Gore is only half the reason you buy a ticket to a horror movie, and I think you know where I’m going with this. Sex and nudity is the other half, and just as the rules of cinema dictate, the price you pay for good sex is death. In “Bread Crumbs”, directed by Mike Nichols (not the one you’re thinking of) sex is on everyone’s mind, as the cast of characters is working on a quasi-professional porn shoot. It’s “Boogie Nights” meets “Texas Chainsaw Massacre” – and nearly missing each other -, and the greatest risk of the film might very well be that the sex storyline eclipses the horror – doesn’t this bring back memories of “Entrails of a Virgin”? Don’t bother watching that one. Depending on how much you buy the performances, you may start rooting for fewer scares and more sex (though, sorry to let you down, there’s not much of the latter after all).
Horror and Gore
BreadCrumbs’ violent peaks are fairly graphic and the suffering of maimed characters is painful enough to watch, so you at least have to give kudos to the creative team’s use of the camera and editing – we have to say something positive, otherwise we would feel bad about anyone having spent money on a ticket to watch the movie. What truly redeems Bread Crumbs is the fact that the film’s logic is completely believable, since there is no need for “suspension of disbelief” when you’re dealing with a bunch of porn stars, who would probably not make the most educated guesses when it comes to eluding knife-wielding maniacs.
How to Watch It
BreadCrumbs’ villains, an homage to Hansel and Gretel, are in the hillbilly horror vein, and thus may need a few drinks to impress. Dan Shaked is a bit green, and not quite up to Deliverance quality, but keep in mind his range may have been purposely limited since he’s essentially playing a mentally handicapped maniac with a drawl. If you’re a fan of old school horror you may catch some very subtle similarities to a 1970’s film called “Girly”. Whenever someone says you’re playing Cowboys and Indians, it’s usually time to take cover!
Did You Know?
In Germany the movie was released under the title “Bread Crumbs – Das Hänsel & Gretel Massaker”. I think that drives the whole concept of “homage to Hansel and Gretel” home. Definitely a version of the fairy tale we want to avoid telling our children.
