VENUS FLYTRAP [1987 / MASSACRE VIDEO]
The space ‘Venus Fly Trap’ takes up is one nestled perfectly between the molecules of porn and horror. So delicately balanced on the tip of an electron, that it constantly feels on the verge of becoming something, anything, and ends up remaining nothing other than ‘Venus Fly Trap.’ This SOV masterpiece reaps all the rewards of being in a quantum state of relation to porn and horror while never having to concede anything to those expectation. On one hand, this feels like an endless porn cut scene, always about to break into actual porn, but never does. Everything is tense and on the verge of massive terror, but even the violence is secondary to the humiliation. Humiliation for the characters; maybe for the viewer.
Are you truly scared watching this though, or just nervous? The way one would be nervous in any horrible social scene that you desperately need to escape. The audience’s “don’t go in the basement!” instinct is replaced by a “don’t indulge this conversation!” one. It is brutally real and everyone has experienced this sort of awkwardness. Not necessarily has everyone experienced this sort of Straight Panic though. And that is the key ingredient which ensures ‘Venus Fly Try’ isn’t a dawdling yawn-fest that can’t become something, and instead is actually a brutal exercise in sustained anticipation. This is the story of a group of obnoxious punks, primarily obsessed with making sure no one mistakes them as queer, going to a rich kids party and mistaking the hosts’ for prissy when actually they’re sassy sociopaths. Everything these wealthy faux-prudes do is to lure the punks into admitting their queerness using confusing and frustrating erotic mind-games. And body games. It is like a story from the pages of ‘Straight to Hell’ came to life and is looking for actual straight audiences to lure in. The results are fascinating and give a provoking example of how porn can exist without sex scenes and horror can exist without making you scared. Then again, maybe I’m just fucked up enough to find the sadism of this film hilarious.
