Move over Barry Levinson and John Waters, there’s a new flavor in Baltimore!
FIEND is one of those movies that just kind of materializes in your conscience without warning, rhyme, or reason. I don’t know why I watched it or even how. It’s just part of me now, whether I like it or not.
Directed by Maryland-based Don Dohler, FIEND is the epitome of the kind of low-budget DIY horror valued by people of my age, so I’m stumped as to how it eluded my radar for so long. The plot is rather harmless and pedestrian: for some reason, a glitchy series of lights simulating eee-vil (as Donald Pleasance would say) reanimates a dead music teacher. With a new lease on life, he then balances giving violin lessons with going apeshit across the NE suburbs of Baltimore, choking people to death. In doing so, he steals their lifeforce to spruce himself up in a Dorian Gray-type of way, much like Clive Barker’s lead character of Frank in HELLRAISER (1987).
It’s obvious FIEND is not going to be the blood circus gorehounds usually look for these days. Instead, this is ground-floor, PG-rated stuff that gets its kicks in other ways. The pacing will surely be killing for young ones raised on Eli Roth and Rob Zombie, but if you’re game for a slow burn and a charming on-the-fly (read: CHEAP!) approach at scary sci-fi storytelling, you might find yourself a bit surprised by this one.
Our title character is broodingly played by regional actor Don Leifert, who emits a sludgy, sexy menace that somehow keeps your attention for all 90 minutes of this $6,000 screen oddity. The rest of the cast is pleasant enough to play along, and the special effects walk that razor-thin line between hilarious and serviceable.
One of the key craftsmen of this ragtag lot is the film’s composer, Paul Woznicki. Completed in a madness-inducing, sleep-deprived 72-hour dash, Woznicki’s score finds him beating the hell out of his all-purpose synthesizers for maximum effect. I must’ve listened to this score at least 200 times on YouTube over the past few years. There remain a few recently-reissued vinyl copies of the soundtrack still floating around on the internet, so if you get hooked like I did, get yours tout de suite before it becomes unavailable for another 40 years.
If you’re scratching your head at all of this, you’re probably right where you need to be. FIEND is kinda lame, kinda genius, and still kinda obscure after all this time. It’s an unlikely mix from yesteryear that’s perfect for a rainy night of pizza, box wine, and sloppy sex. And after the credits roll, get over to YouTube and check out the film’s blooper reel!
#unclean&unseen #fiend #dondohler #baltimore #donleifert #paulwoznicki #clivebarker #hellraiser #bloopers
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