Hanging Heart

1989 Directed by Jimmy Lee

Horror Marathon Day 7 Film 12

Denny finds himself in an increasingly strange set of events after one of his stage acting girlfriends is killed. He's framed for the killing and Denny's Lawyer friend helps in his defense. Most of the film Denny is trying to ward off various sexual advances- trauma from abuse from a step father in flashbacks- girls from the play as well as the lawyer and other men keep Denny in this state of fright.

His nightmares clip in and out - giving the viewer a disjointed tale that comes off as awkwardly funny or silly from how it's edited. In many of the scenes it becomes jumbled as to what the reality of the story is. Even though this reflects some of the anxiety around Denny's wellbeing it doesn't help the mood when a 5 second clip doesn't seem to add anything but noise.

The drama around the court case is pretty silly too- with such campy and performances with everyone attracted to Denny throughout that you wonder if it's not all a weird dream he's waking up from during his play acting. The investigation is also all over the place, but the odd mood of the film is really captured by a karate policemen- but tinged with religious and sexual anxiety

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From Vinegar Syndrome's Homegrown Horrors: Vol 2 Set- The technical production and spot marks capture the low budget - but generally the visuals of LA and film quality look crisp.