Body Count (1986) by Ruggero Deodato

Director: Ruggero Deodato

Year: 1986

Country: Italy

Alternate Titles: Camping del terrore

Genre: Slasher

Plot:

Years after a horrible tragedy, a group of teens decides to head for an abandoned campground and begin to hike through the woods, but when they start to disappear mysteriously a local legend about an ancient Indian Shaman that has cursed the land is blamed and band together to survive against the demented killer.

Review:

This was a surprisingly good slasher film. One of the main aspects this one does right is that it gets the slashing down quite expertly through the use of several rather fun storylines. The initial introduction to the friends comes about quite nicely as they arrive to hang out with the family who live out in the woods yet they don’t really care for their modern ways and prefer the peace and quiet provide a lot to like here for the initial starting point. The concurrent issues with the serial killer stalking the area and upsetting the sheriff who’s trying to find them while also engaging in the covert affair are all pretty fine as well, and with these aspects allowing for some fast-paced stalking here as the kills start happening immediately once they arrive it’s all quite likable delivering the kind of high-energy tempo while still allowing for traditional suspense scenes of the group blissfully wandering through the woods enjoying their trip before engaging the hulking killer.

Those stalking scenes in here, while not in any way original, are very well done and have quite a lot to like. The stalking through the woods from the outhouse through the trees is a classic suspense angle as the frantic search to get away from the killer who is only glimpsed in such brief flashes that leads to a great tension-filled scene that is quite fun. Anytime in the outhouse is quite brilliant, as the absolutely chilling atmosphere through the entire scene is loads of fun, the pacing is completely tense, and the jump comes brilliantly all culminating in a great scene. There are also plenty of scenes spread throughout the film, all of them at the very least containing a few suspenseful ideas. The final confrontation with the killer is a really standout sequence as well, using the established rules for how they’re supposed to play out well in hand and offering up only a nice surprise in the revelation of the killer.

This is perhaps given all the better treatment when it’s revealed who the killer is after they’re dealt with rather than before everything happens, and it’s such a nice change of pace. There’s also a really high body count in here to provide plenty of deaths, including a knife through the neck, one through the back of the head to come out through the mouth, a meat hook through the face, some scratching with a razor, a spear through the stomach, an ax in the head and some body mutilation with an ax along with a lot more in here as well. This here gets in some pretty high totals with the kills, and they’re all quite brutal. As is usual with these kinds of films, the usual attitude of sleaze here is handled with the usual amount of comfort that most of these films usually have with plenty to like about it from those well-qualified to deliver it from both sexes as well. The last real big positive is the group of friends as they’re all quite fun and likable pulling light-hearted pranks and jokes but really showing more of a friendship than normal so overall, it’s a really enjoyable affair.

There wasn’t all that much wrong with this one. One of its problems is that it’s simply way too familiar for its own good. There’s a sense of this just playing by the rulebook without change for the duration, hitting all the notes expected along the way there. While this is nice, it doesn’t really offer much for those looking at films for a different feel than others. This one isn’t all that different from practically any other killer-in-the-woods slashers out there and can get lost in the shuffle if not in the particular mood to enjoy it since the beasts can be quite easily telegraphed and seen coming. There’s also a problem where the deaths in here aren't as graphic as they could’ve been despite all the brutal-sounding ones on display, this one should’ve been a bloodbath and a gorehounds’ dream yet this one doesn’t really let loose as well as it should’ve. These, though, are the only real problems and can easily become non-factors.

Overview: ****/5

With only minor, minor flaws that can be overlooked quite easily, this is a really nice addition to the slasher genre. It’s not a revelation in the genre that will alter it, but those who enjoy these kinds or even die-hard European horror fans should give this one a healthy look as most others out there who are turned off by these factors should heed caution with this one.