Special Effects (1985)
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38% of users liked it
(174 ratings)
Unlike other films by this title, the subject matter of Larry Cohen's murder mystery is a dastardly film director whose last movie plummeted at the box office in spite of flashy special effects. He wants to climb back up from this failure, so when he murders an aspiring actress in a Soho… More Unlike other films by this title, the subject matter of Larry Cohen's murder mystery is a dastardly film director whose last movie plummeted at the box office in spite of flashy special effects. He wants to climb back up from this failure, so when he murders an aspiring actress in a Soho apartment, in a twist of his already twisted mind, he throws himself into a scheme to film a re-creation of the murder. As the movie plot, which is the director's plot, becomes more and more convoluted, he gets the detective assigned to the case to take part in his scheme and even gets the dead actress' husband to act out her murder in front of the camera. Laced with black humor and unexpected turns in the action, this director keeps the movie going, thanks to real director Larry Cohen who actually keeps the movie going. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, Rovi
- Directed By
- Larry Cohen
- Genres
- Drama, Horror, Mystery & Suspense
R,
- In Theaters
- Nov 16, 1984 Wide
Critic Reviews
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Dennis Schwartz, Ozus' World Movie Reviews
An uneven homage spoof on auteurs like Hitchcock, Powell and Ferrara.
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Nick Schager, Lessons of Darkness
A significant (if ultimately chaotic) entry in the director's canon of ramshackle tributes to the dark, dangerous, voyeuristic allure of the cinema.
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Cast
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Zoe Tamerlis
as Andrea/Elaine
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Eric Bogosian
as Neville
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Brad Rijn
as Keefe
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Kevin O'Connor
as Det. Delroy
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Bill Oland
as Det. Vickers
- Richard Greene
- Heidi Bassett
- John Woerhle
- Kitty Summerall
- Steven Pudenz
- Zoë Lund
