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Lucker The Necrophagous - Synapse Films

By Al Kratina
June 23, 2008 - 21:05

Lucker The Necrophagous
1986, Belgium
Director: Johan Vandewosteijine
Writers: Johan Vandewosteijine, John Kupferschmidt
Producers: Filip Beys, Andre Coppens
Cast: Nick Van Suyt, Helga Vandevelde, Let Jotts, Marie Claes
Genre: Horror
Rating: Not Rated
DVD Distributor: Synapse Films
Running Time: 68 minutes

There may come a time when you find yourself lying on a bed in a hotel room in Memphis, Tennessee, bored out of your skull. The stifling heat will drain your energy, preventing a night on the town. The perpetual threat of accidentally flipping past Fox News’ attempts to spark Helter Skelter will rule out television, and repressive American social mores will ensure that the pay-per-view adult films are comprised entirely of middle-aged women doing nothing but flashing their calves coquettishly You may, at this point, choose to watch Lucker The Necrophagous. Thankfully, you will have read this article in advance, and will remember to turn the volume down, because inspiring a noise complaint by accidentally blaring the audio of a dwarf prostitute being strangled by a cannibal is not something you want to deal with while in the Bible Belt.

Lucker is a difficult film to watch. The story of an escaped lunatic is beyond straightforward, going through the simplest of paces in a scant 68 minutes. And the gritty, cheap film stock and graphic violence makes the film feel like a cross between a snuff film and imported porn, turning the stomach effectively and efficiently. Director/co-writer Johan Vandewosteijine clearly has little in mind but inspiring nausea, like a bilious muse, and he succeeds admirably. From an early eye-gouging scene to Lucker’s creepy sci-fi pedophile sunglasses, every element of the film is distressing and unsettling. But the coup-de-resistance comes with the aforementioned midget hooker, in a horrifying scene where Lucker licks fluids from the decomposing corpse. Performances? Cinematography? Dialogue? Does it really matter? Not really. Lucker is all about a punch to the stomach, a trial for the senses, and in that respect, it’s a near-perfect film. But I guarantee it will make you less sick than Fox News.

Synapse’s DVD includes both the Director Approved/Supervised version of the film and the original VHS version of the film. Also included is a behind the scenes featurette.

Rating: 6 /10

Last Updated: August 31, 2023 - 08:12