Grotesque – 1988 – Linda Blair
I need to make a confession. I’m fascinated by Linda Blair’s persona as an actress. Because let’s be honest, she hasn’t made a great performance since The Exorcist in 1973. But she has something that I can’t put my finger on. I enjoy the movies she’s been in. If they’re really low-budget so much the better. In Grotesque she doesn’t have a major part. It’s more like a supporting role or possibly a role just because she’s famous.
The basic plot in Grotesque is simple. We have this man who has made a career in Hollywood by being a makeup expert. A make-up artist of sorts. I’m not sure if he’s retired or not but he lives in a small cabin with his wife. This weekend his daughters are on a visit and the whole family gets attack by some punks. The killing spree is afoot!
What the punks didn’t expect is that a hideous creature, a misshapen man, will hunt them down to take revenge for his family’s demise. He kills a few of them before the police get there. But who is the real monster here?
Grotesque is one of those movies that moralizes. It comments that the exterior – our looks – don’t have anything to do with what is our hearts. That it’s in the ugliness of our hearts the evil lives, not in our shallow presence. You can be a total freak inside without it showing on the outside and vice versa of course.
The makeup effects are pretty lame and the acting is wooden. But there are some saving graces. Some of the parts are sort of like meta film quality. And there is a few point som really cool humor in there. Especially towards the end. But rest assured this is a real budget film so all might not see the entertainment factor that I see in it.
