The original August Underground was a shot on standard definition videotape movie to look like the raw video shot by two depraved guys on the loose. It’s the kind of film that if you didn’t know better, you’d alert the authorities. How can these people still be out there? It wasn’t real.The movie was made by a bunch of movie make up and special effects students wanting to see how extreme they could go. They went far. The film became a cult sensation when it was released in 2001. People were shocked at the nastiness and surprised that something so inexpensive could look so real. This is like the VHS cassette in The Ring except a few days after watching, you still feel unclean. Two years later, August Underground’s Mordum arrived to show that director Fred Vogel and his special effects crew had more of their VHS trip to the Hellish underbelly of America to share with unsuspecting audiences.
I’m not sure if I can really describe what’s happening in the film without causing Google’s Algorithm to get us banned in as many countries as August Underground’s Mordum has been. Director Fred Vogel and his team topped the original August Underground video in giving us even nastier scenes. Vogel returns as the psychotic Peter Mountain. But he now has a girlfriend in Crusty (Cristie Whiles) to enjoy their adventures. Her bizarre brother Maggot (Michael Todd Schneider) tags along for the fun. We learn early on that Crusty and Maggot have a twisted sibling bond, but she’s still all about her new man. There is a bit of tension in their family dynamic. The three of them proceed with a series of nightmares that they videotape. They even visit another serial killer (Killjoy of the band Necrophagia) and check out his workshop. I can’t really get too explicit in description other than to say, these people should never be invited to your kid’s birthday party.
August Underground’s Mordum does top the stomach-churning snuff film atmosphere of the original movie. The special effects are more disturbing than before as you question if this is real. You will rewind to see what they did to make you so nauseous. Relationship between Peter, Crusty and Maggot drives the narrative on this videotape horror show. They are a toxic trio and yet they all seem perfect for each other. August Underground’s Mordum is a demented Valentine’s Day gift that is still nasty after 20 years.
The Video is 1.33:1 anamorphic. The aspect ratio reflects a video camera from the turn of the century. The upgrade to 1080p on the Blu-ray is rather effective with the pixels looking like grain. The Audio is DTS-HD MA 2.0 Stereo so you can get the screaming effects on both sides of the room.
Audio Commentary by EFX Artist Jerami Cruise and Ultra Violent Magazine’s Art Ettinger. He gives a bunch of tales from the locations.
Audio Commentary by Toetag includes Fred Vogel and others on the staff.
Mordum Lives (4:40) has Fred Vogel discuss how the sequel came together. He talks about how they were pushing each other with trying to get more and more extreme with the special effects. They wanted to make something they never saw before (back in 2003).
The Most Disturbing Scene (5:12) has Fred Vogel talks about the scene that makes him squirm.
Remembering Killjoy (5:50) has Fred Vogel get into how he met the singer. He and the singer of Necrophagia clicked and the two worked together on the sequel. He even had them shoot at his house. Killjoy passed away in 2018.
A Family Affair of Love and Hate: An Interview with Maggot (33:45) is a strange collection of videos with Michael Todd Schneider and an interview with Nathan Hine of HardGore Core Productions. They get into his background before he ended up in Mordum.
Stephen Biro Interviews Jerami Cruise (12:02) has him get into his character role. He also talks about his effects work in the film.
Art Ettinger and Allana Sleeth Interview (11:24) has the actors talk about how they were so moved by the original August Underground that they wanted to be in Mordum. Allana was freaked out by the harsh realism. They are in the room where their scene took place. It was intense during the shoot.
Zoe Rose Smith Interviews Fred Vogel (42:46) has the director talking in front of his vast collection of pro wrestling action figures and Roddy Piper poster. He talks about it was supposed to be a music video for Necrophagia before becoming a sequel.
Dave Parker Interviews Fred Vogel (42:36) gets into the “most disgusting movie ever made.” He talks about how Rue Morgue magazine got the ball rolling. They helped get the buzz going and he realized they needed to make a sequel to get people hyped up for the extreme.
Snuff Purgatory: Severed Cinema Interviews Fred Vogel (56:39) gets the film called an abomination. He gets into how there are five directors credited to the film. Vogel wasn’t too upset at sharing the credit. But this was his world. He feels it was a hard film to make physically and mentally. He knew when the finished Mordum, he needed to make a third and final August Underground film.
Necrophagia – Rue Morgue Disciple “Promo Video” (3:23) opens with a boy being chased by zombies. We get to see Killjoy on stage.
BTS Gallery (7:44) let us see the various special effects being created for the music video.
Deleted and Extended Scenes are 10 additional moments that were snipped.
US Premiere (19:39) has the night is showed at the Rex theater to a large crowd. They are using night vision to catch the crowd reaction. A few people came dressed extreme for 2003.
Photo Gallery (15:13) shows off the special effects for Mordum and behing the scenes fun. They used a lot of fake blood. There’s also home video box covers and a special signing.
Original Animation (0:27) of a violent moment.
Flashback Weekend in Chicago 2004 includes a Mordum Screening (36:41) catches people walking out of the screening, Slit Throat Demo (56:11) explains how to pull off the effect and Zombie Demo (105:21) will turn your into a walking dead.
Trailers for August Underground, Mordum and Penance.
Unearthed Films presents August Underground’s Mordum. Directed by Killjoy, Fred Vogel, Cristie Whiles, Jerami Cruise & Michael Todd Schneider. Screenplay by Killjoy, Fred Vogel, Cristie Whiles, Jerami Cruise & Michael Todd Schneider. Starring Killjoy, Fred Vogel, Cristie Whiles, Jerami Cruise & Michael Todd Schneider. Running Time: 82 minutes. Rating: Unrated. Release Date: October 10, 2023.
