DEADBEAT AT DAWN

I'll be honest, I didn't really care for DEADBEAT AT DAWN the first time I saw it a few years ago. It has since grown on me and I now think it's a pretty cool movie - deeply flawed, but cool. Van Bebber wrote, directed and stars in the film about two street gangs at war and the feud between their two gang leaders. Van Bebber plays Goose, a two-time loser, that besides dealing with a rival gang leader that is trying to kill him, he has to deal with a naggy girlfriend who wants him to leave the street life and go straight. This is basically an underground, no-budget film and Van Bebber makes it work by adding tons of violence and bloodshed - naturally.

Van Bebber shows moments of promise throughout the film and you have to wonder what the guy could do with a Hollywood size budget. The film features sloppy editing and a grainy (in other words, cheap) look to it that gives it the vibe of a grindhouse film of the 70's. I think if Quentin Tarantino and Robert Rodriguez actually decide to produce a GRINDHOUSE sequel, they should let Van Bebber direct one of the features. His style would certainly fit.

One of the cool/hilarious things about the film is the look of the gang members in the film - basically a clusterfuck of all the gangs in THE WARRIORS and the baddies from MAD MAX. I mean, who dresses like that in the real world? It's almost like Van Bebber wanted to make a post-apocalyptic movie but didn't have the budget, so he settled for his own neighborhood. The cast is mainly comprised of Van Bebber's buddies and it looks like they had a lot of fun making the film. DEADBEAT brings to mind another no-budget flick with a ridiculous looking gang called FUTURE KILL - the two would make a killer double feature.

There are so many things I could point out that are "bad" about this film (acting, stunts, pacing, dialogue, ect.), but anybody who enjoys films like this really won't care about such things because it has enough action and bloodshed to be entertaining. DEADBEAT AT DAWN certainly falls into the "so-bad-it's-good" category and it's a great movie to enjoy with some friends and the narcotic of your choice.

THE MANSON FAMILY

I may have had indifferent feelings about DEADBEAT AT DAWN at first viewing, but in the case of Van Bebber's second full-length film, THE MANSON FAMILY - I was sold immediately. Nobody has the balls to make pure exploitation like this anymore - not even exploitation worshippers like Tarantino and Rodriguez (okay, maybe Rob Zombie, time will tell). Unlike those director's films (DEATH PROOF and PLANET TERROR) that 'try' to recreate the "grindhouse" vibe, THE MANSON FAMILY is the real deal. I have to laugh when I read all the threads and reviews for this film on IMDb because no one gets it. At first glance at the DVD cover you may think it's a docu-drama about Charles Manson, but it's not even close. Anybody looking for a re-telling of the Manson family murders for it's 'historical' value should not look here. Anybody who wants to watch a film that exploits that story in the way THE TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE exploited Ed Gein's story will enjoy this film.

Van Bebber worked on this film for many years (between 10 to 15 I believe) and it shows. It seems like 4 films in 1--one is about a TV producer working on a documentary about Manson, the second is a series of what seems like flashbacks, the third looks like an old documentary featuring interviews with assorted members of "the family" and a fourth about some modern day druggie BDSM freaks that seem to have a sick fascination with Manson. Yeah, it's a mess, but Van Bebber makes it work.

To nitpick about the film's historical accuracy is a waste of time. I've read a lot about serial killers and I eat up any TV programs that discuss them and I know a fair share about Manson and yes, there are a lot of mix ups with the "facts" in this film but it never stopped my enjoyment of it. In fact, I found the film, HELTER SKELTER - a film supposedly based on the "facts" of the case to be quite dull. THE MANSON FAMILY, on the other hand, exploits the story and I found it very entertaining. Face it, the truth can be boring - most factual stories are best told when peppered with some exaggeration. Also to be fair, the film is more about "the family" than Manson himself, which is refreshing.

If I were going to make one complaint about both these films, it would be one thing - what the hell is up with the fake facial hair? Holy shit, I know these films are low/no budget flicks, but some of the beards and mustaches in these films look like fake beards you'd buy at a department store at Halloween time - you can even see the glue. I could overlook the bad acting and shoddy dialogue, but the fake facial hair bugged the hell out of me. Overall it's a minor complaint and on the positive it made the film look even more like a cheap 70's grindhouse flick (it even has an aged film effect during portions of the film).

THE MANSON FAMILY may appeal to a wider audience than DEADBEAT, but it's still not going to appeal to a mass audience. Most will just write the film off as cheaply made trash and folks with an open mind will see it for what it is - cheaply made trash! You know what they say, "One man's trash is another man's treasure" and this film is a treasure for exploitation fans like me (and who knows, maybe a few of you as well).

THE SHORTS

Also featured in the box set along with THE MANSON FAMILY and DEADBEAT AT DAWN is a collection of Van Bebber's greatest short films.

MY SWEET SATAN

This is my favorite of the shorts. It's the story of a drug dealing, Satan worshipping assclown named, Ricky (played by Van Bebber). Ricky is basically a bully and everyone hates him but he's the only guy that can get good acid, so the people around him tolerate his douche baggery. The short climaxes with the merciless (and shocking) beating of a young man that Ricky thinks stole money from him. For only 20 minutes, the film packs a punch and the special effects during the skull-smashing scene are fucking gruesome.

ROADKILL: The Last Days of John Martin

This is a nice and sick short about a serial killer that picks up some hitchhikers and takes them home and kills them. It's basically a sneak peak into the life of a serial killer. In it's short time frame, the film does a good job of building to a brutal climax. The film's reputation led me to believe it was a more shocking than it actually was - I didn't find it 'that' shocking, but it is quite brutal. It might have made a good full-length film and I couldn't help thinking of the film, WOLF CREEK.

KATA

I have no idea what the fuck this was supposed to be about. It basically seemed like a guy practicing Kung fu or Karate in a dojo while he fights imaginary bad guys in a forest - that's it! Van Bebber obviously has an interest in the martial arts and this just seemed self-indulgent. Pass!

DOPER

A documentary about pot smokers that wants to debunk the idea that potheads can't be normal functioning members of society. They go to work and do a good job (they can even be employee of the month!), pay rent and they just happen to like getting baked...a lot. DOPER is a documentary about potheads for potheads, in other words I enjoyed it.

INTO THE BLACK

Oh boy, this one is something else. This is pre-DEADBEAT Van Bebber and a group of friends' video taping themselves doing stunts and fight choreography. There's no dialogue and no sound effects, just song after song of some hard driving 80's metal from some unknown band. If there's a plot, I'm unaware of it and it's long! After about 10 minutes I started fast-forwarding through the rest. Obviously added to the box set for it's historical value - this is a retrospect of the man's work after all.

Overall, the box set is worth checking out and if you don't want to commit to Van Bebber's entire filmography, at least give THE MANSON FAMILY a try. Of all the box set, I highly recommend that film.