BAD KARMA (1991) A FILM GUTTER REVIEW

Dir. Alex Chandon, UK, 36 mins

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There have been a host of filmmakers who have specialized in making low-budget horror features, but one we’ve not talked about to date here at Film Gutter is Alex Chandon. And as one of the UK’s pioneers on the scene, it feels like it’s about time we rectified that. Bad Karma is one of the director’s short features which – like Drillbit or Chainsaw Scumf**k – comes with a strong cult reputation. And with a tagline of ‘Killer Krishnas, Bondage Beauties, Stupid Students and Rampaging Rednecks in the craziest, bloodiest short film you'll ever see!’ it felt like it would be absolutely remiss to pass this short film up.

It’s fair to say that Bad Karma lives up to that tagline and then some.

The madness begins almost immediately, with a seemingly peaceful barbeque being interrupted by a couple of visitors espousing the virtue of Hare Krishnas. However all is not as it seems, as the pair shove their way into the house before transforming into hideous monsters (given the budget, I think that the effects in general look pretty good) and rampaging through the house, killing most of the party apart from survivors Dave and Hana (who makes her getaway from the shower by spearing her attacker with the shower rail). It’s an absolutely chaotic opening ten minutes before you really have the chance to draw breath at all and figure out what the hell is going on.

Of course what’s going on more widely is every bit as weird and wonderful, as the Hare Krishnas are actually killer aliens who are out to kill humans to raise Kalima – not all of the details are clear there, but it scarcely matters when you’re watching. And unfortunately they still have to kill Dave and Hana in order to complete that mission, so when the last pair alive from the party head to their friends’ house for help, the killer aliens are off in hot pursuit. It’s not long before this second house is under siege too, but thankfully help is on the way in the shape up a group of ‘rednecks’ who swoop in to fight the Krishna threat and save the day. Now there’s a sentence I never thought I’d end up typing…

Even though the summary above sounds pretty wild, even that doesn’t really do it justice. Bad Karma is everything I like to see in low-budget horror – while some of the acting may not be that great, it’s all carried off with real commitment by all involved, and the energy and pace of the whole film is absolutely infectious. I think it’s hard not to enjoy this movie on some level, whether you’re laughing, horrified, baffled, intrigued or a little of all of those things. Everybody just looks like they’re having so much fun with the material that it’s hard for you as a viewer not to have fun with it as well. And where else are you liable to see rednecks and Hare Krishnas fighting to the death?

In surmising films I sometimes uses phrases like ‘despite its limitations’, but Bad Karma is one of those movies that works because of its limitations, in the vein of something like Combat Shock. If you pumped in the money for a slick, smooth version it would lose the heart and soul of what makes it great – the shot on video look and crazed energy just sort of sweep you along throughout the 36 minutes, and it’s a pretty heady experience. Admittedly this won’t be for everyone, but if you like high-energy movies with creative violence this one could well tick the boxes for you.

RATING: 8/10. Bad Karma is not perfect, but by wearing its faults on its sleeve it somehow becomes a much more charming experience than it could have been. The whole thing is a rollercoaster delivered with verve and enthusiasm by all involved, and really races through its runtime with barely a second to stop and breathe. These kind of movies can be hit and miss, but this one has to count as a hit, and scores itself plenty of good karma from me with an 8/10. One to just strap yourself in and enjoy the ride...