COLLECTOR'S CRYPT - LA PETITE MORT 2: NASTY TAPES
What makes a good sequel? Is it the continuation of the previous story? Character continuity? Does a sequel need to be “bigger” than the first film to be successful? The truth is, it’s probably a multitude of the above and other aspects not mentioned. Good sequels take what works about the first and elevate it in a way where you are comfortably surprised. While there are a plethora of horror sequels in existence, their quality is not only subjective but also debatable. Sure, there are sequels that may surpass the original or are on par with it, but those are few and far between in the horror genre. While the ubiquity of sequels permeates the genre as a whole, there are some sub-genres where sequels are not as common. Take extreme horror as an example. Aside from the August Underground and Guinea Pig films, which are more series of films rather than a franchise of sequels with interconnected stories and characters, there aren’t a lot of extreme genre films that get the sequel treatment. We don’t have time to unpack the nuance of “why” this is, rather, here to review a rare sequel in the extreme horror niche. From the messed up minds at UNEARTHED FILMS comes LA PETITE MORT 2: NASTY TAPES newly released on blu ray for the first time in North America, is this extreme horror sequel breaking the mold for the genre or is it proving why so many of these films ever get the sequel treatment?
WHAT’S IT ABOUT?
Follow the owners of the infamous 'Maison de la petite mort' during their daily work. After the shocking events in part one, you'll never guess what the new owner Monsieur Matheo Maximè is up to—torturing for money at its very worst.
HOW IS IT?
The first La Petite Mort film (see our review here) was a hostel clone that saw the gore and said, “Hold my beer” as it attempted (for the most part successfully) to recreate the trapped in a torture dungeon experience with a German twist. In the sequel, La Petite Mort 2: Nasty Tapes writer/director MARCEL WALZ takes the narrative in a different direction aesthetically, but narratively this is just more of the same as the first one albeit less focused on plot and more focused on creating gory setpieces. While not as successful as the first one, Nasty Tapes does take a novel approach to sequels even if it isn’t fully realized.
When I say that Nasty Tapes is less concerned with plotting than its predecessor I really mean it. The film opens with what looks like a DVD menu that setups up the idea that what we are seeing is actually from a DVD. The meta-ness of watching a DVD menu on a blu ray disc is interesting, however, Nasty Tapes doesn’t really stick to that formula or approach throughout the entirety of the runtime. Sometimes it feels like you’re watching a clip from a DVD, other times it feels like a faux documentary, and then it splinters into narrative-driven sections that attempt to create a plot out of basically a bunch of disconnected ideas. The premise here is that the previous Maison de la Petite Mort has been purchased by a new owner who is keen on bringing his own unique flair to the torturous experience. In a way, Nasty Tapes spends a lot of time underscoring the business side of running a brothel for torture enthusiasts. There are times when we are told about their “streaming business model” and explained the rules on why outsiders are not able to observe the work performed. There are interesting ideas here with respect to this “behind the scenes” look into the inner workings of a place such as this, but these moments are few and far between while also being overridden by stylistic choices that break the intention of this being a documentary. The indecision around aesthetic choices is one of the film's biggest flaws as it weakens some of its strongest bits while giving time to things that are far less interesting, like the proprietor's pursuit of feminine beauty.
The simple fact is that most folks watching Nasty Tapes aren’t watching it for the plot, they are here for the gore. In that way, Nasty Tapes delivers above and beyond expectation with some truly diabolical demises bestowed upon unaware victims. From crucifixions to dismemberment and castrations, nothing is off-limits here. While it does lean heavily into the more extreme side of the horror genre, having more in common with BLOODSUCKING FREAKS than anything else, there are also moments that seem to pull back. Some of this is due to the editing and lighting, which is often dark and filled with flashing lights and jump cuts that make it hard to see clearly what is going on. This isn’t to say that the gore isn’t present, it just feels odd that Walz would choose to pull back on these scenes rather than hone in on them given the kind of experience he is trying to curate. The kills themselves are quite mean-spirited, but in some cases absurd to the point of parody. Needless to say, the practical effects here are quite effective even if they are sometimes overdone or hard to make out in full. The late extreme horror auteur RYAN NICHOLSON is credited here as the special effects lead, and it’s kismet that his brand of Canadian violence is paired up with Walz’s sadistic vision. Overall, Nasty Tapes offers up slivers of interesting ideas buried in buckets of gore and some uneven storytelling which makes it hard to recommend to the casual horror fan, but easier to suggest to the gorehounds seeking the next grossest thing the genre can offer.
HOW DOES IT LOOK?
Given the relative newness of this film (2014), Unearthed FIlms didn’t have to do much to get this release ready for blu ray. The film is presented in 1080p HD with it’s original widescreen aspect ratio of 2.35:1. As mentioned previously, there are a lot of dimly lit scenes, interesting lighting choices, and jump cut editing. So while the transfer of the film is fine, it’s more the production that doesn’t do the visuals any favors since it can be hard to see what’s going on sometimes. Images from this release are used throughout the review and can be seen below:
HOW DOES IT SOUND?
La Petite Mort 2: Nasty Tapes is a German language film for the most part, and as such it’s presented with it’s original German audio with an accompanying English subtitle option. The sound mix is a 5.1 DTS-HD surround sound mix that is decent, but doesn’t really take full advantage of the multi-channel audio. Given many of the scenes take place is small rooms, there isn’t a lot to play around with sound-wise, but the audio comes through clearly and there is good balancing between diagetic sound, music, and dialogue.
ANYTHING SPECIAL?
Considering this is labeled as a “special edition” one might be inclined to think that this would house a cornucopia of extras, but that’s not the case here. This isn’t a judgment on Unearthed Films so much it is a fact that there probably wasn’t a lot of supplemental material created for this film during its initial release. When it comes to producing special features, it can be difficult and expensive if the property doesn’t have a wealth of resources to supply content. I suspect that is the case with Nasty Tapes. One of the features included is a “Making Of” segment, which runs about 12 minutes long and is essentially a montage of behind-the-scenes recordings mostly of the visual effects. If you ever wanted to see a dick-cutting scene without the sound effects this special feature is for you. There isn’t a lot of substance to this “Making Of” and doesn’t do much in the way of unpacking the creator’s ideas, production process, etc. There is a commentary track with Marcel Walz and Unearthed Films head honcho Steve Biro, so if you’re keen to know more about the production that might be your best bet. A full list of special features on this release is listed below:
Commentary with Marcel Walz & Stephen Biro
Video Interview with Marcel Walz
Outtakes
Gallery
Trailers
LAST RITES
La Petite Mort 2: Nasty Tapes is mostly more of the same as the first film, save for a different narrative approach to the material which offers interesting new ideas that aren’t always fleshed out in full. Extreme gore hounds will get a kick out of the absurd violence, whereas others may find the exercise a bit tiring and hard to follow. Still, if you dig the darker side of horror and like to take risks this will certainly scratch that itch.
THE GORY DETAILS
Thank you to the fine fiends over at MVD ENTERTAINMENT for providing a review copy for the crypt! La Petite Mort 2: Nasty Tapes is available NOW and can be purchased via MVD DIRECT or UNEARTHED FILMS DIRECT!
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