August Underground’s Mordum (2003)
AKA: August Underground 2
Directed by: Fred Vogel, Michael Todd Schneider, Cristie Whiles, Killjoy, Jerami Cruise
Starring: Cristie Whiles (Crusty), Michael Todd Schneider (Maggot), Fred Vogel (Peter), Killjoy (Serial Killer towards the end)
Country: USA, Effed Up American Films
Language: English
Runtime: 01:21:47
Genres: Gore-Gruesome-Splatter, Rape-Sexual-Violence against Women, Rape-Sexual-Violence against Men, Necrophilia, Killers, Snuff, Torture, Incest, Old-Young, Puking, Siblings, Self-Harm, Captivity, Small Creatures
Plot – Spoilers:
In this second part to the August Underground series, Peter (Fred Vogel) is joined by his girlfriend Crusty and her brother Maggot to amp up the depravity.
August Underground’s Mordum apparently started off as a music video for the band Necrophagia (Vocalist Killjoy plays the serial killer whom the trio hang out with towards the end of the film). At that point, it was Maggot (Michael Todd Schneider) in charge of putting together footage. What he had was later edited and more footage shot and added to become what we now know as August Underground Mordum. A different version called the Maggot Cut exists.
The movie kicks off with a similar trope to the first part – the camera following someone climbing up the stairs – and your heart sinks a little because Part 1 got your expectations soaring and you wonder if it’s just more of the same. As it turns out, the cameraman has just walked in on his girlfriend fucking her brother. A squabble ensues between the two and she finally assuages him by cutting her belly. What a wonderful way to get your spirits back up ….
It gets even better and a little ironic when they travel to a junkie friend’s place, butcher the comatose guys there and cough and sputter about how disgusting the junkies are, to live in the filth and puke that they do. And their biggest concern while dismembering the bodies is to not catch AIDS.
Peter and Maggot share an uneasy relationship because of the incest thing with Crusty. For the most part, Maggot is submissive to Peter and appears to be deranged and someone who truly lives in his own world. It is therefore not surprising that Maggot often is at the centre of the worst scenes in the film. Some of the depravity on show here includes:
Forcing a half-dead guy to chop his own dick following which Crusty sucks on it for a while before rubbing it on his girlfriend’s pussy.
Crusty puking on the faces of two girls while Peter jerks off.
Gutting a woman and Maggot later fucking the gash with the innards spilling out.
Maggot eating maggots from the rotting corpse of a decapitated child.
Maggot violating the corpse of a young girl while Crusty strokes the girl’s cheeks and utters the chilling words, “You’re not gonna have to worry about growing up now sweetie.”
