Synopsis
An artist who lives in an old mansion imagines that her dead husband has been reincarnated as her son.
1988 Directed by Chuck Vincent
An artist who lives in an old mansion imagines that her dead husband has been reincarnated as her son.
"Oh man, this is a twisted movie." (Jedediah Leland, Through the Shattered Lens review, 2018)
Easily one of the most bonkers horror-tinged thrillers I've seen in ages, Chuck Vincent's Bad Blood (also known as A Woman Obsessed, as it is titled on the VHS rip available for free on YouTube) makes the most of the director's low-budget charms. I don't think I could entirely sum up such a bizarro tale in a few words, but here goes: lawyer Ted Barnes (porn actor Randy Spears) discovers that a Manhattan art gallery contains a 1964 portrait of a man who looks exactly like himself, and at the exhibit's opening, he and his wife Evie (Linda Blair) are hit with a bombshell revelation…
Corporate lawyer and all-around yuppie Ted Barnes (Randy Spears) discovers that there's a painting, hanging in a downtown gallery, that appears to be of him...except it was painted 20 years ago! What starts as a bit of curiosity unravels as Ted starts to explore his past, his relationship with his parents, the artist (Georgina Spelvin) who painted his doppelganger so many years ago, and his wife Evie (Linda Blair).
So...suffice to say that Bad Blood goes some places. Things start off simply, but strangely, enough and just spirals out as the exploration of Ted's past uncovers treasure troves of betrayal, lust and quasi-Gothic insanity. Spears, Blair, Troy Donahue and Carolyn Van Bellinghen are all... perfectly fine as Ted and his…
It takes about half the run time for anything to happen, but it’s worth the wait. Until then it feels like a forgettable made-for-tv cult movie starring Linda Blair and Georgina Spelvin. Then it gets mean-spirited and let the bad times roll! This one will make you feel itchy all over.
Pretty nifty -- and icky -- mishmash of Stephen King, Taboo, and the erotic thriller craze that's anchored by a great central performance from Georgina Spelvin (giving the same sort of maniacally possessed intensity that made Devil in Miss Jones so compelling) and typically elegant cinematography by Larry Revene. I've still never seen any of Chuck Vincent's actual adult features, though this is a nice remember that I probably should.
By chance, a man who doesn’t know he was adopted happens upon a painting that seems to be of himself, and it turns out to be a portrait of his biological father, painted by his long-lost mother. He reconnects with her, and goes out to her mansion with his wife Linda Blair. It turns out the mother is completely insane, and can’t distinguish her son from her late husband, and I don’t want to give too much away, but I’ll say that that plot detail is taken shockingly far. There are some weird moments here, like two extended monologue sequences where the non-speaking actors look really uncomfortable and unsure what to do with themselves, which may be awkward to watch,…
A crazed mix of Psycho-thriller, stilted soap opera, hagsploitation, and [SPOILER] incest porn. If, like me, you're a fan of Georgina Spelvin this film is a gift. She really gets to swing for the stratosphere here. I went into this with low expectations but I ended up falling for this queasy camp oddity. It is NOT for everyone but if you are a fan of this particular side street of cinema ("legitimate" porn adjacent genre pics of the late 80s) it's a blast! Hopefully, Vinegar Syndrome or friends, give this a proper release because it is ripe for re-discovery.
One point of interest:
[SPOILER] Chuck Vincent and crew must have read Stephen King's Misery prior to filming, right? The book…
Порно-режиссер Чак Винсент снял "южноготический" триллер, где тронувшаяся умом мамаша (выкладывающаяся на все сто порноактриса Джорджина Спелвин) прячет в своем особняке и пытается совратить собственного сына (порноактер Рэнди Спирс), потому что он очень похож на ее покойного мужа. На удивление достойная операторская работа для такого кино. "Мизери" Кинга, помноженное на инцестуальную эротику. Жену сынка играет несчастная Линда Блэр, чудом угодившая в эту компанию. Впрочем, фильм по уровню не сильно отличается от слэшеров и боевиков, в которых она погрязла в 80-х.
Not particularly interesting or particularly well made. But it does have Linda Blair. Another “maniacal crazy person” movie which would have been fitting for the Lifetime channel with exception of the gratuitous incest scene.
Takes forever to get going, but eventually settles into a decent hagsploitation/incest pre-make of Misery with light Twin Peaks vibes and a cast of porn people (plus Linda Blair). That’s probably an oversell but it brings the goods, especially when it comes to Georgina Spelvin’s performance as a deranged mother who thinks her son is the reincarnation of her dead husband. Even crazier, there’s a scene where Linda B is in bed with a cat and a plate of cheese (livin the dream) but the cat doesn’t even try to eat the cheese. If you put my cats in the same room as a cheeseboard they’d claw your face off for just a nibble of Camembert. There’s also a De Palma split screen sequence at the end, because Chuck Vincent is just throwing everything he can out there. A truly legendary filmmaker 👍🏻
Or "Ted and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day"
What started off as a cheap-looking (think mic boom hovering in top of frame), Lifetime-ass movie replete with boring shot-reverse-shot conversations that were only watchable at 2x speed got gradually more wild and wholly enjoyable as it drifted further into Psycho-Biddy territory, eventually transforming into a full-fledged 'Misery' rip-off (including my favourite hostage-tied-on-bed trope, the dinner in fancy silver set with candles wheeled in on a trolley).
By the end, I was hooting and hollering with each wild performance choice (best rendition of Five Little Piggies ever?), gratuitous nudity (director Chuck Vincent really showing his adult movie roots - if there could be breasts, there will be breasts), and increasingly ambitious directorial choices (the sublime split screen sequence). All in all, a true gem.
Pretty great considering all the porn actors involved. It predates the Misery movie, but not the book. They’re definitely some parallels but this goes even more twisted in parts. Georgina Spelvin (star of the 70’s porn flick ‘The Devil and Miss Jones’) is absolutely brilliant as the unhinged artist in love with her long lost son.