House of Flesh Mannequins

The Director’s Cut
with Domiziano Arcangeli, Irena A. Hoffman, and Giovanni Lombardo Radice
Directed by Domiziano Cristopharo
Written by Domiziano Cristopharo and Domiziano Arcangeli
(MVD)
By Mike Delano

House of Flesh Mannequins is a movie buried under its own imagery and symbolism. After taking photographs of the victims of a gruesome car accident, quiet artist Sebastian sits at home and considers what he’s seen as images of clowns, puppets and blow-up dolls flash on the screen. Later, a visitor to his apartment sees one of his films that features masturbation footage spliced with his mother’s funeral. Does the film give the necessary time to the explanation of these images to contextualize them beyond their shock value? Not at all, but there’s a bizarrely interesting mindtrip to be had here for fans of the truly outlandish. The acting is stiff and awkward, but still very entertaining, especially as characters like the flamboyant magazine peddler and a guy with a voice box sitting on a throne chew up the screen. Like Sebastian roaming through the house in the title, none of the jarring scenery in the film is given more than a quick glance, but for anyone with fond memories of the morbid humor found in cult classics like Bloodsucking Freaks, the rapid-fire outrageousness here is worth a look.
(www.mvdb2b.com)