“Do you mean with you, or just in general?”
Drunk actress Rita’s (Debra Gordon) reply to director Lacey (John Harrison) when he asks if she’d like to have sex.

“Effects” is a film more famous for its cast of cult favorites and obscure pedigree than anything played out onscreen. With a crew of George Romero associates (including effects guru Tom Savini) and a plot revolving around a snuff filmmaker, the expectation for a gory thrill ride is understandable. The resulting film is far more “serious” than might be expected - and far more dull and arbitrary considering the talent involved. “Effects” begins with a gratuitous shower scene with a female that indirectly recalls the opening moments of “Last House on the Left.” Once finished with her lengthy shower she dries off and smokes some weed. During an exchange with her husband standing at the bathroom door, she has a disturbing vision of him coming out of the shower with a knife. Is it the ganja, or something more sinister? Cut! It’s merely a fully edited scene (complete with music) that a low budget film crew was “shooting.” This sort of film-within-a-film trickery can sometimes be compelling - if edited smartly and used economically. Had “Effects” merely used this opening device to set the tone for the resulting film, it might have been forgiven. However, this “cheat” is used throughout the film in a very linear and poorly executed fashion.

Dom (Joseph Pilato) is a cinematographer shooting an extremely low budget horror film at a remote mountain retreat. The small crew includes gaffer (and occasional actress) Celeste (Susan Chapek), director Lacey (John Harrison) and stunt man Nicky (Savini). The film in question is an ambiguous tale of possession with what appears to be a cast of two: Barney (Bernard McKenna) and Rita (Debra Gordon). The large home where the shooting is taking place, which is owned by the director, is also housing the entire crew throughout the production. Unbeknownst to the houseguests, Lacey is videotaping their every move with hidden cameras. A secret production studio, complete with small staff, continuously monitors the filming process and personal dramas inside the house. Dom and Celeste begin a romantic relationship and their bedroom trysts are videotaped. During a break in shooting one evening, Lacey, Barney and another crewmember bond with Dom over some lines of cocaine. The director pulls out a film reel and shows what appears to be a violent snuff film. It’s a truly disturbing image and the only moment of genuine dread in the entire film. Dom is disgusted by the content but is assured by Lacey that it was, in fact, a student film he shot himself.

Production of the horror film continues with Dom pulling double duty as the effects supervisor of the film as well. At one point he shows Lacey a prop leg that gruesomely bleeds as it’s cut with a razor. The director is unhappy with the way the blood spurts; demanding a gorier set piece. His comments curiously anger Celeste who ends up violently hacking away at the leg to show her disgust. The film raises a few ham-fisted arguments about violence in film but never does much with it thematically. And oddly enough, though the film is called “Effects,” there really aren’t many involved in the film-within-a-film. Stranger yet, though Lacey comes across as a rather eccentric and possibly dangerous character, Dom is never suspicious of his motives– even after the showing of the snuff film. Rita, the actress starring in Lacey’s 16 mm opus, is the only character in the film to sense a “funny feeling” about the production. One night she shares some drinks with Lacey and confides that she’s on edge. The sleazy director asks her if she wants to have sex, to which Rita replies with the funniest line in the film, ‘Do you mean with you, or just in general?’

After about an hour into this relatively short film, Dom, our supposed protagonist, is given some dramatic purpose. He’s sent by the director to go out into the woods to capture some footage for the opening credits. He leaves with Nicky and another crewmember but doesn’t bother to take the camera. While walking aimlessly through the woods, he’s shot in the foot by Nicky and rolls down a hill. The two crewmembers give the wounded cameraman chase while hidden video cameras capture the action. This extended scene, with Dom on the run, is nicely paced and actually gives the film a little intrigue. However Dom’s character doesn’t really know what’s going on. Up to this point he’s made no attempt, as such thriller protagonists often do, to unravel the so-called mystery. So his motivation is a little muddy during the chase – and some of his actions a bit extreme. After some bizarre machinations, he finds himself back at the retreat/film set for the explosive conclusion.

Writer/director Dusty Nelson shot this film in Pittsburg in 1978 for $55,000 and for that he should be commended. The film is technically efficient and has several above-average performances (including an understated Pilato). At its best, it carries the visual resonance of an early David Cronenberg film. While much of the first half the acting and dialogue feel very improvisational, like early Robert Altman. The Altman comparison is actually more apt given the lackadaisical approach Nelson has to the story. Had the characters been more interesting and the film-within-a-film not so tedious, “Effects” could have been a great little art house thriller. Unfortunately it’s a film that goes nowhere and does so at very ponderous pace. The main problem isn’t the intriguing idea, but the poorly executed script that manages to create zero suspense. The audience knows that the crew is being filmed from the beginning, but there’s very little evidence that anyone is in real danger. No one accidentally discovers a camera or the secret video room, so there’s no drama coming from anywhere. “Effects” is mainly a series of semi-interesting vignettes that never build to anything. Its low budget does give the proceedings a certain authenticity. It’s often claustrophobic and does sometimes feel like a documentary on independent filmmaking. That is until Nelson falls back onto those cheat “filming” sequences where a single camera captures a fully completed scene (with edits, music, multiple angles, etc.)

On the plus side the performances are uniformly good, if not great. Pilato manages to turn in a genuinely engaging performance despite his underwritten role. Quite a change from his scenery-chewing role in “Day of the Dead.” McKenna, who plays Barney, the coke addicted actor, gives several different shades of the same character. He veers from level headed to playfully “queer” to passive aggressive and mean. Though it’s a little distracting, it’s probably a fair representation of a coked-up ham actor. Harrison, who also produced and is responsible for the score, finds the appropriate disconnect needed for his unhinged director. The rest of the cast is perfectly fine, as long as they stick to the naturalistic, Altman-like approach to their characters. Whenever Savini or Chapek are called upon to “emote,” the credibility is greatly compromised.

This is another great DVD release from Synapse. They’ve taken this obscure little movie and given it the kind of special edition treatment generally reserved for Italian cannibal movies. “Effects” is featured in a new 16:9 anamorphic widescreen transfer from the original vault materials. The picture’s a little soft, but overall not a bad image considering its theatrical fate. The main drawing card here isn’t the film itself, but a great little documentary called “AfterEffects” that was edited by filmmaker Michael Felsher. Felsher, a huge fan of the film, was given the opportunity to create the 60-minute doc from six hours of interview footage. It’s a truly fascinating look back at the making of the film, with a reunion of the entire cast. Even George Romero is on hand for this very thorough retrospective. Fans of low budget filmmaking, regardless of what they think of “Effects” will truly enjoy it. In addition there’s a spirited commentary with Nelson, Harrison and editor Pasquale Buba, along with a couple of short films the “Effects” team made together: “Ubu” and “Beastie.” There is also a behind-the-scenes photo gallery and comprehensive liner notes by Felsher.

Though “Effects” is far from the great shocker that it was purported to be all these years, it’s a mildly interesting time capsule on low budget cinema from the late 70’s. It’s made all the more interesting because of the great documentary and commentary track included here. Those two key bonuses almost warrant a second viewing of “Effects.” Almost.