Search - Nails on DVD

Can the Russians do no-budget horror? YES!

Robert P. Beveridge | Cleveland, OH | 06/10/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Nails (Andrey Iskanov, 2003)

If you haven't yet heard the name Andrey Iskanov, you should have. Russia is not a country that's been known for its horror films over the years, with its best-known directors all living up to the stereotype of heavy, slow dramas. Iskanov intends to change all that, and Nails, his first feature, does a fantastic job of throwing down the gauntlet.

The story concerns a hit man (Aleksandr Shevchenko) who is subject to strange, unsettling visions. After reading about the process of trepanation, he decides to see if it might help him; rather than go the normal route, though, he decides to pound a six-inch nail into his skull. Rather surprisingly, the technique seems to offer him some relief, and he goes on about his life. As with any temporary measure, though, he builds up a tolerance, and pretty soon he turns to somewhat larger, more destructive implements...

Nails couples the body horror of David Cronenberg with the surrealist sensibility of Jan Svankmajer. While it's probably jumping the gun to say a (relatively) new director is on the same level as those two, I think Iskanov certainly has the potential to have his name mentioned in the same breath once he's got a larger body of work under his belt. (Those who would argue that the cheese factor of Nails would stop this comparison from being valid, let me direct your attention to Rabid and Alice, respectively.) Simply put, the kid's good. Very good. I grant you, Nails is not for everyone, but for those who find that sort of thing amusing, this is a film you absolutely must see at the earliest opportunity. **** ½"

LOVERS OF BIZARRE HORROR

CLINT BRONSON | las vegas,NV. | 02/02/2008

(3 out of 5 stars)

"To tell the truth I only saw some of this but what I saw was
really bizarre a manikin spitting up blood a man obsessed with
putting nails in his head and a girl who loves wearing water
goggles while hitting her victims with a hammer??? Again
I have not seen but 20 min of this so can't really review it
but wanted my HORROR Bros(you sick devils know who you are)to
be aware of this. From what I saw if you love SCHRAMM-ERASERHEAD
JACOB'S LADDER-TIDELAND-MEATBALL MACHINE-VISITOR Q and THE BEGOTTON this might be up your alley.........WEIRD"

Experimental Russian horror that redefines the essence of th

C. Christopher Blackshere | I am the devil's reject | 08/15/2010

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Puncturing a whole in the soul of brainless cinematic reality, NAILS is a psychedelic surreal descent beyond the recognized realm of sanity. Director Andrey Iskanov (PHILOSOPHY OF A KNIFE) always violates the acceptable standards or formulas behind the camera. Graphic, nightmarish, and just plain weird, his debut film is not for the weak of heart or the feeble of mind.

It starts off in a dull black and white--a colorless edge of hell. A government assassin becomes disillusioned with his role as a cold-blooded killer. With his past haunting him, he fumbles upon a book that offers an extreme solution--"trepanation". It is a barbaric procedure of hammering holes in the human skull. Nails pierced into specific locations in the brain, which ideally relieves certain tensions and mental pressures. This experiment opens up a hole new world.

Vivid colors soon seep into the screen, along with the most eerie soundtrack your ears will ever be subjected to. We witness the incomprehensible bloody pain coupled with screeching industrial racket. Just a headache within a headache. Our hitman delves further and further into a demonic state of questionable existence. Torture, follows reward, follows torture...the painful cycle pushes him past the brink of quantifiable consciousness.

NAILS drags you along on a bizarre trip of paranoid psychosis, a mental unraveling with no hope of relief. There are some graphic images your brain won't want to comprehend. This is arthouse horror at its most sick and uncontrollably twisted. Can you survive 60 minutes of hell?





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Nailed this one!

Carl Heiden | Portland oregon usa | 07/18/2008

(4 out of 5 stars)

"The Production values are a little scant, and the first ten minutes I viewed with some unease. Gazing over at my Amazon receipt hoping it said: "used". BUT! As the film marched on fear was replaced with admiration. This great storyline was not wasted. The director does a terrific job of creating an intense psychological atmosphere. I was impressed at the way my biggest criticism (low budget) ended up giving it a certain charm. The primitive element of the presentation added layers of animated paranoia. This movie does not take itself seriously and there is an element of humor that carries throughout. There are some bonus psychedelic visuals that are artfully presented also. I don't know, Maybe I'm just a sucker for a guy hammering nails into his head. But I would be very interested to see more from this young Russian director."