Strangeland (United States, 2024)

Buried deep within the DNA of Dee Snider’s Strangeland are some ideas about body modification as a way of life and spiritual enlightenment. And, for the time when it was made (1998), a few of its plot points about on-line predation could be considered prescient. But most everything else about Strangeland, from the writing to the acting to the camerawork to the editing, is Grade Z in quality – not just uncomfortable and off-putting but downright incompetent.

The story focuses on the activities of one Carlton Hendricks (Snider), a mentally unbalanced individual who goes by the moniker of “Captain Howdy” on-line and delights in torturing victims he ensnares after “meeting” them in chatrooms. They come to his house expecting to party and instead find themselves kidnapped and subjected to violations with needles, hooks, and other assorted pain-giving instruments. Howdy’s latest prey is Genevieve Gage (Linda Cardellini), the daughter of police officer Mike Gage (Kevin Gage). Accompanied by her best friend, Tiana (Amal Rhoe), Gen decides to visit Captain Howdy after receiving an invitation. Tiana doesn’t survive the encounter but Genevieve does, albeit with psychological trauma and physical scars that will last a lifetime.

Mike, whose professional detachment aggravates his wife, Toni (Elizabeth Pena), begins an investigation into his daughter’s disappearance, abetted by his hotheaded partner, Steve Christianson (Brett Harrelson). The detective’s niece, Angela (Amy Smart), clues him in about his daughter’s on-line habits and, through a series of contrivances, this leads Mike to discover his daughter’s whereabouts and bring Carlton into custody. But what should be the end of the story merely represents the midpoint, even though by then the average viewer will have seen more than enough.

Some of the foundational ideas in Strangeland sound like things that might have attracted David Cronenberg, whose ongoing fascination with body modification was well-known, although one suspects a Cronenberg version of this story would have been better constructed. There are also connections with A Nightmare on Elm Street – aspects of the narrative (the vigilante vengeance) echo those of the horror franchise’s backstory and Freddy himself, Robert Englund, has a supporting role here. The name “Captain Howdy” came from The Exorcist and elements of the film had their genesis in the 1984 Twisted Sister song “Horror-Teria” (which Snider co-write when he was the band’s frontman). 

The concept of a predator luring young girls into dangerous situations via on-line chats was not a new idea when Snider penned Strangeland. Unfortunately, such crimes began back in the early days of the Internet and escalated in the pre-Social Media days. By 1998, many people had some form of on-line access at home, enabling an escalation of such situations. The manner in which it is presented in this movie, however, is laughably absurd – an obvious plot device. Likewise, the bumbling nature of the police investigation and the complete lack of computer knowledge of the lead detective strain credulity. Even in 1998, one was unlikely to find someone in Mike’s position whose solution to turn off a computer was to pull the plug and who had to consult a teenage niece as an “expert.”

The character of Captain Howdy and the depictions of his activities are distasteful but that doesn’t disqualify the movie from watchability (Hannibal Lecter’s proclivities weren’t exactly paragons of good taste). But the utter lack of believability of the individual, who spouts faux philosophical discourses about the benefits of body modifications while performing sadistic operations, quickly leads to boredom. It’s a death knell to any horror movie if the primary reaction of the viewer is to struggle to stay awake.

Snider was a vibrant on-stage performer when he played concerts with his Twisted Sister bandmates but that charisma doesn’t translate to this movie. His Captain Howdy is over-the-top in a way that’s embarrassing. Apparently unwilling to be outacted by his co-stars, Snider brings on-board career TV actor Kevin Gage to give a flat, one-note performance as the film’s protagonist and surrounds him with a host of bad-to-mediocre players. Robert Englund is amusing as an overzealous, concerned father and Linda Cardellini does a pretty good job looking totally freaked out (her mouth is sewn shut so she can’t do anything more than stand around naked and look). No one else merits much notice unless it’s negative.

The film’s director is John Pieplow, whose only other credit was the obscure 1996 made-for-TV movie, Jurassic Women (I know of no one who has seen it so I can’t vouch for its actual existence). Judging by the way Strangeland was shot, it’s not surprising he didn’t get another job after this one. It’s likely that Snider, who gets official credits as the writer and producer, may have been heavily involved in the directing as well. Regardless of who gets the blame, keeping them away from other projects was a public service.

Strangeland was a box office bomb. Although a cadre of Twisted Sister fans showed up, no one else did. The subject matter and word-of-mouth about “upsetting” scenes were probably enough to keep viewers away and those few who did attend were probably less disturbed by the depictions of torture than by the ineptitude of the filmmaking. Like many bad movies with a hardcore group of supporters, Strangeland has been labeled as a “cult classic.” Considering what that term often implies about general quality, it likely applies, but those who aren’t already indoctrinated shouldn’t expect to be converted by Captain Howdy and his array of piercings and tattoos.

Strangeland (United States, 2024)