[Nosferatu@Cult Labs]

Originally Posted by Frankie Teardrop

MACABRE - I feel pretty positively about 'Macabre'. I can understand how many might find it a bit 'meh', because, outside of a few 'highlights', almost nothing happens for most of its run time. Actually that's not true at all, what 'happens' is a simmering non-romance running one way between a blind tuba restorer and another traumatised post-psyche ward lady. That could be rubbish, or really (?good?) in a different kind of film, but it's neither because 'Macabre' is just such an odd flick. I don't know why, but it made me think of a hack-job Polanski - maybe the claustrophobic atmosphere of paranoia and isolation which pervades the over-decorated apartment where said tuba guy and psyche lady hang out. There's something suffocating about the whole scene here. The slick cocktail sax funk soundtrack, which was surely originally intended to score 'tasteful' softcore, only adds to the air of stifling sickness. On top of this we have a complete absolute arsehole of a nasty little girl, who, in a scene of epic bad taste, drowns her kid brother between shots of her mother moonlighting in shag mode with lover-on-the-side and who will go on to play vicious mind games with post-sanatorium mom. And then the necrophilious aspect, ear lobes in soup, the totally ridiculous last shot. Yeah, maybe not quite to everyone's taste, but overall quite a 'heady' concoction...

I haven't seen Macabre for ages and your excellent write up makes we want to revisit it.