Shaza123
Scum of the Earth. What a title! I love it when movies are so blunt in their names, so eye catching. You almost want to rent them based on the title alone. Movies like I Spit on Your Grave and Cannibal Holocaust share a similar feeling of disgust when you first hear them. It's enough to blindly rent them, hoping the titles are an indicator on how good the movie is, and simply not false advertisement (cough, Zebub, cough).Scum of the Earth is not misleading. The title actually sets the tone nicely. Of course there is an alternative title to this flick; Poor White Trash 2. I personally prefer Scum of the Earth, I feel Poor White Trash really doesn't do this movie justice as a title. It's not your average backwoods hillbilly horror movie, this is something far more gritty and disturbing. This is some slimy and uncomfortable cinema. Something that might make you feel the need for a shower afterwards. This is Scum of the Earth.The plot is fairly basic. Helen and Paul have just gotten married, and are celebrating their honeymoon in a secluded cabin in the peaceful tranquility of a forest somewhere in the south. An unknown assailant brutally murders Paul with an ax, causing his wife to run away, fearful and grief stricken, into the dark forest. She soon bumps into Odis Pickett, a frightful man with a frightful accent, and after some pleading for help, accepts to return with him to his house to use his phone. Back at his home, she meets his wife, Emmy, his daughter, Sarah, and his son, Bo. It soon becomes obvious that Odis has no phone. In fact, the family appear to be living in poverty. Helen doesn't trust him, but its dark outside now, and the killer is still on the loose. She has no choice but to stay with them for the night. And it's going to be a long night.Scum of the Earth is directed by S.F. Brownrigg, the man who did Don't Look in the Basement. Only, Scum of the Earth is a very different type of movie. A simpler kind. Scum of the earth sets out to show just how disgusting some people in this world can be. It's covered with grit and sleaziness, a real uncomfortable sitting. I was equally repulsed and fascinated all throughout. The award for the most despicable person in the movie goes to Odis, played by Gene Ross whose whole manner just makes you want to cringe. Even on our first meeting of the guy, he comes across as so sleazy, it's unfortunate that our heroine was in such a dire situation she had no choice but to trust him. I think it paints a picture what type of person Odis is, when he introduces his pregnant wife as "the skinny one with the big belly". He is offensive in more ways than one, especially in his treatment to his children and his wife. People like Odis make me sad for humanity. As memorable as Odis is, there is a female performance that really stood out for me. Surprisingly, it wasn't from our protagonist, Helen, but from Emmy, played by Ann Stafford. I have never wanted to hug a character so badly. Emmy is the type of person that reminds us that there are good people in the world. In a movie filled with scum, Emmy stands out as the bright sunflower. She brings hope that there is good in the world. What a wonderful performance. This movie does drag in some scenes, and some of the acting was a little over the top (looking at you, Helen). I even remember a scene when a character goes out into the woods when it's meant to be the heart of night, only it's as bright as daylight. But I think my biggest complaint was the score. Wow, was that a misplaced soundtrack. But nonetheless, despite its flaws, this was a good movie. For a low budget B movie, it just oozes with atmosphere. And of course, being a backwoods exploitation flick, you can expect lots of violent scenes, including rape and incest. It's one hell of an underrated gem and one that I highly recommend those who like grind house flicks and backwoods horror. Thanks for reading.
Maciste_Brother
The best thing you can say about S.F. Brownrigg and his films is that he had his own unique style and vision. Few directors can actually claim that. But are his movies really good? They work on a Brownrigg level but when you start thinking about them outside his universe, they really don't hold up. I enjoy Brownrigg's quaint "aw shucks with a bloody axe" quality more than the movies themselves. The same can be said about SCUM OF THE EARTH or POOR WHITE TRASH 2. There's actual attempt at direction and acting here, compared to exploitation films made then or even today but the problem is Brownrigg's treatment is better than the material he's working on. The story in SCUM OF THE EARTH is totally implausible: a big city woman is forced to stay with a family of hillbillies after her husband was murdered, with an axe to his chest, by an unknown assailant. The dramatics are not really believable, certainly after Pick rapes the main character. With characters dying like they're in a Friday the 13th film, woman being raped, etc, you expect people to react in a more worried way but they don't. They stay in the house until the killer reveals himself at the end, who just walks in the house just like that. BTW, the killer's identity is lame.What's missing is atmosphere. It acts like a complete exploitation film (gruesome murders, rape, nudity) but in the end feels more like a grubby afterschool special, with its focus on characters than the horror. Some of the murders were effective but because of the cutesy music, the horror elements were totally nullified. I thought the score sucked the life out of this film.I'm glad I watched POOR WHITE TRASH 2 (the version I saw on video). Like I said before, I admire Brownrigg's style more than his films. He has certainly created his own special niche in the world of cinema. The problem with this film is that there's hardly anything memorable about it.
siyble
what? nobody yet commented on this incredible, well-known masterpiece of filmwork? just kidding, this is an all around s***ty, obscure little piece of crap, so i'm not surprised mine is the sole review for the movie. i don't know under what circumstances you might come across this movie and actually consider watching it (people, the title should be enough of a tip off for you), but just in case it happens avoid watching it! this movie did for me what no other has ever had- actually made me feel physically sick. the basic plotline: the heroine's fiance or whatever is murdered in the first thirty seconds, she flees and takes refuge in the home of a bunch of southern redneck type stereotypes ("we got possom for dinner", "he may beat me and sleep with other women but he still loves me", "i seen how you get your extra money sis, you give it to guys for a buck", etc) stuff happens that you won't care about in the least, the characters recite their laughable dialoge and the killer finally and thankfully! kills every last one of them, except i think, our brain dead herione, and I cheered each time one of them bit the dust. even for films of bad movies, the occasional unitentionally hilarious moment doesn't make up for the whole horrible thing, and i still have visions of that old, unwashed, ugly disgusting man parading around shirtless in his overalls for half the movie!
