Unreleased Gem

Posted on Aug 10, 2010

The Death Artist (1995)

Directed By: Michael McDonald

Review Written By: Justin Bozung

Mondo Film & Video Guide Editor

IMDb.com Link

A great film comes together like a jigsaw puzzle. You take a bunch of pieces and assemble them together, and potentially you can have on your hands, cinematic gold.

But does this formula work for the typical remake? Did it work for the shot for shot remake of Hitchcock’s Psycho by Gus Van Sant? Nope.. Did it work for Tim Burton, when he raped the Planet Of The Apes franchise? NO WAY IN HELL.

One person that this formula works for is Roger Corman. Corman has been remaking his films for over 25 years. And this is proof evident…

So here is the puzzle. Take one of Corman’s most successful early films from the late 50′s. Throw in some Showtime Channel. A dash of full frontal female nudity, and a pinch of Justine Bateman. Yes, Justine Bateman from Family Ties. Then you stir that up with a a whole bunch of kooky acting from Anthony Michael Hall, post Edward Scissorhands. Finally, you garnish it with cameos’ from a bunch of (at the time) very UNKNOWN comic actors like, David Cross, Michael McDonald from Mad TV (who also directed this remake), and WILL FARRELL. YES…WILL FARRELL. And you get the 1995 remake of Roger Corman’s A Bucket Of Blood (1959), The Death Artist.

In the mid 90′s Corman teamed up with the Showtime Channel for a series of Corman remakes that they wanted to air on the Showtime Channel in a monthly series. The concept proved successful, and it lead to a few Corman originals that did see the light of day on Showtime as well at the same time.

The Death Artist is not available on DVD. In fact, if you’ve even seen the VHS cover for this , you’ll know why it’s not available. And it’s very sad. The remake of A Bucket Of Blood is a ton of fun. Being a fan of the 1959 original, I’ve always wondered what this film would look like had it been made in color. And it lives up to everything that I hoped for.

Am I sad, that Dick Miller is gone? You bet your ass. But multiple pairs of naked big breasted beauties popping up make me say to myself time and time again, Dick who?

Anthony Michael Hall is great here. Turning in a sort of Gee Whiz Rain Man that goes nutzoid type performance as the beatnik coffee shop bus boy turned killer arthouse sculptor, Walter Paisley. He takes the Paisley character to the next level. Proving that EVERYONE has the ability to kill someone, without guilt or remorse. Starting with a cat, that he accidentally kills, Walter covers it in plaster, and pawns it off as art. Gaining attention, he kills a police offer, and creates art with the corpse. And lastly, still considered a joke to some in the art community, Walter kills and makes Picasso fun out a snobby beautiful big breasted photography model. Paisley becomes the toast of the local Los Angeles art world. But it doesn’t take too long for people to discover what he’s really doing. And when they do, they become part of the sculptor collection. As, Walter descends into a spiral of breakdown. His agent and former art coffee shop boss, tries to stop Walter from killing for art. We’d all kill for art. So he and his assistant (Justin Bateman) decide to throw an sale exhibition for Walter’s “work”, in an attempt to make Walter rich, so he’ll never have to sculpt again.

Walter confesses his love for Justine Bateman in the final moments, and asks her to marry him, and she spurns his affections. Descending into a complete psychopathic madness, he asks Justine Bateman if he can sculpt her. As in the original 1959 film, Walter “let’s them become the clay in his hands, so he can make them immortal!” The heat temp in the gallery causes the plaster on the bodies to melt, revealing the corpses to all of the exhibition guests. The police are called, as Walter chases after Justine Bateman down the street to a final struggle, that leaves Walter to run home to commit suicide, making himself a piece of art. The Death Artist is just as fun, if not MORE than Corman’s original. The new version is a little edgier, with some quick gore violence, while staying completely true to the original 1959 Charles B Griffith screenplay, even taking the bulk of the dialogue from the original source material, including the the infamous final line of dialogue…”He would’ve called it hanging man, his greatest work.” Check it out. If you can find a copy.

Justin Bozung is the editor of the Mondo Film & Video Guide. You can email him directly at justinb@mondo-video.com