Cards of Death (found slasher film; 1986): Difference between revisions

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|<center>This article has been tagged as <span style="color:hotpink">'''NSFW'''</span> and <span style="color:red">'''NSFL'''</span> due to its disturbing and pornographic subject matter.</center>
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{{InfoboxFound
{{InfoboxFound
|title=<center>Cards of Death</center>
|title=<center>Cards of Death</center>
|image=Cardsdeath.jpg
|image=CardsOfDeath-2008AuctionCopy.jpg
|imagecaption=Photos of a copy of the film that was sold online in 2008.
|imagecaption=Photos of a copy of the film that was sold online in 2008.
|status=<span style="color:green;">'''Found'''</span>
|status=<span style="color:green;">'''Found'''</span>
|datefound=25 Aug 2015
|datefound=25 Aug 2015
|foundby=Unknown
|foundby=''Unknown''
}}
}}
'''''Cards of Death''''' is a 1986 slasher film directed by actor W.G. MacMillan, his first and only time directing a feature film. It is seen by some as the "holy grail of slasher films" due to its rarity. Shot on video in 1985 in California, the film, despite only being available in English, was released on VHS exclusively in Japan on Sony's "Exciting Video" sub-label in 1986 in limited quantities. The gore effects (provided by Bryan Moore, who has since provided special effects for 1987's ''Dolls'' and 2006's ''Underworld: Evolution'') were considered "in-your-face and over the top", and it is assumed that this was why the film only ever received a commercial release in Japan due to the Japanese market being more accustomed to gore since the release of movies such as the ''Guinea Pig'' series at the time.
'''''Cards of Death''''' is a 1986 slasher film directed by actor W.G. MacMillan, his first and only time directing a feature film. It is seen by some as the "holy grail of slasher films" due to its rarity. Shot on video in 1985 in California, the film, despite only being available in English, was released on VHS exclusively in Japan on Sony's "Exciting Video" sub-label in 1986 in limited quantities. The gore effects (provided by Bryan Moore, who has since provided special effects for 1987's ''Dolls'' and 2006's ''Underworld: Evolution'') were considered "in-your-face and over the top", and it is assumed that this was why the film only ever received a commercial release in Japan due to the Japanese market being more accustomed to gore since the release of movies such as the ''Guinea Pig'' series at the time.


==Plot==
==Plot==
''Cards of Death'' centers around a cult-like group in LA, spearheaded by a mysterious man known as Hog, that holds gatherings to gamble with their lives. The group, consisting of males in rubber masks and females in dominatrix gear, meet up and be handed a random card from a Tarot deck, and a poker-like game would begin. The one holding the Death card at the end would be killed, with victims dying in a variety of graphic and sadistic ways, such as a woman being crushed to death in a "shrinking" room. The person with the winning hand would win money, but would also have to kill the loser within 24 hours, or else both of them would be killed. The police are also involved in the film, trying to solve the increasingly frequent murders.
''Cards of Death'' centers around a cult-like group in LA, spearheaded by a mysterious man known as Hog, that holds gatherings to gamble with their lives.  
 
The group, consisting of men in rubber masks and women in dominatrix gear, meet up and receive a random card from a tarot deck, and a poker-like game begins. The one holding the Death card at the end is killed, with victims dying in a variety of graphic and sadistic ways, such as being crushed to death in a "shrinking" room. The person with the winning hand wins money, but must also kill the loser within 24 hours, lest they both be executed. Meanwhile, police are trying to solve the increasingly frequent murders.


The film also contains elements of rape, masochism, drug use, vampirism (ie. a scene in which two nude female lovers make out next to a corpse, after having previously drank the corpse's blood from a wine glass), and a notable scene from the beginning of the film, in which a police officer has his nose sliced off.
The film also contains elements of rape, masochism, drug use, blood-drinking, and mutilation (including a notable early scene in which a police officer's nose is sliced off).


==Availability==
==Availability==
While the film has been re-released, both the original and re-release versions of the film are very rare and are mostly owned by film collectors and reviewers, some of which provided screenshots.<ref>[http://tink0917.blog.fc2.com/blog-entry-108.html 2011 review of the film from a Japanese blog.] Retrieved 16 Jun '13.</ref><ref>[http://aslashabove.com/2012/09/23/cards-of-death-1986-review/ 2012 aslashabove.com review of the film.] Retrieved 16 Jun '13.</ref><ref>[http://bleedingskull.com/cards-of-death-1986/ 2013 bleedingskull.com review of the film.] Retrieved 16 Jun '13.</ref> However, on August 25, 2015, an unknown person uploaded [http://wipfilms.net/surreal-and-bizzare/cards-of-death/ a rip of the film on Women In Prison Films].
While the film has been re-released, both the original and re-release versions of the film are very rare and are mostly owned by film collectors and reviewers, some of which provided screenshots.<ref>[http://tink0917.blog.fc2.com/blog-entry-108.html 2011 review of the film from a Japanese blog.] Retrieved 16 Jun '13</ref><ref>[http://aslashabove.com/2012/09/23/cards-of-death-1986-review/ 2012 aslashabove.com review of the film.] Retrieved 16 Jun '13</ref><ref>[http://bleedingskull.com/cards-of-death-1986/ 2013 bleedingskull.com review of the film.] Retrieved 16 Jun '13</ref> However, on August 25th, 2015, an unknown person uploaded [http://wipfilms.net/surreal-and-bizzare/cards-of-death/ a rip of the film on Women In Prison Films].
 
==Gallery==
<gallery mode=packed heights=75px>
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CardsOfDeath1.jpg
CardsOfDeath2.jpg
CardsOfDeath3.jpg
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death-card.jpg
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</gallery>


==References==
==References==
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Revision as of 05:54, 26 July 2022

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This article has been tagged as NSFW and NSFL due to its disturbing and pornographic subject matter.
Nsfl.png


CardsOfDeath-2008AuctionCopy.jpg

Photos of a copy of the film that was sold online in 2008.

Status: Found

Date found: 25 Aug 2015

Found by: Unknown

Cards of Death is a 1986 slasher film directed by actor W.G. MacMillan, his first and only time directing a feature film. It is seen by some as the "holy grail of slasher films" due to its rarity. Shot on video in 1985 in California, the film, despite only being available in English, was released on VHS exclusively in Japan on Sony's "Exciting Video" sub-label in 1986 in limited quantities. The gore effects (provided by Bryan Moore, who has since provided special effects for 1987's Dolls and 2006's Underworld: Evolution) were considered "in-your-face and over the top", and it is assumed that this was why the film only ever received a commercial release in Japan due to the Japanese market being more accustomed to gore since the release of movies such as the Guinea Pig series at the time.

Plot

Cards of Death centers around a cult-like group in LA, spearheaded by a mysterious man known as Hog, that holds gatherings to gamble with their lives.

The group, consisting of men in rubber masks and women in dominatrix gear, meet up and receive a random card from a tarot deck, and a poker-like game begins. The one holding the Death card at the end is killed, with victims dying in a variety of graphic and sadistic ways, such as being crushed to death in a "shrinking" room. The person with the winning hand wins money, but must also kill the loser within 24 hours, lest they both be executed. Meanwhile, police are trying to solve the increasingly frequent murders.

The film also contains elements of rape, masochism, drug use, blood-drinking, and mutilation (including a notable early scene in which a police officer's nose is sliced off).

Availability

While the film has been re-released, both the original and re-release versions of the film are very rare and are mostly owned by film collectors and reviewers, some of which provided screenshots.[1][2][3] However, on August 25th, 2015, an unknown person uploaded a rip of the film on Women In Prison Films.

References