"If MANIAC had been made as a comedy..."
...it might have looked something like this. Andres Torres' bizarre, sleazy and frequently hilarious grindhouse gem comes to disc courtesy of Severin Films.
Slow-witted Albert (Jon Wachter) works at a New York hot dog stand where he can't even keep the sausages off the floor. Spotted by Ivan (Theodore Bouloukos) - possibly the fattest photographer on the trendy Manhattan art house scene - Albert gets invited back to Ivan's studio to take part in bizarre fetish poses.
Driven (?even more) insane by the experience, all Albert now wants is to take art-house horror-based fetish photographs of his own. Armed only with a child's Polaroid camera and an inability to hold it still, he sets off to find any girl he can to pose for him, and if she won't keep that plastic bag over her head - well, he's happy to help.
One of those underground pictures that's definitely not for everyone, BAG BOY LOVER BOY, however, definitely IS for anyone who has raised a smile at the underground projects of directors such as George Kuchar, John Waters or Frank Henenlotter. In fact, perhaps the most disquieting thing about the film is the HD quality of the image - this film looks far too good for something that should have been shot in 16mm and run over several times with a tractor before being threaded through a projector.
Extras include a commentary track with the director, actor Bouloukos and editor Charlie Williams. Absolutely essential viewing are two (very) short 'Student Films of Actor Jon Wachter' which will have you wondering how much of his performance in BAG BOY LOVER BOY is acting and how much is just him (including his rather distinctive voice). GOT LIGHT sees him being kicked in the balls by a jealous girlfriend who tries to set him on fire, while THE NEVER-STARTING STORY is a work of such monumental incompetence (complete with commentary track from the 'director') that it surely cannot be meant to be taken seriously.
Either way, both the shorts and BAG BOY LOVER BOY raised more than a few smiles and chuckles here. If you like your comedies sleazy, blood-soaked and raving mad then this might be the film you've been waiting for all year.
The strange experience that is BAG BOY LOVER BOY is out now on Blu-ray and DVD from Severin Films
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