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doomonfilm · 3 years

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ShudderWeen : Ms .45 (1981)

Three days into October, and so far I’ve been able to keep up my horror and thriller-based film viewership thanks to the niche catalog of films that Shudder has curated. Next up on what I’ve dubbed ShudderWeen was a film that I’d never heard of, but hit me right on the bullseye of two very easy personal targets : suspense/thriller films and films that take place in New York. The association to Drafthouse Films was a bonus, so without hesitation, I threw on the cult classic Ms .45.

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While not the traditional definition, some of my favorite horror in film is found in the realms of true crime, with a specific interest in how traumatic events can change the complexion and disposition of an individual in perplexing way. Ms .45 shows us several shades of the “killer next door” scenario that has become commonplace in modern living, where it is easiest to turn a blind eye on the crimes and salacious behavior that takes place in our environments until it impacts us directly. The flip side of this is inspected in the way that true privacy has become an impossibility for city dwellers, with the worst of it shown through a burglar, and the least of it presented in the form of a landlady that snoops around. The all to familiar and deplorable practice of men exploiting any and every opportunity they can with women, be it casually or within the professional realm, is shown for the sad standard it is, and at least for the first act of the film, we are shown a view of existing as a woman that infuses us with the terrors some women have to learn to coexist with. To that extent, I did find myself wondering if Thana’s title as the .45 Killer by the press was not only a clever shot at Son of Sam (no pun intended), but also a bit of narrative subtext that uses the caliber of guns as a sort of hierarchy setting?

Speaking of subtext and symbolism, Ms .45 uses plenty of it to great effect. Thana, our protagonist turned universal threat, plays on at least two different levels of symbolism : her name is a reference to Thanatos, the personification of death in Greek mythology, while her character signifier of being mute stands as a sort of statement for the silence that sexual assault and workplace harassment victims must endure, a statement that was both timely and way ahead of its time. Speaking of being way ahead of its time, Ms .45, intentionally or not, finds itself in the rare realm of political and cultural exploitation as it displays a rising torrential wave of violence aimed squarely at taking down the essence of the patriarchy. Not since Repulsion have I seen PTSD displayed with such expressionism, with Thana’s apartment becoming a house of horrors for her after her spirit-breaking day, and her public persona literally morphing into an unjust angel of vengeance (Angel of Vengeance was actually an alternative title for this film). As the third act kicks into gear, the true horror of the film is discovered in the way that Thana chooses to shed her victimhood and step into the role of aggressor.

For a horror film, things are surprisingly bright, be it the pastel shades in the sets, or the high exposure used to capture New York, which remains undefeated in its ability to be so photogenic and expressive. The costuming is highly expressive and manages to stay away from being dated, and in particular, the high fashion shown is quite pleasing to the eye. One true star of the film is the score... it is almost as if the absence of dialogue for Thana allows it to be more expressive than a score generally is. It begins very minimal and simplistic at first, giving an eerie tinge to Thana’s experience in the wake of her assaults, but as she makes her transition in the second act, we are given a bit of a funk-based theme with a saxophone that wails pain, sadness and fear. Even when the third act kicks into gear and everything goes haywire, the score appropriately gives us its all, fully turning into a never-ending loop of exploitation glory.

Zoë Tamerlis gives a virtuoso silent performance, challenging tons of different energy and moods into a seemingly endless wealth of deep stares and facial expressions in her gradual descent into madness. Albert Sinkys lays into his stereotypical domineering boss stance very hard at first, but as Tamerlis regresses, he wisely pulls back to a more humanitarian level of ham-handed understanding, making him oddly sympathetic. Darlene Stuto steals the handful of scenes that she has dialogue, pouring all of the native New Yorker energy she can muster into her performance. Eddita Sherman also does some brilliant performance work, taking what could easily be a throwaway one-note role and turning it into a dual wield of audience avatar tension-breaking comic relief. S. Edward Singer lays the sleaze on thick in his brief appearance, while Jack Thibeau offsets this with a despondent broken man approach. Appearances by Helen McGara, Nike Zachmanogloub, Peter Yellen, Vincent Gruppi, James Albanese and likely crowd favorite Bogey the Dog round out the affair.

Ms .45 is one of those films that I would love to own strictly for the use of having a visual aid during DJ sets, as it is a very gripping film without a heavy dependence on protagonist dialogue. The story is easy to follow, wholly uneasy to process and, like any good psychological thriller, tough to reconcile with at its conclusion. There are no pure victims in this film, only varying levels of criminals, sociopaths and people taking advantage of one another, making it both dark in spirit and truly tense.

#ChiefDoomsday #DOOMonFILM #AbelFerrara #Ms45 #AngelOfVengeance #ZoëTamerlis #AlbertSinkys #DarleneStuto #HelenMcGara #NikeZachmanoglou #PeterYellen #EdittaSherman #VincentGruppi #SEdwardSinger #JamesAlbanese #BogeyTheDog #JimmyLaine #JackThibeau

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