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DIAL 911
Produced by Herb Henderson and Barry King
Written and Directed by Barry King
Edited by Herb HendersonJulie Perry - Kimberly Helton
Detective Rob Barron - Mark Tjelmeland
Tina Perry - Kelley King
Owl Davis - Barry KingThere's a serial killer loose in Atlanta. Hell, there's always a serial killer loose in Atlanta. There must be something in the 'shine that drives men to prefer pig squeal'n to hot blooded female lov'n. Oh, the misogyny of serial killer flicks….
Julie is fresh from the airport, returning from a long trip, to find her neighborhood immersed in a brutal killing spree. It seems someone is strangling all the gorgeous blondes in town. Julie has nothing to worry about, after all, she's brunette. Wait a minute, scratch that idea. After a closer look, that second girl hit the bleach bottle pretty hard.
Okay then….it seems someone is strangling all the porn-quality hotties in town. All filmmakers out there can take a que from Dept.13; those guys really know how to find the lookers. Granted, it's hard for most of them to deliver their dialogue, but they make for some wonderful eye candy.
With recent happenings here in Washington, DC, one might think that Dept.13 was making fun of my fair city with their latest release, DIAL 911. I wouldn't blame them one bit. Washington is known for their 911 headaches. Late arrivals and wrong addresses have been a plague for years, but I can't remember ever hearing of killers intercepting 911 calls only to murder the dialers. But I wouldn't put it past anyone in this city, after all we the one who voted Marion Barry back into office.
The thing I can't figure out about Dept.13 is whether their films are straight horror or satires. They walk a fine line but never assert themselves to either side of the fence. While their newer projects are as slick-looking and professional as it comes, some of the older Dept.13 titles excel in the storytelling lacking in the newer releases. Case in point, "Bent Perspective," a short included as a supplement on the DIAL 911 VHS taken from the old Dept.13 cable access program Twisted Realities.
While not as pretty as the main feature, "Bent Perspective", is gripping in it's presentation of dementia and betrayal. Like DIAL 911, "Bent" is directed by Barry King from a script by Michael A. Clark. It stars Scott Crisp and Michael A. Clark as childhood friends who were in love with the same woman. As the story always goes, one got the girl and the other was left embracing a world of hurt.
The performance from Scott Crisp as Roger, the cast-aside, lovelorn madman is absolutely frightening in its matter-of-factness. He's naturally at home with murder and even finds it a relaxing enough event to kickoff naptime. He's remorseless to the point of being soulless.
Included on the DIAL 911 VHS are outtakes from "Bent Perspective" as well as a mini-documentary on the filmming and restoration of this once thought lost gem. The "Bent Perspective" short alone is worth the cost. To paraphrase my favorite used car salesman, Crazy Larry, DIAL 911 is a steal at the twice the price.