Shot in Estonia back in 2013, the world wasn’t ready for Chainsaws Were Singing, so the filmmakers waited 11 years to release it. Frankly, the world may still not be ready.
Winner of the Best Horror Picture at this year’s Fantastic Fest, Chainsaws Were Singing is nothing like anything you’ve seen. Unless, of course, you’re a fan of low-budget horror musical comedies drenched in more red-dye no. 5 than Carrie.
Directed by Sander Maran, Chainsaws revolves around a very unfortunate meet-cute. She (Laura Niils) is getting over a bad breakup, and he (Karl Ilves) is trying to end it all by jumping off a short bridge into a shallow stream. They fall in love immediately, but then she’s abducted by a chainsaw-wielding psycho aptly named Killer (Martin Ruus), covered head to toe in blood.
I’ll save the catalog of atrocities that befall our poor lovers and the hapless stranger (Janno Puusepp) who tags along in case you are eating, but rest assured that anything you can conceive of is here and worse. The entire movie is an intentional affront to good taste. The filmmakers are so devoted to their mission that I bet they had a checklist of offenses to ensure everyone felt included.
No movie is for everyone, but Chainsaws proves that some movies are for hardly anyone. But for those ready to take the ride — and sweet mercy, what a ride! — Chainsaws is the movie to see with a ripe and rowdy crowd. It might be the most memorable thing you see at this year’s Denver Film Festival.
ON SCREEN: Chainsaws Were Singing screens at 9 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 1, and Saturday, Nov. 9, at the Sie FilmCenter in Denver.