Lucker the Necrophagous (1986)

See you in Hell, you sucker

"Lucker the Necrophagous" is another homicidal horror film from the '80s that gives its sights to Michael Myers all over again, but this time in another country, running on a much lower budget, with less story and the selling appeal from the makers is a sensational one as our depraved guy here has a sexual appetite for the dead.

John Lucker is being held in a minimal security mental ward under heavy sedation from being caught after committing a string of heinous murders. He shrugs off the drugs like it was an aspirin and easily escapes, but not before killing a random guy just to get the feeling back. He wears all black, gloves, shades and slicks his hair--if he had anything more to hide he might be mistaken for a ninja. His dialogue wouldn't even fill a memo but instead he stalks his victims with deadpan focus and a higher intuition, like a refined predatory sixth sense for all the social skills he lacks. Where Jason Voorhees and Freddy initially worked, even if they had no grounds in reality, the character here becomes a caricature of the '80s slasher as there's no grabbing background story and instead the filmmakers play off previous efforts. Trying to scare an audience with a guy who's the epitome of evil--not to mention who's one-dimensional and only skin-deep--all over again isn't as effective as, say, someone you wouldn't expect until it's too late like Rutger Hauer in "The Hitcher," or even a charming looking fellow like, say, Jeffery Dahmer, who's working his macabre hobbies right under society's unsuspecting nose.

One can see gorier films from the Italians back in the '70s, as this has makeshift effects with more blood spraying than gaping wounds. The exploitation part was shocking idea wise--especially how it involved sticky fingers--but ultimately done more effectively in the earlier film "Corpse Mania" from Hong Kong in 1981, as well as with much more believable effects in the later short "Aftermath" with "things" to do with cadavers after their dead. This one looks like a rough-around-the-edges, fake, black blob with a few live maggots on it. Instead of concentrating on story or character development, this attempts to go for atmosphere and mysteriousness, which would be fine except it makes the experience drawn out even at 74 minutes long. Pretending there's something of substance on screen by just subtly panning the camera in hopes to get lucky isn't going to cut it. "Lucker the Necrophagous" is a pointless exercise and not worth the time as there's very little to fall back on, even for someone like myself who watches low-budget genre flicks that have a bit of a nasty side.

Rating: 2/10

From Black to Red recommends instead: "Stage Fright." Another European film that closely follows the slasher template with a blood-crazed psycho on the loose, though this one is able to build some tension from the victims' perspective and also come with some memorable and effective scenes.

Stars: Nick Van Suyt
Link: IMDB