Stardom, Stalkers, and a Bloody Obsession

Read Time:5 Minute, 33 Second

MOVIE REVIEW
The Last Horror Film [Tromatic Special Edition]
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Genre: Horror, Slasher
Year Released: 1982, Troma Films Blu-ray 2025
Runtime: 1h 27m
Director(s): David Winters
Writer(s): Judd Hamilton, David Winters, Tom Klassen
Cast: Joe Spinell, Caroline Munro, J’Len Winters, John Kelly, Filomena Spagnuolo
Where to Watch: available now, order your copy here: www.troma.com, www.mvdshop.com, or www.amazon.com

RAVING REVIEW: Few horror films from the early 1980s blur the line between fantasy, industry satire, and straight-up slasher excess quite like THE LAST HORROR FILM. Directed by David Winters, it reunites Joe Spinell and Caroline Munro, who had already left a mark together in MANIAC, but here the dynamic takes on a different tone. Rather than the oppressive grimness, this one turns Cannes itself into a stage for obsession, paranoia, and guerrilla-style filmmaking that still feels chaotic decades later.

Spinell plays Vinny Durand, a New York cabbie and wannabe filmmaker who travels to the Cannes Film Festival to track down his idol, horror star Jana Bates (Munro). His dream is to convince her to appear in his movie, but his pursuit overlaps with a wave of killings that surround Jana. The story combines sleaze and self-referential commentary, making it as much about the act of filmmaking as it is about murder.

What makes THE LAST HORROR FILM so distinct is its setting. Shot on location at the 1981 Cannes Film Festival without permits, the movie captures an authenticity that’s impossible to fake. Posters for contemporary films, bustling crowds, and the glamour of the Riviera all play against the violence creeping in at the edges. It’s both documentary and fiction at once, giving the movie an unpredictable texture. When Jana flees a hotel in terror and the bystanders treat it like a publicity stunt, it’s a perfect encapsulation of the film’s central theme: the inability to distinguish reality from performance.

Spinell’s performance is the core of the film. He imbues Vinny with a strange mixture of menace and sympathy. His delusional fantasies—imagining himself as a director in surreal intercuts—reveal a man desperate for recognition. Even at his most unhinged, Spinell brings a sadness to the role, suggesting that Vinny is less a monster than a tragic figure warped by his own desires and an industry that thrives on exploitation. His scenes with his real-life mother, Filomena Spagnuolo, add a raw, oddly humorous authenticity that breaks the horror with grounded banter.

Caroline Munro, meanwhile, is magnetic as Jana Bates. Her presence carries the authority of a seasoned genre star, but her character is also placed at the mercy of forces beyond her control: her fans, her handlers, and the violence closing in around her. She’s both glamorous and vulnerable, the perfect counterpoint to Spinell’s manic energy.

Winters’ direction leans into the lurid, but there’s ambition beneath the exploitation. He uses surreal imagery and fragmented editing, blurring the line between Vinny’s fantasies and his actions. The frequent shifts between film clips, imagined sequences, and actual violence keep the audience disoriented. One moment we’re watching Cannes at its peak, the next we’re thrust into a chainsaw attack or a beheading. It’s uneven, yes, but that unevenness is part of the film’s jagged charm.

The violence, although not constant, is shocking when it does arrive. Throats are slit, heads roll, and bodies burn, but there’s often a sense of dark comedy threaded through the gore. This film allows its absurdity to seep through, creating an odd mix of camp and horror. It’s no surprise that later films like SCREAM would play with similar ideas—self-aware slashers with a wink at the audience—but THE LAST HORROR FILM was already carving out that space in 1982.

The soundtrack, featuring bursts of pop and rock (including Depeche Mode), gives the film a strange vitality. It feels at odds with the violence, but that clash contributes to the narrative's surreal quality. Much like Cannes itself—beautiful, chaotic, and indulgent—the movie thrives on contradiction.

Of course, the film isn’t without its flaws. The plot can feel meandering, with scenes stitched together more by opportunity than narrative logic. That’s a natural byproduct of its guerrilla production, but it does lead to pacing that sometimes drags. By the end, the film delivers a finale that is both absurd and satisfying, leaning fully into its meta sensibility. It refuses to play the slasher straight, instead turning its commentary back on the very industry it inhabits. That ending, unpredictable and cheeky, cements the film as more than just another exploitation relic.

THE LAST HORROR FILM may never reach the artistic intensity of some other genre films, but it doesn’t need to. It’s scrappy, strange, and entirely its own monster—an oddball mix of satire, slasher, and a festival time capsule. Its flaws are as much a part of its character as its thrills, and Spinell’s performance makes it unforgettable. Imperfect but fascinating, a cult gem that proves sometimes the most unstable films are the ones that linger longest.

Bonus Materials:
Introduction by Lloyd Kaufman
Audio Commentaries
Interviews
Mr. Robbie – A Short Film By Buddy Giovinazzo
Highlights From The Tromadance Film Festival
A Full Episode Of Kabukiman's Cocktail Corner

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[photo courtesy of TROMA FILMS, MVD ENTERTAINMENT]

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