Terror Tuesday Report: Raw Force

Often overlooked in the maddening rush of the work week, Tuesday is rapidly toppling the more traditionally-anticipated days to stand as my favorite. This zeal is in no small part due to Austin's Alamo Drafthouse and its cult revival vehicle Terror Tuesday. Each week, this bastion of schlock and awe delivers some of the weirdest, rarest, most unbelievable horror films from all corners of the globe. Since I have the good fortune of living in Austin and regularly attend this weekly congregation of horror buffs, I thought it only appropriate that I cover both the film and the audience reaction for Horror Squad.

This week, we tear into Raw Force from 1982.The Film

With only the second Terror Tuesday of this new year, horror MC extraordinaire Zack Carlson made the bold choice to show a film that is arguably not a horror film. Raw Force is the tale of the Burbank Karate Club, because that's something that should exist, who take a cruise on a party boat from the Philippines to the mysterious Warriors' Island. Along the way, their boat is attacked by pirates who don't want anyone to discover their dastardly jade-trading methods with the monks who inhabit the island. The survivors of the attack wash ashore of Warriors' Island and are forced to fight for their lives. Will they escape? What is the secret these monks are hiding? What the hell is going on in this film?


As I said, Raw Force is not a horror film. There are horror elements but they are very limited and can easily be counted on one hand; even if that hand belongs to a clumsy punch press operator. There are zombies...ish and there are killer piranhas...ish. But overall this is a bizarre Filipino action film predominantly starring white actors; par for the course in this subgenre. It's basically a martial arts film that, like many others of the era bearing the word "force" in the title, uses a gaggle of martial artists to compensate for the fact that none of them are exceptionally talented. There's the requisite kicking and slapping going on as well as windows and bottles shattering hither and thither. But there are number of things that set Raw Force apart from its b-movie brethren.

If you are the type of person that avidly seeks out international horror films of the highest regard, you will be disappointed with Raw Force. If you are the type of person that demands breath-taking fight choreography or eye-popping effects from your action movies, you will be disappointed with Raw Force. But if you are the kind of person who likes one-take scenes with left-in line slips or crass ad-libs, you will love Raw Force. The inexplicable dialogue is not limited to the words coming directly out of the actors' mouths either. The ADR lines wafting in the undercurrent of any given scene will have you scrambling to recover your jaw from the floor. I think my favorite was the old lady who, while a character is engulfed in a dramatic death scene, is heard stating, "he was one of my passengers!" Just in case you missed this painfully obvious piece of plot the first time, here's Loony McGee to remind you at an incredibly inappropriate time. It's almost as if the "editors" were afraid of any kind of silence.

Further, if you are the type of person that expects reserved characters that embody the common man, you will be disappointed with Raw Force. The people occupying the world of Raw Force feel as though they would be more at home in a medium-to-strong acid trip. If you are wondering why the bartender in the party full of attractive people looks like a ginger hobbit sporting Gallagher's haircut wait for the moment when breaks a block of ice with his forehead to garnish a drink and you'll have an inkling as to what this film is all about. Also be on the lookout for the villainous pirates who apparently were involved in some sort of dare or high school theater costume room explosion because their attire pushes absurd to new limits. It looks as if the Village People went out on a three day bender and then decided to attack a ship. My favorite baddie would have to be the swordsman who is wearing a silver half-shirt right out of Xanadu.

This movie is side-splittingly funny in its total ineptitude. The problems are innumerable but it's all so over-the-top that it amounts to something incredibly entertaining. It's actually well paced and some of the fight scenes are pretty brutal; if not technically proficient. There are things in this film that have to be seen in order to be believed. For example, there are zombie samurai AND zombie ninjas with whom our heroes must do battle! Do I really need to say anymore? I really love the fact that the Filipino actors playing the zombies have no concept of what a zombie is; the director is forced to slow down the film so their casual strolling looks more like undead shambling. I'm sure there was a certain level of self-awareness within the production and it is evident where the film is not taking itself seriously. However there are other elements that are just hilariously awful.

The Reaction

I have to admit I was concerned as to how a horror crowd would respond to this film. Terror Tuesday has set a precedent of catering to the true horrorphiles, and to throw a wrench into that scheduling seemed perilous to me. But I clearly underestimated Mr. Carlson and his contagious fervor. Zack described this movie as one that would "vomit diamonds from the screen and into your eyes!" With accolades like that, we were all suddenly very anxious to see Raw Force. It's one of Zack's favorite films so I understand his wanting to show it at Terror Tuesday. And although it isn't a horror film, it played remarkably well. The audience was guffawing thunderously and clapping at various gags. By the end of the film, there was an entire row of people shouting the title at the top of their lungs. Clearly a success!

Next Week: I Come in Peace