MURDER COLLECTION VOL. 1 (2009 dir Fred Vogel)

Toe Tag Pictures DVD

Toe Tag Pictures, the independent outfit from Pittsburgh responsible for the AUGUST UNDERGROUND series, the infamous faux snuff-murder-torture trilogy capturing the exploits of truly deranged psychopaths via home video camera, and the supernatural slasher THE REDSIN TOWER, bring us their latest creation MURDER COLLECTION VOL. 1, a take on the world of web shows that have become so popular on the internet these days.

MURDER COLLECTION starts with text on the screen telling us that in 1994, a web series called "Murder" hosted by an unknown figure who went by the name Balan emerged and quickly became a controversial sensation as it contained supposedly real graphic, disturbing and shocking footage from around the world. It then goes on to say once the authorities eventually tracked down the origin of the broadcast, all the footage was seized, and Balan disappeared without his identity ever being uncovered. Afterwards, Balan went on to keep collecting shocking footage and what we are shown is supposed to be his "collection."

We are only shown close-ups of Balan's mouth and eyes while we are given subtitles as his voice is slowed down and muffled. He talks about the fascination with death in today's society. Among the footage shown is stuff shot from webcams, surveillance cameras, camcorders, etc. and we get footage of armed robberies, kidnappings, gangland slayings, torture, and more. One of the most memorable segments is "The Cheat" in which a guy sits in front of a camera talking about the time when he first met his wife while behind him is a video taping system showing his wife in bed with another man. He goes on to say he plans to "make her heart mine again." You can probably guess where this leads. Another disturbing segment is "Broadway Rob" showing a pedophile in his apartment with two young boys who he kidnapped tied up to chairs in their underwear with duct tape over their mouths. The guy plays circus music and forces the boys to dance with him. One very well shot segment is footage of an autopsy in which a mortician is shown removing a brain from a human skull. It's very realistic in that the mortician talks in a foreign language with no subtitles and the make-up effects are very nauseating while at the same time breathtaking. Another cool segment with good effects is footage with no audio of a gang torturing and murdering a couple. The man is decapitated and afterwards one of the gang members basically shoves his severed head in his girlfriend's face. The quality of the video used looks good enough to be Super 8 or 16mm and the camera noise further adds to the "film look." The segment with the best story is "Bullied" where some college kids take a nerd named Gromer out to the woods telling him they'll be partying later on and bringing some girls out. Only thing is these guys have a cruel prank up their sleeves that ends up backfiring in a way far beyond anything they could have imagined. The final segment "Ransom," which is supposed to be a ransom video of some black gangsters with a girl that they kidnapped, is very realistic in that the audio drops out frequently and the video looks like it was recorded on damaged equipment. To me, one of the most disturbing segments was footage from surveillance cameras in a restaurant where some thugs with guns break in and rob the place. I don't know why, but for some reason, this part really made my skin crawl. Perhaps the fact there was no audio was what did it for me.

MURDER COLLECTION VOL. 1 is a very welcome new effort from Fred Vogel and Toe Tag and the obvious first in a series as there will be VOL. 2 and probably a VOL. 3 after this. It's a movie that's definitely in a class of its own. In some ways, it's not unlike the AUGUST UNDERGROUND movies, but it's a much different concept all the way around. It's also a completely different movie than REDSIN as well. MC is a film one would have a hard time categorizing. For the most part, it's an anthology film done in mondo-shockumentary style and also kind of a throwback to movies like FACES OF DEATH and other similar mondo videos. That's probably the most accurate way to sum it up. All the segments, shot by Fred and Shelby Vogel, Jerami Cruise, and Aziza, are extremely realistic and disturbing in a variety of ways. While the movie as a whole isn't a balls out gorefest, the gory parts that are shown are extremely brutal, graphic and well done. Cruise's make-up effects, including the autopsy and decapitation, are top notch, proving he's an artist deserving of the attention he's gotten in recent years. For fans of mondo movies and Toe Tag's other work, MC V.1 is an intense, well-shot and well-acted effort with excellent effects that you'll no doubt find yourself watching a number of times.

While I was disappointed that the DVD contained no extras, it was perhaps better done that way since it was a film Toe Tag had kept quiet about the entire time it was being filmed and the debut of the trailer online and announcement of pre-orders without plot description was to get suspense and anticipation going so viewers would feel more knocked out of their socks once it was show time. So, it was better not to give them anything to choose from on a DVD extras menu that would give stuff away. The same goes for the lack of description on the back of the DVD cover.

Visit Toe Tag online at www.toetagpictures.com to order your copy.