INHUMAN RESOURCES (AKA REDD INC.), 2016

FILM GUTTER
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Come on in, the water's busy...

 Inhuman Resources (AKA Redd Inc.) 2012

​Dir. Daniel Krige, USA, 93 mins

Now, don't get me wrong, Film Gutter is something very close to my heart. It's my passion project and I care deeply about trying to get the word out there on the incredible range of films in extreme horror cinema. But as I'm sure many of you can understand, it's not something you could often describe as fun. Films like Thanatomorphose, Snuff 102, American Guinea Pig: Bloodshock and The Vomit Gore Trilogy have really put me through the wringer.
 
Today's movie, however, is rather an exception, because it is fun. Sure, it's a pretty dark and unpleasant bread of fun, but Inhuman Resources is a riot for those with a bleaker sense of humour than the average.

The story follows Annabelle Hale, and we first see her bumping into serial killer Thomas Redman, dubbed 'The Headhunter' by the media for the habit of killing major CEOs and heads of business. The credits tell the story of Redman's extreme treatment at the Lansdale Clinic, and his subsequent supposed death. But of course, it's not as simple as all that, and when Annabelle is kidnapped from her apartment the truth becomes know – The Headhuntr is out again and putting his very carefully selected team to work.
 
As the man himself says 'I am not a murderer, I am a regional manager!'
 
The task his 'team' faces is that they must find the evidence to prove him innocent, whilst literally chained to a desk, having very limited toilet breaks and being fed basically at intervals. Add to that the 'five strikes and out system' – with each strike etched into the forehead of his workers – and Thomas Redman has truly created the working environment from hell. But, luckily for the team and their chances of survival, there might just be more to the story of The Headhunter than it would first seem...
 
The plot, as you can tell, is relatively slim but what Inhuman Resources does is an entertaining take on the classic 'six or so people locked in a room with little idea how they got there' shenanigans we often see in horror. They have all been selected for a clear reason – namely, their involvement in 'Redd' going down for the murders – and each suffers at the hands of the damaged psychopath that presents himself as their boss. Nicholas Hope in the role of Redd is just storming – I can't believe I haven't seen him in anything other than this, because here he absolutely steals the show. Without anything but utter commitment the role in the film falls apart, and utter commitment is what Hope gives. It's chilling at times, comic at others and just the mix this film needed as its final ingredient.
 
With all the above said, it's fair to say it's not a stone-cold classic. Some of the acting is a bit ropey, the effects don't always look great and the twist is so predictable it's barely worthy of the name. But for all of its flaws, this is a movie I do come back to now and again because – bottom line – is just makes me chuckle. It has its moments that are hard to watch, but this one sits nicely in that 'guilty pleasure' section as a film I will always have a certain affection for.
 
RATING: 8/10. While it doesn't have any pretensions to being more than it is on the surface – there's little by way of cutting commentary or emotional depth here – what it does on the surface is really likeable. You might even call it pretty disposable viewing, but it is mighty good fun for at least one watch and there's a chance you might just fall a bit in love with it as I did. The best thing you can do is hit play, switch of your brain for a bit and just enjoy this one – and if you can't enjoy the bonkers portrayal of Thomas Redman here, I don't know what you will. All told, this one means business for an 8/10 score.