THE HUNGAN (1991)
part of TOXIE'S TRIPLE TERROR VOLUME
THREE
Directed by Randall DiNinni
Troma DVD
THE FILM
This is an awesome film. I don't
know where it came from or why it
was made or who made it (apart from
what I can read in the credits).
But I do know awesome when I smell
it. And, this one is fragrant.
Jack Palance narrates the opening
minutes. He talks about The
Hungan, a Voodoo priest, and
various rituals, which sound far
too complex for my tastes. The killer
in this is a re-animated corpse
sent by a (possible) hungan to kill
a batch of kids who are camping.
So, in the eye of someone who knows
his or her Weird Movies, we see
a revenge-related pre-credits sequence.
We have a batch of kids going to
the woods. We have a monster of
some sort killing them. It's a cut
and dry scenario. Any joy comes
out of the presentation.
Yes, the joy does come from the
presentation. But, it ain't quite
the scenario listed above. For one,
the movie is 99 minutes long. Yes,
a super low-budget slasher-esque
film from the end of the 80s that
is longer than most Woody Allen
movies. And, there are several lengthy
dream sequences. And, there is a
mad scientist plotline that takes
time out to spend three minutes
giving a physical exam to a real
large man (his reflexes are a little
off). And, we get the practical
joke shenanigans of a janitor and
a security guard. And, there is
a long sequence at a party the night
before the trip where no one (at
the party) is in jeopardy and, yes,
the band Cry Wolf plays a bunch
of numbers. And, there is a Pee
Wee Herman impersonator. And, they
don't actually arrive at the campsite
until an hour in. And, it's all-wonderful.
This movie is the "epic”
of Weird Movies. It feels more like
a three or four part slasher serial
edited into a film than one single
film. And therein lies the joy.
Other films of this ilk (LSP,
DGITW,
TFQZ)
are briefer. They come in, hit the
spots and then go, leaving you wanting
more. The Hungan is a novel.
It is never slow. There is always
something going on and there is
so much of it. An embarrassment
of Weird riches.
I mean, here's a beautiful example:
the guy throwing the party introduces
Cry Wolf. They start playing a song,
pure-80's hair band. The camera
sits on the other side of the room
pointed at them. The song starts
and folks begin to dance. In front
of the camera. They all move in
front of the camera. You can barely
see the band. This goes on for two
minutes. The great thing about the
film's length is that this scene
will not preclude something like
this happening again in ten minutes.
It does not mean that we won't get
a long scene where the campers chat
amongst themselves (sometimes incoherently)
as they stroll to the campgrounds,
with a strong whiff of Blood
Lake mixed in. It does
not mean that we won't get a long
scene where some waitresses' chat
about a date one of them had. It
means we get it all.
And, it's all great.
The Hungan is an overstuffed
gift on your birthday. It's an extra
five bucks in your wallet. It's
that one last piece of shrimp in
the sauce. If you only get one shot,
go big! Make an epic! Damn, it's
fun.
AUDIO AND VIDEO
The Troma DVD has some problems
with the picture rolling, as if
it was taken directly from the VHS.
The frame also shudders a bit, which
may have been a problem with the
film. A lot of the dialogue is muddled
or too harsh. The whole thing is
a bit of a hi-def enthusiast's nightmare.
It gave me happy dreams with duckies
and bunnies and hungans in it.
EXTRAS
Damn, I wish there were.
FINAL THOUGHTS
A film I had ignored because I thought
it was another useless one like
Stuff
Stephanie In The Incinerator.
It's not. It's chocolate with peanut
butter inside. It's a message from
the supermodel of your choice. It's
a Weird Movie Wallow that you should
take today.
— Dan Budnik, 01.24.08 |
Doesn't hurt a bit, doc
H.H.H. Hungan
Bad ride, badder shorts
The Whiff
|
