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Trevor Simms, Larry Bishop, Adam Huss, Lewis Smith, Tom Sizemore, Jordan Monaghan
It is the fever dream of indie filmmaker and entrepreneur Trevor Simms called adrenochrome (as a nod to the substance referenced in fear and loathing in las vegas) that has all the elements of a psyche. The movie’s director has been a pothead and it is safe to assume, that the movie is nothing short of a peek into his rather perplexed mind.
It’s odd, it’s cool, it’s hip baby, and it’s a horror that keeps the guts flowing.
Someone in the film industry might actually call the hero of this piece, west walker (portrayed by the writer/director/editor/and jack of all trades mr. simms,) ‘a combat veteran’s first step towards los angeles’. He is somewhere between directionless and tortured and, as luck would have it, encounters a nice street vendor in venice beach who peddles ‘funny tasting tea’ on which he later gets addicted at the local shisha bar.
Before anyone can say, “Where is this going?”, watch as the latest version of him takes the audience on a new adventure. Accompanied by TV’s hunter s Thompson who is clad in an American flag he is transported to a beach filled with mermaids. Oh, did I forget? One of the sea ladies who I’m delighted to see is named Susie Finn rescues him and they frolic in an underwater romance.
His journey turned into an aggressive one, but it didn’t last for long; a couple of hours after we were back in the crazy LA vibe which now had a party on the beach and a lot of free love on offer.
Although never fully normal, West does see someone getting killed in an unusual way: topless murderers wearing jeans started cutting a victim and taking out his adrenal glands, which they stored in a jar. The police, naturally, did not discover any proof and charged West for being drunk in public.
The next day, West is hired by Charlie, a Venice street hustler who is the boss of other hustlers and employs him to keep an eye on the girls peddling the hallucinogenic drug. Before you know it, he is meeting bikini girl Bonnie (Jordan Monaghan); the evolution of their romance is revealed alongside the bloody murders committed by those denim-clad sociopaths.
There’s an adorable ‘How To’ interruption which is insightful with the making of mescaline, and while it does feel like a Russ Meyer dream, the genius of using knives made for some great percussion.
West begins a new job with a regional contractor, and this is where the narrative lost me to a certain extent; it draws on PTSD-style memories that include the overwhelming Tom Sizemore as an environment-ripping Army Sergeant while simultaneously incorporating a ‘rescue the lady he cares for’ story and providing additional context on the superlative drug that is derived from adrenals.
It is a divisive script which needed more work with the polishing because it becomes a bit disoriented in the mid-section, but at least I was able to comprehend enough to ensure a gratifying conclusion.
Simms’ film-chronicling of the film festival through fabrication, which inevitably got him sued by Coachella, along with the thousand other things, puts the cherry on top of the chaotic nature of this man’s life. In true form, Simms managed to get himself involved with crashing motorcycles, getting arrested and shooting without any permits the entire way throughout the film. Guerrilla filmmaking at its finest!
I must say, there is a plethora of wild up skirt footage along with abuse of the camera’s unsolicited cleavage angle features, all of which could have been avoided, tolerable l agree. Even for someone like myself, who enjoys movies to some extent of exploitation, there exists a balance of equality that should be maintained in this age. Sadly, the satisfaction brought by the animated crosses over the person’s eyes upon their demise serves as a contradiction to the seriousness that the world demands.
The blend of art-house and grindhouse is what I liked the most about this film. The vibrant cinematography along with ludicrous direction makes this movie unforgettable in terms of look and makes me cringe at the same time.
Looking at Simms’ direction truly reminds of the rookie days of Rob Zombie, it makes you remember why he is so good. With super graphic imagery and closeups that both nauseate and disgust, along with the moonlit carnival, the terrifying cartoonish dream is all brought together within a combination of flashbacks and reality. With gore, the film is best sums up as Beach Blanket Bingo meets Easy Rider.
Because the film can be rather shrill and gaudy at times, I cannot say that this is my favorite type of movie much less my type of horror, but it is wildly inventive, unpredictable and exhilarating. While West often proves to be an unreliable narrator, I hope the audience understands that it’s the journey that matters and not the destination.
Without a shadow of a doubt, it’s a B-movie, but it’s a groovy ride all the same.
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