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Nikos the Impaler (2003)

   
Directed by: Andreas Schnaas

Written by: Ted Geoghegan

Starring:

Joe Zaso ... Frank Heller
Felissa Rose ... Sandra Kane
Andreas Schnaas ... Nikos
Brenda Abbandandolo ... Daisy
Joseph Michael Lagana ... Pete Whittenberger
Mike Russo ... Ronnie
Dennis Keeley ... Jason
Tina Kay ... Olivia Bancroft
Sal Sirchia ... Don Cole

Cameos:

Roxanne Michaels ... Officer Felice
Darian Caine ... Hollie
Lloyd Kaufman ... Himself
Debbie Rochon ... Herself
Bela B. Felsenheimer ... Himself
Tina Krause ... Eva Braun

Release Date: Weekend of Fear Festival: March 8, 2003 (Nuremberg, Germany); The Indepdendent Days Karlsruhe: March 29, 2003; The Splatterday Night Fever: April 11, 2003 (Saarbruuken, Germany); Sitges Film Festival: December 7, 2003 (Spain)

Rating:

 

All of Romania feared Nikos (Andreas Schnaas), a bloodthirsty barbarian and cannibal, murderer of many.
But one moonlit night, a courageous few, with torches clutched in their hands, put the ungodly monster to an end by ripping out his insides.
Yet with his dying words, the maniacal Nikos claimed that not even death would stop him and he would return one day.

It is then present day and Nikos' mask and outfit is at a Manhattan famed Bancroft Gallery with other historical stuff there as it is a Romanian art exhibition.
A University teacher named Frank Heller (Joe Zaso) invites his students and his girlfriend Sandra Kane (Felissa Rose) to the museum and to understand the history of Nikos.
The students all get a kick out of what's there since they are into violence but Daisy (Brenda Abbandandolo) tells them that the legend of Nikos may not be a myth as some legends are true.
Suddenly in the hallways of the gallery there is a botched robbery attempt and somehow he accidentally brought Nikos back to life as the legend foretold and Nikos is hungry for blood!

One by one he slaughters people by slicing them in half, decapitatind and other grizzly murders he can commit.
The people are trapped in the gallery and only Frank and Sandra make it out alive.

Frank and Sandra are on the run all over Manhattan to try and escape the bloodthirsty Nikos and not even the police can stop him as Nikos kills them, some locals at a theatre, video store and a fitness centre.

 

This was a typical Z grade bad flick that offered nothing but slayings and gore with a weak plot.
Yet, I admired this film for what it was. It almost reminded me of one of those Troma Team type horrors as this one had alot of tongue and cheek and cornball dialogue.
The film kind of reminded me of a very bad Friday the 13th Part VIII: Jason Takes Manhattan clone.
It is a fun party flick to watch with friends but not meant to be taken seriously.

Some of the acting is good and some of it is amateurish. We have today's underground b-film horror icon's Joe Zaso and Felissa Rose who were the two lead characters in the film as they stood out a bit in the film but it was hard to see them getting into chracterisation as it was rushed.
Brenda Abbandandolo who had the main supporting role as Daisy did a good job as she was probably the best out of them all.
Great cameos by other b-film icon's such as Troma Team president Lloyd Kaufman (Who had the most effective cameo) and by many exploited scream queens like Debbie Rochon, Darian Caine and Tina Krause.

There is a full nude scene on moan queen Darian Caine's character taking a shower at a Fitness Centre.

This was the goriest slasher film I've ever seen (Until I saw Violent Shit).
You got it
Intestines being ripped out
Chopped off heads
Bodies split in two
Faces and arms torn off.
Everything that is graphic and gruesome.
This was probably one of the reasons why the flick was not rated as it would qualify an X apart it from being an indie film.

The directing was rushed since Andreas Schnaas focused on the slashings and gore plus the film was shot pretty fast.
The scenes were too quick and the blocking was extremely rushed.
The shower scene at the fitness centre involving Darian Caine was too long.

One of his best efforts was his work at a local video store with cast members like Lloyd Kauffman and Debbie Rochon playing goofy customers talking about their work on Troma Team films that's available at the video store.
My favouirte direction of his was when characters from the movies at the video store come to life out of Nikos' magic spells and comes to his lair. One of those characters we get a funny performance by another moan queen named Tina Krause and Lenise Soren was well directed as a Succubus. However, his direction with Steve Montague by playing Adolf Hitler from his comedy movie Ultrachrist did not suit the scene and Andreas could've made him seem more convincing too.

A great heavy metal soundtrack composed by Function Zero and Marc Trinkhaus with heavy guitar riffs during the slaugherings giving it a real cheesy balls to the wall feel.
Also features music by bands like Kindergarten, Not Fragile and Hard Surface. Plus a song during the closing credits by Andreas Schnaas himself which rocks!

Sandra: We're not gonna take anymore of your shit Nikos! We're from New York!