The Profane Exhibit (2013) Film Review – Horror Anthology 11 Years in the Making

Posted on by Jim Cox

Follow by Email
Facebook
Twitter
Instagram

The Profane Exhibit is a 2013 extreme anthology film featuring work from directors Jeremy Kasten (The Wizard of Gore), Anthony DiBlasi (Malum), Yoshihiro Nishimura (Tokyo Gore Police), Uwe Boll (Postal), Ruggero Deodato (Cannibal Holocaust), Sergio Stavalentti (Demons), Ryan Nicholson (Gutterballs), Marian Dora (Cannibal), Nacho Vigalondo (Colossal), and Michael Todd Schneider (August Underground: Mordum). 

The film began production back in 2011 when producer Amanda L. Manuel approached director Michael Todd Schneider to direct her first short film. After the pair finished shooting Manna, the project began to grow in scale when Manuel signed on Uwe Boll to direct his own short, and Scott Swan, an associate writer for Michael Todd Schneider’s anthology film, Masters of Horror, to develop several segments for the film based on Manuel’s story concepts, as well as a wrap-around script she wrote with novelist Ray Garton. 

After Boll wrapped up filming his contribution, Basement, multiple genre directors were contacted to create segments for the anthology. However, several shorts created for The Profane Exhibit were eventually dropped from the film for one reason or another in this final release, such as Coltan by Richard Stanley and Tochka by Andrey Iskanov.

Ladies and gentlemen! My fellow creatures of the night! You are invited to join us on a perilous journey into the land of the damned. Please keep your limbs safely inside the speeding vehicle at all times, for what you are about to witness is a dangerous miracle of the macabre. Ten renowned horror movie directors worldwide have recreated their most gruesome dreams and frenzied nightmares for your viewing displeasure. Your ticket entitles you to enjoy a surfeit of screams, palpitations, and gut-wrenching violence – the like of which has never before been seen by man or beast. Watch your step, don’t look behind you, and try to keep your eyes open because you are about to witness…”THE PROFANE EXHIBIT.”

Mother May I

Written and directed by Anthony DiBlasi, with additional writing by Amanda Diblasi. In a Catholic halfway house for wayward girls, Mabel is doing her best to please the Head Mother. Will she be willing to do whatever it takes to appease the nun’s dark side?

Weaving a tale of pious capital punishment and sadomasochism, Mother May I utilises its highly religious setting to create a suffocatingly domineering environment. However, with a sluggish pacing that hardly seems to pick up speed, the short is a rather tedious and uneventful start to the anthology.

Hell Chef

Written and directed by Yoshihiro Nishimura, with additional writing by Amanda Manuel and Scott Swan. This tale of fetish and food tells of a mysterious woman who witnesses a young girl seduce a man back to her apartment to murder him. The girl fails to kill him, and is brought into the world of culinary cannibalism.

Comprised of the visual flare and over-the-top gore Nishimura is known for, Hell Chef is an intense, albeit short, cavalcade of blood and guts. The over-saturated colour correction, surreal imagery, tight cinematography, and break-neck edits result in a darkly comedic tale of gastronomic exploration, murder, and self-harm with a juxtaposed soundtrack to boot.

Basement

Written and directed by Uwe Bolle, with additional writing by Amanda Manuel and Scott Swan. A man’s life in the upstairs of his house is very different from his life in the basement.

Based on the notorious case of Austrian criminal Josef Fritzl, Basement holds very little back in the depiction of its barbaric acts. Driven by legendary character actor, Clint Howard, this incestuous tale of captivity, whilst seemingly benign in its humble beginning, soon wallows in the depths of degeneracy surrounding the original case. Howard’s depiction of this Fritzl-esc character is both sickening and fully embodied by the actor–creating an uncomfortable atmosphere twinned with the unrelenting imagery of rape and incest. Additionally, with the cinematography’s tight close-ups and low depth of field creating an inescapable claustrophobia, this short is certainly efficient at providing a shocking, yet short experience.

Bridge

Written and directed by Ruggero Deodato, with additional writing by Paolo Zelati. The curiosity of children paired with psychosis leads to an exploration into the precariousness of the human mind.

Lacking any dialogue and being rather self-contained, Bridge is a rather unique entry to the anthology. Whilst building a rising sense of dread throughout its criminally brief, 3-minute runtime, the short seemingly ends just shy of delivering any real impact and is soon forgotten. Being directed by the legend of Italian gore himself, my anticipation was sky-high but, unfortunately, the short failed to meet any expectations. 

Tophet Quorum

Written and directed by Sergio Stivaletti, with additional writing by Amanda Manuel and Carlo Baldacci Carli. A pious nun is abducted from the streets of Rome, her purity eroded through depravity, as she is rendered down to a feral creature.

With some of the best prosthetic make-up and practical effects of the anthology, Tophet Quorum is undoubtedly a gruesome love letter to Italian gore cinema. Including a grim narrative of physical and mental torture (and even child sacrifice), the cinematography certainly supplements this with its dark and dingey aesthetics and intense, unwavering shots of gruesome mutilation.

Goodwife

Written and directed by Ryan Nicholson, with additional writing by Amanda Manuel and Scott Swan. John has the perfect life, and the perfect marriage, but there’s something he isn’t telling his lovely wife. When she finds out exactly what her husband is up to most nights, the tables turn and things get extremely bloody. 

Presenting the graphic visulisations of torture and degradation Nicholson is synonymous with, Goodwife certainly holds very little back with plenty of unscrupulous scenes of brutality. The juxtaposition between the protagonist’s normal life at home and his ferocious blood lust is presented well, developing Jack’s character above the stereotypical maniacal lunatic. Additionally, as the film begins to explore themes of terminal illness, survivor’s guilt, and suppressed feelings, the short delivers a distinct, atypical narrative that’s far more than just a brief display of violence.

Mors in Tabula

Written and directed by Marian Dora. A nefarious surgeon is called to save a young boy’s life. What happens during the surgical procedure is a blessing in disguise. 

Uncomfortably swaddled in an unrelenting barrage of audio from Hitler’s Nazi party rallies, Mors in Tubula intrinsically sets an uncomfortable atmosphere from the beginning. When used in conjunction with a blend of atypical cinematography, and stylised editing provides a claustrophobic yet contemporary visual display and is undoubtedly some of the best cinematography of The Profane Exhibit. Furthermore, when twinned with the vivid depiction of unrelenting medical body horror, the short is a grim visual display that matches its tone perfectly.

Sins of the Father

Written and directed by Nacho Vigalondo, with additional writing by Amanda Manuel and Scott Swan. When a son forces his father to answer for his sexual deviancy, cameras are rolling… and an audience awaits. Will a son’s hunger for revenge lead him back to hell?

Being darkly comedic in tone compared to the rest of the shorts, Sins of the Father successfully entwines this element with its disturbing themes of sexual abuse. While an air of mystery surrounds the narrative in its beginning, the reasoning behind its themes of revenge are soon revealed–leading the audience to be somewhat sympathetic to the orchestrators. Yet the short also delivers a humbling truth about revenge in a way that is rarely explored, muddying the water as to who the real victim is in this scenario.

Manna

Written and directed by Michael Todd Schneider, with additional writing from Amanda Manuel and Ryan O. Neil. Consuming your mate makes you stronger. Ridiculous? Ask the praying mantis… ask the scorpion… ask the black widow. A cult of women, under the banner of the Latrodectus Black Widow, practice the ultimate form of vorarephilia in an attempt to claim the highest form of female dominance.

By far the most ambitious short of The Profane Exhibit, The narrative is pretty well relayed through visual storytelling–forgoing any need for exposition and enabling the short’s visuals to be the driving force. Additionally, with special effects from the incredible Autumn Cook, the short is a grisly spectacle of BDSM-themed torment, dismemberment, and cannibalism.

Amuse bouche

Directed by Jeremy Kasten. A butcher is on the prowl for fresh meat. When a tow truck driver crosses the butchers path… who knew it would be so delicious.

Used as a wrap-around framing device for the anthology, this short provides very little connectivity to the others and feels more like filler content. Mostly consisting of lingering close-up shots of meat (of questionable origins) being butchered, the special effects themselves are fairly good quality and a good display of craftsmanship. However, its disjointed implementation and lack of any narrative result in what feels like an FX reel more than a short film.

Featuring some of the best genre directors in extreme cinema (and also Uwe Bolle), The Profane Exhibit’s featured segments are a kaleidoscope of degradation, thinly linked by their themes of suffering and misery. However, as with all anthologies, some segments will certainly fall short in quality compared to others. Despite this, the anthology’s intense themes, unrestrained nature, and macarbe visuals are sure to grip those with an interest in the extreme.

The Profane Exhibit (2013) is available to purchase from September 24

More Film Reviews