Terrible acting, dialogues so poor they'll make your stomach turn, weak directing by the once-eminent Tobe Hooper and a premise so ridiculous that you can't possibly believe it's from the pen of Stephen King. More than enough reasons to label "The Mangler" as one of the worst horror movies of the nineties. The plot is pretty much rubbish and focuses on a possessed industrial laundry-press (!) guarded by the cripple and insane Bill Gartley (played by Robert Englund who continued collaborating with Hooper after the dreadful 1993 "Nightmare"). The demon-machine has developed a taste for virgin blood and Gartley, alongside other prominent villagers, regularly attempt to provide it with a fresh 16-year-old girl. It's up to skeptical cop John Hunton (Ted Levine who played the legendary "Buffalo Bill" in the Silence of the Lambs) and his flower power brother-in-law Mark to prevent more victims from getting squeezed and folded by this mechanical beast. Levine gives away one of the lousiest and most uninterested acting performances ever (he talks as he suffers from a swollen tongue) and not once does he manage to get inside the skin of his frustrated, jaded cop-character. The story is so absurd you'll hardly believe your eyes most of the time! The climax in particular is a fine example of demented plotting, as it somewhat resembles "The Exorcist"...only with a ten ton washing machine instead of a 12-year-old child. Small detail! So yeah, all the above states that "the Mangler" is a worthless horror effort, better avoided by people with a good taste in cinema. And yet I couldn't help loving most of what I saw and I really do think some of the less obvious aspects deserve some praising. Like the comic book-like characters and atmosphere, for example! Rather than Stephen King creations, the protagonists (Bill Gatley and J.J.J. Pictureman in particular) seem to come straight out of a vile pulp-magazine! Although the story is set in present time (I suppose), the set-pieces often make it look like you've landed somewhere early 20th century. The photography is dark, moist and utterly depressing which fits the story real well. The mangler itself is an impressive piece of scenery and - thanks to the eerie cinematography by Amnon Salomon - it looks truly ominous and petrifying. Last but not least, this film contains a lot of gratifying gore sequences!! the 'mangling' is quite a repulsive process in which the unfortunate victims are completely wrung to bloody pieces! In other words: buckets of blood, crushed skills and torn off limbs. To me, these are enough elements to appreciate Tobe Hooper's mad movie but I can easily understand why many people here voted it straight into the bottom top 100 (currently spot #88). I guess The Mangler is destined to remain a guilty pleasure of mine but, if you're into pitch black humor and unscrupulous pulp as well, you might want to (re)watch it soon!
Review of The Mangler
