August Underground's Mordum

Plot synopsis:
Like its predecessor, Mordum is presented as a degraded home movie shot by serial killers. This one includes the returning character Peter, his sadomasochistic girlfriend Crusty, and depraved man-child brother Maggot. Also, the status of the cameraman from the first film is revealed.
After Peter walks in on Crusty and Maggot having sex, an argument erupts between him and Crusty, but it is quelled when Crusty sexually arouses Peter and herself via self-mutilation with a piece of glass. The two then break into a crack house, where Peter beats the owner to death with a hammer, while Crusty films the filth-encrusted building and the decaying corpse of an overdosed addict. When Peter starts stripping the body of the house's owner (claiming it will be easier to dispose of without clothes), another fight breaks out between him and Crusty when she questions his motive for undressing the body, accusing him of being "a faggot."
The film then switches to a scene of Crusty demonstrating her love of self-harm to Maggot and a friend, cutting her scarred arm with a knife. Crusty and Maggot are then shown removing a bound and masked woman from a box they have been keeping her in for "a long time." Maggot rapes the woman while Crusty cheers him on and taunts the victim. When Maggot is finished, he then lets a male captive out of another box, and he and Crusty force him to perform a penectomy on himself with a pair of cuticle scissors, then seal him back up. Crusty mimics oral sex with it, then violates the earlier female victim with it.
Scenes of the three killers in town tormenting a shopkeeper, eating fast food, and wandering around follow, followed by Maggot and Peter watching and masturbating to Crusty torturing two women, sexually abusing and repeatedly vomiting on them while a male corpse rots in the corner of the room. Eventually, the women are killed. Maggot disembowels one, chewing on her spilled innards and having sex with them, while the other is beaten to death by Crusty and Peter, the latter dragging the body away to presumably have sex with it. The three then get drunk, and afterward Maggot is found in the bathroom by his sister, shaving and cutting himself to "look beautiful" for Crusty.
The trio are next shown playing in the snow, attending a concert, meeting up with friends, raping a woman, and going to a piercing shop, where Maggot receives a nose ring, and gets into a fight with Peter over his relationship with Crusty. The group then visit another serial killer, who shows them the contents of his shed; mutilated bodies, dying victims, and a headless and maggot-covered toddler, which Maggot eats a chunk of. Later, while the others are asleep, the new killer borrows their camera, and films himself taunting and slitting the throat of one of his female captives.
When next seen, the trio have attacked a family, killing the father first by hanging him. While Peter tortures the mother, Crusty watches Maggot have sex with the corpse of the young daughter in a bathtub. The three get into a fight, which ends with Maggot slitting his own throat, followed by the film cutting to static. In a post-credits scene, a cat is shown killing and eating a mouse. In the same DVD, there is an altered form called "Maggot's Cut." In this, the whole point-of-view is seen through Maggot's eyes, and it is revealed that he is actually of the opposite gender.

Tags: violence, murder, sadist

Review:
I thought this genre of hand-held shock began and ended with Blair Witch Project.The movie is mindless, self-indulgent porn-gore, poorly "acted" by people simply reveling in attempting to give a shock-effect, while uttering the F*-word in nearly every line.Sure, the movie apparently meets its attempted goal, of desecrating all that is sane, normal, and decent in humans.
If you're like me and can watch gore and know that it's merely special-effects, the movie is a mere annoying waste of time.If you're into grotesque special-effects of mutilation, sexual perversion, porn and bodily desecration, then you'll probably think this movie is exactly what you wanted.
This film is filled to the brim with all kinds of nasty, depraved, and terrible things that should really satisfy people who want to be shocked or are obsessed with special effects and makeup.
A bunch of morons with a hand-held camera go around screaming ceaselessly and laughing idiotically in a never ending profanity-laden cacophony whilst performing "sick" acts which, as some unknown rule apparently dictates, can only be inflicted on disgusting fat chicks who forget to resist.This is not a movie, since it has no plot, and it is not disturbing, since you can find worse things on the internet in less than a fraction of the time it would require for you to waste your time with this childish foolishness called "August Underground's Mordum," which belongs in the same trash bin as "Scrapbook." Just because damaged American kiddies with fractured psyches, short attention spans, and a penchant for anything that can momentarily lift them out of their fuzzy world view-defined, over-indulgent, instant gratification-based existence manage to praise this film with the vocabulary of someone who - surprisingly - has at least managed to attain a high school senior's vocabulary, does not make it worth watching.
This film is developing a cult status amongst gore fans that it really does not deserve, a lot of the depraved acts appeared to be put in for no reason other than as an attempt to shock, however the emphasis has to be on the lack of plot.
the internet buzz was way off on this one there is nothing good about this movie, if you bought it like i did sorry,if you are thinking of buying it, think again.The special effects were violent and semi-bloody the location they used was the most disturbing thing in this movie.
I'm 40 minutes into the movie as I write this and I don't know how I feel towards it.The comments made about this movie in the beginning was nothing but good ratings and people who thought this would be worth it for horror fans out there looking for a fake snuff/gross movie.
Now however with all this hype surrounding the movie to what "it is suppose to accomplish" people have lost the shock value while watching it.Sure it doesn't have grade-A actors, and a fantastic plot (or plot at all), camera work is what grade 8 cyber-work class looked like, and the camera cuts are random...
I like to consider myself a pretty screwed up person and I do enjoy movies that disturb most "normal" people but I'm fine with that.
Having seen and really liked August Underground, the first of the trilogy I was expecting a lot from AU Mordum and lets just say I wasn't disappointed.The grainy, shaky, amateur like camera work is back making this genuinely feel like a home made gore movie.
Again the acting is good and although the screaming and shouting can get annoying at times it's another classic from Fred Vogul.As some have said, the gore is not quite as realistic looking as in the first film but that doesn't take away from it.The acts of brutality, torture and abuse in this film are extreme, it pushes the envelope far beyond what I have seen before.
It is easy to understand what will make you look into this movie, and comments you will find will push you over the edge into watching it, just as I did.Yes it is likely that it is the sickest film to have ever been put to film, however there is absolutely no entertainment factor to it.
When a film introduces extreme gore, it works within the content of a story line that makes you look away and get adrenalin during the violent sequences.
It is almost certain that you will come away feeling slightly ashamed that you wanted to watch graphic rape, torture and necrophilic pheadophilia with nothing else to its credit other then it makes it look very real.To call it shocking is to give it credit it doesn't deserve.
This is take-no-prisoners, in-your-face, dirty and unrelenting low budget horror.The film begins with "August Underground"'s Fred Vogel discovering his girlfriend acting in a most intimate way with her own brother.
The impressively realistic special effects were certainly repulsive, but it was the tone of the movie that really stuck with me.The sequel, AUGUST UNDERGROUND'S MORDUM is about three times as sick, disgusting and gruesome as its predecessor, but it is also less powerful.
A scene in which the threesome make themselves vomit repeatedly on two victims is pretty vile initially, but it goes on so long that I stopped being disgusted and started wondering how the actors were able to continuously make themselves puke.AUGUST UNDERGROUND'S MORDUM is certainly worth finding and checking out for fans of maverick, underground and sick cinema.
Fred Vogel's original August Underground was a totally repulsive, yet very convincing piece of fake snuff that worked well due to the fine performances from the leads, the authentic camera-work, and the ultra-realistic gore.For their follow up movie, August Underground's Mordum, ToeTag Pictures have increased the level of sickness, depravity and violence, but in doing so, have lessened its effectiveness as pseudo-snuff.
Despite being a wall-to-wall catalogue of violence, the result is a pretty tedious film (there's just TOO MUCH screaming and swearing) which ultimately lacks the visceral impact and shock value of its predecessor.Although not a great film, Mordum will nevertheless find an audience amongst gore-hounds and fans of extreme cinema thanks to some fine stomach-churning effects and a few very sick taboo-busting scenes: a man is forced to emasculate himself with a pair of scissors; a woman makes herself vomit over her two screaming victims (who not once put up any resistance); a man guts a woman, then drops his trousers and proceeds to have a go at the dead woman's abdominal cavity; and then there's the notorious bath scene which takes sexual deviancy on film to a new (low) level—Hell, I don't even want to describe what happens here!!I'm going to be generous and award Mordum 4 out of 10 for its sheer audacity and willingness to go the extra mile to offend, but to be honest I found it quite tiresome; it really should've been so much better..
I like watching movies that make me feel uncomfortable and unsettled, films that irk me, which is why I got into horror in the first place.
Or, at the very least, knowingly bad/campy and therefore weirdly entertaining (for example, I'm a big Troma fan for that very reason alone!)I read a lot of hype about this movie and its companion pieces, critics and fans alike saying it was one of the most disturbing films they had ever seen.
An hour and twenty minutes later, I was in a bad mood for all the wrong reasons.The content may well be sick, depraved and morally abhorrent in its nature, but the way in which it is presented and the lack of any kind of plot to accompany it makes for a spectacularly dull and at times plain irritating viewing experience.
This is a movie that tries so overly hard to shock and disgust that it does exactly the opposite, and ultimately its the over the top gratuity and "gritty realism" (i.e. crap lighting, nauseating shaky-cam work and annoying over-usage of the f word to give the dialogue a more 'natural' feel) that is this films major downfall.Sure, the effects and gore are pretty convincing and a few times I even felt a little queasy, but as much as I like gore in movies, you can't just couple it with relentless screaming and swearing and hope that it packs a punch.
Just a mush of cheese and sauce that's difficult to eat without ruining your favourite shirt.To summarise, this movie consists of a bunch of severely unlikeable metal heads torturing and killing people in what is supposed to be their secret home video, but the more intense and real it tries to be, the more it leaves you craving something well structured and scripted, with twists and turns as well as unsettling gore sequences.
The film is a fake snuff movie gone global (so its OK to watch) Jerami Cruise, Mike Schneider, Killjoy (aka fat-man)& Fred Vogel need some guidance I think.
It had a strange subtlety to it that made you think "this could be your next door neigbours", but AU Mordum just goes beyond that and to the point of a bad horror movie that you have seen before.Its basically a lazy film that was created off the success of the first.
I will say that a few of the effects are descent but doe not make up for the crap that is "August Underground Mordum" The only thing messed up about this movie is some people in this world actually like this movie.
I've watched all of the "August Underground" films a few times and feel like I can review this one now.
The only thing that gave this movie any credence was the victims, at least their acting seemed somewhat believable.Don't waste your time watching this movie if you're looking for a disturbing movie.
Possibly the closest feeling I have taken away from a film to this would be Salo: 120 Days of Sodom or the hard-to-find Snuff 102.And that is exactly the point of the filmmakers' intentions, who clearly have a talent for this sort of thing (in fact, the latest from co-director Fred Vogel, Sella Turcica, is making ripples in the underground horror scene).
I've heard quite a lot about this movie,and of course I was dead-curious as to whether it lived up to it's merits.The question begs to be asked;did it really?Well,both yes and no.First of all,I am fully aware of the fact that this is made to seem like we are all watching these serial-killers'home video,and in that regard one should not expect nice,glossy frames,professional editing etc,etc.But here we come to my main objection regarding this movie.To me it seems like we are not only witnessing the jolly escapades of your average sadistic serial killers;these are truly special in that regard,because you know what?They all have Parkinsons'disease it seems!!The constant juggling and shaking of the camera certainly gave this impression,and this was as I've said a decisive factor in almost ruining the whole affair.Here is a newsflash for you;it doesn't ruin the gritty realism of the piece if one tries to keep the camera more steady(of course some shaking is to be expected as they are all wandering back and forth in murderous ecstasy,but sadly this crossed the well known fine-line),and if I was to give Penance a chance(it almost rhymed!!),this is something that definitely has to be improved upon.This would certainly give it the truly inhuman and somber feeling I had come to expect.The other thing that annoyed me was the obvious need these killers had,to go around all the time and scream their lungs off.Were we supposed to think along the lines;"S**t,this is really scary.They are really one mad bunch,just listen to them screaming"!!Yeah,right!It only leaves you with a feeling of utter boredom and annoyance.So please try to keep your mouths partly shut next time,will you?And I would also like to say;drop the constant playing and fondling with each other,and get to the point.Should we perhaps expect a pillow-fight next time?Are there any redeeming points then?I can think of a few scenes that left my mouth driveling;the guy having a good stomach-hump,the same guy later having a second in-absentia hump in the bathtub,the charming genital-mutilation scene,followed by disattached penetration,and the vomiting-scenes were also endearing.But sadly the negative parts are to many to completely redeem this movie,and the coldness I was expecting is lacking,I'm afraid to say.My instant thought,after watching it,was;so what?No big deal!!Here's a recommendation to the readers;if you want to watch something dark and ferocious,go and buy "Subconscious Cruelty" and "Flowers of Flesh and Blood" instead!!AUM's attempt of creating a violent and dark atmosphere pales considerably,when compared to these two masterpieces,that's for sure!!To think of the fact that AUM were supposed to be the American answer to Guinea Pig....in your dreams baby!!Of course,I almost forgot;plus points go to the Necrophagia music-video!!
"August Underground's Mordum" is easily one of the sickest and most repulsive horror films ever made.The film is extremely dirty and hateful,but at the same time it fails a little bit at the realism that "August Underground" achieved.It lacks the disturbing feel of the first,but it surpasses it in the shocks and gore department.There is a really sick castration with mini scissors,vomit degradation with taunting,cannibalism,fetus eating,sex scene with entrails or a maggot ridden baby torso.The plot of "Mordum" is easy to follow:three serial killers degrade,rape and kill their victims,whilst videotaping their sickening actions.Towards the end the fourth sicko is introduced(played by Killjoy of Necrophagia)and the film becomes almost too unbearable to watch.The special effects are incredibly realistic and the violence is ugly and vile.So if you like truly extreme and nihilistic horror give this piece of depravity a look.7 out of 10..
The film was a pretty good sicko/gore movie, really nice effects and a lot of sick stuff but nothing that really shocked me.
It takes a lot to repulse or offend me, but this film did it, no question.During my watching the movie, I developed a personal hatred and disgust for the people on camera, as I thought they were real.
now I can handle a lot,cause I have seen horrible things in real life, but this is at least twisted and disturbing for every sane human(if not, i fear you are a danger to society and should consider psychological help.) i'm handling this movie quiet OK, but i think majority of normal people will be shell-shocked , traumatized and feel really really bad.i know this is the point , but I repeat if it was in a nice story one could say OK, but this is not the case now.
What works is that they show you all kinds of sick and disturbing stuff and they also show you how these people are in their every day lives and it feels very real and natural as opposed to most horror movies with a masked man who kills 24/7 and doesn't do anything resembling what a human being would do.As far as the way it looks goes, it's not pretty.
For many years I have been fooled by the hype of "so called ultimate gore movies", Movies like Anthropopghagus, Cannibal Feroux and such, and almost always I am let down....Well no such luck with Mordum, it is in your face, disturbing film work.
The only mistake this movie makes is starting out slow...(which shows by the reviews it's got....its obvious that anyone who said this was boring either turned it off half way through, or they simply turned off their own brain, because they could not handle what this movie showed to them) but I can tell you that if you keep an open mind, and imagine this movie to be real, it would make any other film seem like child's play.
So, if you want to be truly DISTURBED WITHOUT watching something real, then this is the movie for you.I've seen it all, I watched A Serbian FILM (The uncut original version) twice in one day, and I've seen it many times since.
But if you thought AUM was not disturbing, and just "boring" then that means, either you're trying to act cool, or you simply did not watch the movie with an open mind.
People who say that this movie is a work of art are either messed up in the head or worked on the film because this is just honest to God total trash.A lot of the times you can't even tell what's going on because the camera is shaking so badly.
You may think that just because you use a digital camera and show disgusting or disturbing imagery that you are Takashi Miike, but Miike has an understanding for how to truly shock people (and I'll give you a hint, it isn't by showing scene after scene of disgusting or "shocking" images).Whenever I see movies like this I just want to talk to the creators and tell them how they messed up.
In fact, there are far more shocking things on the internet than there are in August Underground's Mordum.I give this movie a three for having some very good special effects at times, but it was an effortless movie that does not even try to entertain an audience.
I would like to quote Fred Vogel himself, when asked about August Underground series, who said "So looking back I think we've what made, and I think we made the most disturbing films to ever come out of America." And asked about the end scene of August Underground's Mordum "going back over to Jeramis' to rewatch the footage, and I started to well-up and was ready to cry because I knew that we'd done something special.
This 'movie' is sick, violent, unnecessary, the most disturbing film ever, but yet quite boring too.Mordum has very little or no plot, about three people who go out slashing the streets and capturing and torturing anyone they see.