A 70s, grindhouse, fever dream, Hishkenstien: After Dark gave me the old school exploitation I’ve been craving. I obviously was not alive in the heyday of these anti-war, trippy films, but Hishkenstien transported me there — no joke.
Ramirez Hishkenstien, extraordinary method filmmaker, occultist, and erotic provocateur, has returned from the grave. He cannot return to hell until his earthbound purpose is fulfilled.
Hishkenstien: After Dark, IMDB
I had no idea what I was in for when writer Gare Scare sent this to me. The grainy, psychedelic opening credits put my senses on high alert as something I’d need to sit down and put my whole mind to. A couple rouses Ramirez Hishkenstien from the grave, and full of jokes and innuendo, Hishkenstien focuses his exploits on giving the audience vignettes of his work — anthology-style.
Along with the wraparound of Hishkenstien’s late-night variety show are three stories. “The Satanic Stool” is as gross as you’d expect. “Gourds of Wrath” is about pumpkins, obviously. Finally, “Esoteric Escorts from the Black Nebula” is a comedic escapade of the sexual kind. All of these “lost” films have brilliant director’s commentary that adds to the overall madness that is Ramirez Hishkenstien. Are they perfct? No. Are they made with the Halloween spirit in mind? Definitely yes. And it’s so great to see people just making movies they want to see themselves and having an absolute blast with it.
There is no shortage of Satanic symbolism, goopy blood, VHS noise, and dark, gritty characters. You might be thinking this look reads as amateur, but it’s anything but. Hishkenstien‘s style gives off that late 60s/early 70s vibe that so many films try to emulate, but fail at. It really did feel like something I’d go and see before going home to watch news about the Manson murders on my tube TV. Just like how some movies are “so bad they’re good,” Hishkenstien is so overdone that it looks and feels authentic. The characters are unsavory, the gore gags are sloppy but stylized, the editing and transitions are entrancing, and the storyline is downright outrageous. It’s giving psychedelic Satanic Panic with a talk show host straight from Hell. If this were done in a modern fashion, I probably would have hated it; but all of these things put together make for a wild experience.
Hishkenstien: After Dark is streaming for free on Fawesome.tv! Check out writer/director Gare Scare on Instagram to see more of their work.
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