Survive! a Grindhouse Film
Kansas City based exploitation auteur Jeff Chitty’s sophomore feature film Survive! claims to be a “Grindhouse filmâ€, and it is the real deal! If it weren’t for the costumes, hairstyles and modern vehicles, one could easily mistake this sadistic rape/torture/revenge flick as a forgotten grindhouse or drive-in quickie of the mid seventies. Chitty has taken great care to re-create the look, feel and even pacing of a vintage seventies exploitation film and borrowed a plotline from such well known exploitation classics such as Last House On The Left, I Spit On Your Grave and Thriller: A Cruel Picture (aka They Call Her One Eye).
Shot over three days for a mere $100 with all local talent from the Kansas City area (with the exception of a small voice cameo by horror genre veteran Tina Krause), the film takes the viewer on a voyeuristic journey into sadism and perversion using raw hand-held camera work and natural lighting to create a gritty, almost documentary atmosphere and feel. At some points the viewer feels that they are watching real events unfold on the screen. The director admits that much of the film was indeed improvised, adding to the disturbing impact of the film.
We haven’t even really mentioned the content of the film. Survive! pushes the boundaries of what can be shown in a film with quite graphic and shocking acts of sexual oriented violence perpetrated against both male and female characters. Chitty has pulled out all the stops to make the viewer squirm in their seat throughout the 70 minute runtime from incredibly long uncomfortable shots, to strange camera angles, to the lack of music in certain scenes, to the disturbing use of classical music during some of the films most savage scenes.
Survive! never claims to be more than it really is; a 1970’s style hardcore exploitation film. It is certainly only of interest to the most hardened viewers who enjoy graphically violent films featuring realistic and unapologetic scenes of extreme perverse violence and torture. Call it “Retro Torture Pornâ€, call it “homage to sleaze films of a forgotten era†call it “American Shock Cinemaâ€. Whatever you call it, if you like films specifically created to shock and disturb, and are a fan of the most hardcore of 70’s exploitation, do yourself a favor and check out this film that Ken Daniels of Fright Night Film Fest calls “A fantastic throwback to old school 70’s horrorâ€. If you have an aversion to any of the above, skip this one and find something more family friendly.
A limited edition first printing of Survive! signed by the director is currently available at www.digitalgrindhouseentertainment.com along with more information on Chitty and his other films.
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