Snuff (1976)

User Rating:

2.6/10   

Directors:

Michael Findlay
Roberta Findlay

Writers:

A. Bochin (writer)
Michael Findlay (writer)

Release Date:

16 January 1976 (USA)

Genre:

Horror | Thriller

Tagline:

A film that could only be made in South America, where life is CHEAP!

Plot:

A so-called "snuff" movie involving the exploits of a cult leader leading a gang of bikers in a series of supposedly real killings on film. |

Plot Keywords:

Cult Leader | Biker | Killing | Psychotic | Stabbed In The Side

Cast

Margarita Amuchástegui	...	Angelica
Ana Carro	...	Ana
Liliana Fernández Blanco	...	Susanna
Alfredo Iglesias	...	Horst's Father
Enrique Larratelli	...	Satan
Mirtha Massa	...	Terry London
Aldo Mayo	...	Max Marsh
Clao Villanueva	...	Horst Frank

Also Known As:

American Cannibale (USA)
El ángel de la muerte (Argentina)
Big Snuff (West Germany) (promotional title) [de]

Runtime:

80 min | UK:76 min

Country:

Argentina | USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

New Zealand:R18 | West Germany:18 (re-rating) | West Germany:(Banned) (original rating) (cinema release) | Japan:R-18 (DVD) | Australia:(Banned) | UK:18 | USA:X | Canada:13+ (Quebec) | Australia:R (re-rating) (2005) (uncut)

Filming Locations:

Argentina

Company:

August Films

Trivia:

The final scene involving the simulated murder of a cast member was shot much later than the rest of the film at the behest of the film's distributor.

Goofs:

Audio/visual unsynchronized: The dubbing does not match throughout the film.

Quotes:

Max Marsh: Miss Terri London is an actress and she'll do anything to give a good performance!

Movie Connections:

Featured in "The Dark Side of Porn: Does Snuff Exist? (#2.4)" (2006)

Snuff Bluff

I finally found this film after a long anticipation, so I bought it and threw it in. I knew nothing about this before I watched it, because I was so intrigued and maybe even scared. The opening is a motorcycle sequence with a slightly changed "Born to Be Wild" instrumental over the top of the scene. The film thus far was incoherent, and I wondered if that would change. The bad adr voice dubbing was so out of synch, that these actors must have never have spoken English for the fact that their lips are not delayed but instead move completely different from the soundtrack. This is confirmed by the fact that the whole cast was comprised mostly of Argentinian actors who spoke no English and the film was shot in silent and sound dubbed in post production. I was expecting the film to be one long film about the concept of "snuff films" and I thought that would have been spooky yet interesting.

The film is made up of around 70 minutes of footage from Michael and Roberta Findlay's unreleased film entitled Slaughter (1971), and then as the last scene approaches the camera cuts to supposed behind the scenes footage from the film we have been watching, then showing the cast and crew being turned on by the violence they have been filming for fictional film. The greater part of it is an Argentinian shocker which was probably happy being buried in quick dry cement for an eternity. After knowing this, I felt violated and ripped off. I am a fan of the Findlays work for obscure reasons, I guess because they are such a big part of underground film history! The only real saving grace for SNUFF, is both the infamous scene, and the best marketing (probably inspired BLAIR WITCH PROJECT) that the world of 1976 ever knew, for a film that doesn't really exist! Monarch Releasing took on Slaughter and shelved it due to shortfalls in bloodshed and coherency, however four years later producer Allan Shackleton hired directors to shoot some fake snuff footage and replace it with the original ending of the film. Shackleton released reports to the press of a supposed snuff film from South America which sparked a large outrage amongst the public and law officials. The story surrounding the film is more exciting than the film itself and I think that Shackleton deserves plenty of kudos for his great marketing ideas for a nothing film, even if his publicity sham was at the American public's expense.