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Independent filmmaker Eric Stanze has been gaining a lot of recognition from horror websites with the release of Wicked Pixel Cinema’s ghost story DEADWOOD PARK. Since I haven’t seen DEADWOOD PARK, I thought I should visit the low-budget abduction movie SCRAPBOOK before I see his latest venture in the indie horror scene. I’ve heard SCRAPBOOK mentioned by a lot of filmmakers and film critics. Rue Morgue called it the best independent film of 2001. Andy Copp (Filmmaker of ATROCITY CIRCLE) mentioned how talented of a filmmaker Stanze is and his admiration for SCRAPBOOK. Deadpit.com has been vocal about their views on brutal films but they feel SCRAPBOOK is an effective film. Also, I heard a guy on the AUGUST UNDERGROUND DVD throw jabs at the film and that instantly got me interested.
SCRAPBOOK is a harrowing glimpse at the relationship between a serial killer and his victim. Emily Haack plays Clara, an innocent girl that is dealt a traumatizing and brutal series of rapes and perverse atrocities. Her assailant is Leonard, a fame-seeking murderer that forces his victims to keep a diary of how they feel in his growing scrapbook. The book is also filled with Polaroids of his humiliated and terrified prey. His back story is of a seriously demented childhood that includes molestation.
Emily Haack wears her emotions on her face permanently throughout this brutal film. Calling this a torture film is by no means a media punch-line or back-handed compliment. The character Clara goes through hell and it's not fun and none of her nudity or sexual situations is sexy. Everything is grimy and will be hard to take - especially for women not used to this kind of a horror film. The home that SCRAPBOOK takes place in is dirty, bloody, and filled with the occasional corpse piece or cockroaches. This film does have glimpses of porn shock but it never goes too far. I can’t say that the real sexual situations were pointless but the film could have gone without it. Since I am a fan of films like FORCED ENTRY and even the current film AMATEUR PORN STAR KILLER, I can deal with a little oral exploitation. I don’t think that Tommy Biondo wrote and starred in this film just to get head. He really came up with a complicated and sinister character and I believe his screenplay had a very matter-of-fact approach from the beginning child abuse scenes to the I SPIT ON YOUR GRAVE tease ending. It seems that this film was shot before AUGUST UNDERGROUND but I see a lot of similarities. I also don’t think Toe Tag’s Fred Vogel copied off this film by any means. AUGUST UNDERGROUND is the realistic approach to making what would look to be a snuff film. SCRAPBOOK is much more of a structured story with a well developed serial killer character. Personally, I like the villains in each film. What I admire is the absolute absence of compromising when making a character like Leo. He showed no mercy and was very juvenile when attacking his victims verbally or physically. In one scene, he tapes Clara in a garbage can after pouring spoiled milk all over her. The vile repulsiveness of his character doesn’t stop there.
Clara goes through the worst turmoil possible but eventually her nemesis becomes gullible. Watching a female be treated like an animal isn’t fun, but it is horrific. This is the kind of film that will turn some people off, but it will attract those who want more than cheese and gore gags. This film will fuck with your senses, and while it's tough to watch, I imagine all that see it will either recommend it to those who seek this kind of material or go back to it to see the realistic characters and the shocking terror. I am in shock that this shot-on-video movie was made in the late 90’s. This film has some nauseating camera movements that are actually effective and the score is wonderful as well. The chemistry between the actors was great and the believability was constant. This film is a distressing portrait of inhumanity. I don’t feel this movie is about the growth of a serial killer and how they all become insane. I think this film was constructed in order to show the tragedy of one person. Clara might cry a lot, but she never gives up. She was both the female victim Ebert and Roeper would complain about - and the strong, no-bullshit character seen in movies like “MS. 45”, “THRILLER: A CRUEL PICTURE” and “I SPIT ON YOUR GRAVE”. Clara tried to run away a number of times even though she knew that she’d be in for it. She wisely uses one of Leonard’s non-blunt tools to turn the tables.
Look up horror. The definition doesn’t sound fun does it? SCRAPBOOK is not fun so therefore it is true horror and truly a terrifying journey.
Sadly, actor Tommy Biondo passed away during another movie shoot after the filming of this movie. He died at 26 due to a head trauma during the movie shoot and never saw the finished product. This film proves that both he and Eric Stanze are talented artists. It's nice to see Stanze gaining recognition for SCRAPBOOK and I sense that more genre fans will get to see this brilliantly-crafted film by a director who now has a blossoming career - and a writer who is no longer with us but who wrote a passionate story and nailed a psychologically paralyzed character.
The DVD features include a commentary track, deleted scenes, trailers, and a shower-cam featurette about the sole snuff-style segment in the film. There is also a lengthy behind-the-scenes featurette that includes retrospective interviews from Eric Stanze, Emily Haack and others as they describe the origins of the film.
You can purchase this film at www.wickedpixel.com.
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