The Last Horror Film (1982)

Here’s what I consider a semi-follow up to 1981’s “Maniac” as once again we get perennially sweaty Joe Spinell portraying yet another psychotic whacko. Spinell plays a cab driver with an unhealthy obsession with fictional movie scream queen Jana Bates. Vinnie has delusions of directing Jana in his own movie and even follows her to the Cannes Film Festival to get her to read his “big time” movie script written especially for her. However, when Vinnie can’t get within ten feet of Jana, close members of Jana’s entourage start dropping like flies…gee, what a shock huh? This one is a watch for Spinell fans and that’s about it. Joe does his whole “Maniac” shtick, which includes sweating like a pig, rambling psychotically, and just being a loon in general. The character of Vinnie, however, is nowhere near as nasty as the psycho in “Maniac” and the viewer even sorta comes to like the guy or at least feel sorry for him. The film on a whole just sorta meanders about, though there is some cool footage of the Cannes festival since apparently they shot this film right on location of the events, making for some cool sights to say the least. There is some decent amount of gore and onscreen violence but nothing to rough, and the effects are sub par. Be sure to catch Spinell’s real life mother playing what else, his mom, in the film. Unintentional hilarity (or maybe not) ensues whenever she’s onscreen. In the end though, this one’s a watch for Spinell completists and that’s about it. This one’s a marginal film at best.