Rewind: Joe Spinell In The Last Horror Film
If you’ve been a longtime reader of the Bloglin you probably then know that a bunch of us have a thing for 70s/80s character actor Joe Spinell (R.I.P.), who is probably best know for his starring role in William Lustig’s slasher classic Maniac. While perusing my Netfix queue yesterday I noticed that The Last Horror Film AKA Fanatic had recently been added to the Watch Instantly feature. The film has long been out of print, but thanks to the good folks at Troma it just got added back into circulation for all us gorehounds to enjoy.
Done a few years after Maniac, The Last Horror Film is Spinell’s only other starring role in a film. Once again Spinell doesn’t disappoint playing what he plays best… a deranged, delusional psychopath! This time he’s NY cabbie Vinny Durand who heads out to the Cannes Film Festival in an attempt convince Scream Queen Jana Bates, played by fellow Maniac alum Caroline Munro to star in his directorial debut, The Loves of Dracula. Of course poor Vinny is a total creep and can’t get anywhere near Jana which of course leads to some people close to her getting the axe!
Unlike the ultra gritty Maniac, The Last Horror Film was done with a tongue firmly planted in cheek. Spinell’s Vinny Durand was a whole lot like Frank Zito but this time we get humorous inner monologues, dream sequences and the best part… conversations with his mother played by Spinell’s actual mother. If you’re a fan of Maniac I can’t begin to recommend this film enough!
- My Pal the Crook
May 21st, 2009 at 11:50 am
tried getting my hands on this during the winter to no avail, going to the top of my queue.
May 21st, 2009 at 2:36 pm
WHOOOAH, thanks for the heads up! I look forward to sinking my teeth into this ripe old rarity.
May 21st, 2009 at 3:01 pm
‘You got a joint?’ haha wtf. That movie was pretty awesome and I agree Joe Spinell is phenomenally scary also it was good to hear depeche mode as an opening track to a movie
May 21st, 2009 at 10:33 pm
If you haven’t seen the Oingo Boingo film Forbidden Zone, you ain’t living!
P.S- Fuck Netflix! Support your local video store.
May 21st, 2009 at 11:07 pm
Yeah Man!! Fuck Neflix, Fuck their selection, ability to stream movies into my home, reasonable monthly fees and most of all the convenience they provide! Fuck them to hell!
P.S. Most local Video stores wouldn’t even have a copy of “The Last Horror Film”