IMDb > Lucker (1986)

Overview

User Rating:
3.9/10   133 votes
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Writers:
Johan Vandewoestijne (written by)
John Kupferschmidt (screenplay) ...
(more)
Contact:
View company contact information for Lucker the Necrophagous on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
1986 (Belgium) more
Genre:
Horror | Thriller more
Plot:
A serial killer awakens from a coma and escapes from a mental hospital to kill a survivor of his slayings years ago, all the while stalking, terrifying, and killing women on the way. full summary | add synopsis
User Comments:
Finger-licking good! more (17 total)

Cast

  (in credits order)
Nick Van Suyt ... John Lucker
Helga Vandevelde ... Cathy Jordan
Let Jotts ... Prostitute
Marie Claes ... Sharon
Martine Scherre ... Christine
Carry Van Middel ... An
John Edwards ... Friend
Tony Castillo ... Dealer
Veerle Dendooven ... Nurse
Frans Schepens ... Agent
Werner Onre ... Man reading newspaper
Nico Karadjian ... Dealer
Eddy Cosaert ... Driver
Heidi Callewaart ... Video customer
Francis Impe
Frank Van Laecke ... Bobby
Freek Neyrinck
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Frankvan Laccke
Ann Piessen ... Christine
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Directed by
Johan Vandewoestijne 
 
Writing credits
Johan Vandewoestijne (written by)

John Kupferschmidt (screenplay) &
Johan Vandewoestijne (screenplay)

Produced by
Filip Beys .... producer
André Coppens .... producer
Johan Vandewoestijne .... executive producer
 
Original Music by
Geert Beernaert 
Peter Bonne 
François Lamoral 
Chris Minjauw 
Johan Minjauw 
 
Cinematography by
John Kupferschmidt 
 
Film Editing by
Johan Vandewoestijne 
 
Casting by
Johan Vandewoestijne 
 
Production Design by
Filip Beys 
 
Costume Design by
Filip Beys 
 
Makeup Department
Helga Vandevelde .... makeup artist
 
Production Management
Johan Vandewoestijne .... production manager
 
Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Emmanuel Decoster .... assistant director
 
Sound Department
Filip Beys .... sound
 
Special Effects by
Filip Beys .... special effects
 
Camera and Electrical Department
Tony Castillo .... camera operator
 
Other crew
Winnie Bauwens .... script
Filip Beys .... titles
Pieter Gorin .... press
Francis Impe .... clip
Bieke Janssen .... script
 
Thanks
Lee Cooper .... special thanks
 

Production CompaniesDistributorsOther Companies
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Additional Details

Also Known As:
Lucker the Necrophagous (International: English title)
more
Runtime:
74 min
Country:
Belgium
Language:
English
Color:
Color (Eastmancolor)
Aspect Ratio:
1.33 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Stereo
Filming Locations:
Kortrijk, Belgium

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
The producer destroyed all of the negatives after the film was finished, so finding a completely uncut copy is very difficult. more
Goofs:
Plot holes: Lucker is a fugitive escaped from a mental clinic. The police are beginning a massive manhunt for him, and have starting points from where his victim's bodies were found (he never leaves that general area). Yet he still manages to stay in an apartment room for a week without leaving, or without the police showing up. Several people in his immediate vicinity have seen him, and the authorities surely have photos of him. If Lucker were to stay in the same place the whole time, the police would have most definitely found him within that week. more
Quotes:
[first lines]
Nurse: What's wrong with him?
Bobby: Suicide attempt.
Nurse: Hmm. Who is this guy, anyway?
Bobby: His name is John Lucker. A few years ago, he murdered eight girls. Raped them afterwards. And when I mean afterwards, I mean while some of the corpses were decomposing!
more
Movie Connections:
References Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi (1983) more
Soundtrack:
Theme from Lucker more

FAQ

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3 out of 4 people found the following comment useful.
Finger-licking good!, 19 May 2006
7/10
Author: Helltopay27 from United States

Lucker the Necrophagous is a testament to the type of film that you either love it or hate it; there is no in between. The general consensus is that it's a terrible, disgusting movie with absolutely no redeeming values. That's right, it is. Frankly, it's downright appalling. It's another rare movie that exists only to be as atrocious as it can be, without any sort of justification. I'm a part of the minority, however, who found it worth their while. Undoubtedly, there are several boring scenes, and of course, the dubbing and acting are terrible, but there are some completely unexpected moments of sheer dread that I couldn't help but to enjoy myself. Naturally, Lucker remains as a complete surprise to me. It stays as one of the most depraved, misogynist, and disturbing movies ever conceived, but along with this grotesque content are some tense and fear-inspiring scenes. I think I found Lucker so effective is because I didn't have any expectations for it, but I was still exhilarated to see not just a famous obscurity, but one of the most shocking and appalling movies ever made. It was really a charged experience.

John Lucker has attempted suicide during a mental institution transfer, and now lies heavily sedated in a private clinic. Of course, he wakes up. He lurks around the hospital and eventually kills one of his doctors (this is one scene that has a few minutes of walking, but pays off with a brutally gory scene). He then kills the doctor's girlfriend in her car, drives off, and has sex with her fresh corpse. The next morning, he walks his way (again, for a few minutes) to town where he finds that a victim of his crimes from eight years ago, Cathy Jordan, has survived. Outraged, he continues to fulfill his sick lust by stalking and brutally murdering women, yet he becomes so overcome with rage and shame for not killing Cathy off that it develops into a physical psychosis. He decides it can wait a week, however, as one of the women he's killed since escaping (a prostitute) has turned into a nice, pus-filled corpse, presenting the infamous necrophilia scene that remains as one of the very few movie scenes that made me want to gag. He then finally arrives at Cathy Jordan's apartment building with yet another victim, and plays a sick game of simply watching her psychological torment and listening to her scream. Lucker eventually gets bored and kills Cathy's husband and goes after her. He leaves her with his other still-living victim, but she gets loose, stabs Lucker, and escapes. Lucker's mad as hell and must bring this to an end, once and for all.

This is not a perfect film by any means. Some parts indeed are rather slow, and the acting and dialogue were some of the most humorous (and then turned incredibly annoying). It was easy enough to do, as some of the content is so appalling that the dialogue faded into the background as I watched these overwhelming displays. Though Lucker tries to be the most insanely putrid movie imaginable with necrophilia and misogyny, it also has the simple structure and execution of the standard slasher movie. These elements, though cliché and watered down, are very creepy in the film's rough atmosphere, even though there's essentially no reason to fear for the victims. All characters present are simply meant to pad the body count and to make excuses for putrid scenes of overly-dramatic blood and guts. Why I think it's effective is because there's such an insane fear of the villain, not for the victims. Each time Lucker began to kill someone was a moment for me to wonder with dread what he was going to do this time (this all works because Nick Van Suyt plays such a good psychopath). Because of this natural tension being spewed by a most vile killer, I didn't mind the longer periods of walking and stalking, which seem to be the biggest complaint of this film. In fact, it was almost a relief from some of the stress produced by the mere presence of John Lucker. His uncaring and unforgiving attitude in how he kills people creates some truly unrelenting terror. This is also amplified by the music, which had a very creepy electronic tone that reminded me of the music from The Shining. There's a eerie feeling to the whole movie.

Though some horror elements here are standard, Lucker is still one of the most disgusting and unapologizing movies I've ever seen. The sheer brutality of not only the murders, but of the necrophilia angle is stomach churning. There are no limits set to how Vandewoestijne tries to shock and horrify his audience, most notably by the famous finger-licking scene. Other than just the incredibly sick necrophilia angle, the misogyny expressed in this film is outrageous and even maddening sometimes. Scenes of Lucker pulling up a chair to watch his victim scream in pain, agony, and terror are unbelievably barbaric, and his efforts at humiliation and degradation are terrifying and enraging. Those who have seen I Spit on Your Grave will see much of the same disgust and disrespect for women that this shows, maybe even more, so be sure to hold onto your hats. I can easily imagine showing this to someone who will have to leave the room to vomit. It's that type of exploitation, and it should never be taken lightly. Like I said, the slow points and humorously annoying acting are almost saving relief from what atrocities are committed in unflinching, in-your-face detail. As exploitation goes, Lucker's on the extreme!

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