If you couldn’t get enough of Hishkenstien in his death, catch him and his DP Flanksteak in life! Looking to make his next movie about serial killers, the duo works with studio owner Hess to brainstorm ideas and return to media greatness.
Ramirez Hishkenstien, a disturbed and eccentric film director of exploitation cinema, hits the back roads of America with his DP, Flanksteak. Together they experience a barrage of psychedelic, satanic, and surreal nightmares.
We start off in a True Hollywood Story-style set up with Reverend Phyllis (Tayde Ramirez) explaining the lore behind Ramirez Hishkenstien (played by Alex Akira). Plagued — willingly, I might add — by Satanic rituals, sexploitation, lawsuits, failed films, and fake facial hair, Phyllis’ commentary fills in the backstory of the infamous surrealist filmmaker. With a promise of $17,000 to make their film, Hishkenstien and Flanksteak (Wyatt Isaacs) head off on a roadtrip to complete their art. Bad People Doing Bad Things is full of not-so-subtle innuendo, trip-inducing imagery, and the ravings of lovably-pretentious filmmaker. Plus, there is some stop-motion! It’s an indie film playing as a big budget film disguised as an exploitation film. It takes talent for that level of filmmaking.
Like Hishkenstien: After Dark, Bad People Doing Bad Things retains that psychedelic style that makes you feel kind of sticky and gross — yet I can’t look away. Transported to a time well before mine, this gritty, grainy film style drops you right into Hishkenstien’s nightmarish movies, ones you need weed — or strong hallucinogens — to make sense of. But that’s not to say Bad People Doing Bad Things doesn’t make sense; the movie is perfectly understandable with a linear story and plenty of explanation so nothing is actually misunderstood. It’s more of an overarching feeling of the world going crazy and all of the grime and crime during those decades taking the front seat. Gone are the days of crisp filmmaking — now is the time of debauchery.
In Bad People Doing Bad Things, Hishkenstien says, “Let me enter your psychosis. Tell us why are you so crazy.” And I think that stuck out to me because that’s how I feel about Hishkenstien’s legacy. His brain works on a whole otherworldly level and translates to madness in our reality. But is it really madness, or is he opening our eyes to true, raw filmmaking? He may be a sexual provocateur (his own words), but hidden within his films are our hearts’ greatest desires. In this way, Bad People Doing Bad Things is kind of a misnomer; sure, it’s about an exploitative filmmaker interviewing serial killers, but it’s also a journey for the sake of entertainment. And it worked, considering we’re sitting here watching it!
Bad People Doing Bad Things is surface-level exploitation hiding an underlying underdog story. For those who like that style of filmmaking, it’s a fun romp with our favorite movie outcast (and later, zombie). For those who are wary of grimy Grindhouse fare, realize it’s still a modern movie and let yourself live a little.
