brought the life.  The cast is what makes the film so much fun.  The story for this one is solid.  It does stray away from the typical slasher formula that we all know and love but it still delivers on the body count.  The film does have a bit of a slow start but eventually picks up and delivers that Scooby-Doo ending with the reveal of the killer.  I really enjoyed that.  Finally, the film does have a body count.  Most of the kills are slashings done with clever camera tricks and practical effects.  The kills are not that gruesome but they do fit the style of the film.  It may not have Friday the 13th type kills but the kills fit the film and entertain.  Overall, Amsterdamned is a fun film.  It is a well polished slasher that doesn't have the gore but it does satisfy.  Horror fans will want to check this one out.