2.25
out of 5.00 -
Film:
2
Extras:
3
Video:
1
Audio:
3
-
3/16/2004
I haven't seen the other titles that Mr. Pete has directed, but if
Mayhem Massacre is any indication of his directing skills, I'm going to have to pass on his future work. Despite having an impressive cast that includes the likes of busty Vicky Vette, leggy Ashley Long and cute redhead Pason,
Mayhem Massacre is so poorly lit and shot that it doesn't deserve to have the Mayhem name on the box cover.
The major problem here is with the lighting. (The screenshot section for this film is a good representation, should you want to take a look.) Some of the scenes are so dim that when Vicky gets double penetrated by Mr. Pete and Mark Wood during their threesome (the second sex scene of the title), I actually had to use my rewind and pause button for several minutes to figure out that Vicky was in fact getting a "sandwich DP" (one cock in each hole) as opposed to a double anal or double vaginal. There's also a recurring problem with sunlight and shadows, as the viewer must endure both the glare and spots caused by sunlight coming in through the windows, as well as the shadows the sunlight is putting on the performers while they are in action. A properly lit scene would have corrected these problems. Where's Skeeter Kerkove when you need him?
After an opening scene with Pason and Mark Ashley, and Vicky's scene, the production moves outdoors for a threesome with Miss Arroyo, Chris Charming and Dick Nasty. It was at this point I thought things might get better - but the outdoors proves to be just as much of a problem for the director as the scenes being shot indoors. On what appears to be a perfectly sunny day, the camera still manages to make the scenes look quite dark, in addition to capturing the sun (more glare and spots) onto the camera lens.
The final two scenes of the title - an indoor interracial pairing between Rhiannon Bray and Mr. Marcus; and another outdoor scene between Ashley Long and Steve Holmes, suffer from the same lighting problems as the previous scenes in the movie. It's as if Mayhem handed their equipment to a guy on the street and told him to shoot away. The talent can't be blamed for the result - although I think they may have a "beef" about the way they've been portrayed on video. They won't be listing this release as their "top title", that's for sure.
If there's a saving grace to the
Mayhem Massacre DVD, it's in the bonus material. The disc provides a 10-minute behind the scenes featurette; separate interviews with Ashley, Rhiannon, Miss Arroyo and Pason; biographies; trailers; slide shows and a pop-shot recap.
I guess what bothers me the most is that you would assume that a director would look at one scene before moving onto the next. One segment with poor lighting conditions is bad enough - but when you churn out a whole title filled with them, it shows that you should either fire your camera person or give up on your dream of becoming the industry's next big gonzo filmmaker. Mr. Pete does just fine as a male performer - but if this is the kind of quality we're to expect from his movies, I'll stick to Skeeter and Jules, thank you very much.
By:
Spooky