A True American Nightmare

We love Troma! Not only are they the only company with the balls to release a film like Combat Shock, they have supplemented this ballsy move by releasing the Official Director's Cut of this sleazy, uneasy war/urban horror flick.

Made on a shoestring budget in 1986 by director, writer, and producer Buddy Giovanizzi, Combat Shock is a harrowing, draining descent into the fevered brain of 'Nam vet Frankie (played with sleazy, depressing panache by Buddy's brother Ricky).

The horrors of Vietnam - murdering, fear of death, and torture in a prison camp - were easy for Frankie when compared to his current situation. His starving wife is a nag. Their baby is an Eraserhead-looking mutant due to Frankie's exposure to defoliants. His best childhood friend is a pitiful junkie. The employment agaencies are useless when it comes to finding him a job. His father has disowned him. And he owes money (that he doesn't have) to the local loan sharks. Throw in the 'Nam flashbacks that constantly plague Frankie and you've got one of the most downbeat, cynical filmic representations of the American Nightmare (as the film was originally titled) in recent years. This movie ain't fun, folks.

Repellently violent and depressing, Combat Shock is also strangely alluring. The world we are thrust into is certainly not enjoyable . . . but, like an imminent car crash, you're compelled to see the horror through until the end . . . and, naturally, the end is a rancid cherry on top of this scummy sundae.

Shot for about $40,000 in the Long Island area, Combat Shock exudes a do-it-yourself charm that is sadly lacking in most of today's direct-to-video product. The credits roll by in about one minute because everyone involved wore at least three production hats. Ricky, the main character, also wrote and played the film's music (which starts out annoying but becomes almost toe-tappingly dischordant by the end).

TapeHead loves confrontational films. Even if they sometimes get a bit heavy and heavy-handed. Combat Shock comes close at times, but it's due more to the inexperienced actors than the script or filmmaking style. We're serious - Combat Shock rises to the top of the low-budget heap . . . Grueling? Yes. Depressing? Yes. A stellar example of fine filmmaking on a shoestring budget? You betcha.