Okay, fellow tapeheads, let’s rewind to the turn of the millennium. The Y2K bug hadn't plunged us into digital darkness, Blockbuster shelves were still a glorious sight, and nestled amongst the fading titans of the 80s/90s video boom were some… peculiar latecomers. Remember finding those slightly glossier VHS boxes, maybe with a familiar face looking unexpectedly menacing? That’s the vibe hitting me as I slide the tape for 2000’s Cut into the VCR, a flick that feels like a time capsule from the exact moment the 90s slasher revival started borrowing heavily from the genre’s grimy video store past. And who’s that on the cover, looking decidedly un-Hughesian? None other than Molly Ringwald. Yeah, that Molly Ringwald. Intriguing, right?
### Cursed Reels and Comeback Kills
Cut dives headfirst into the meta-horror pool popularized by Scream, but with a distinctly rougher, almost throwback energy. The setup is juicy: a group of film students decides to finish Hot Blooded, a notoriously cursed slasher flick whose original director was murdered mid-production, allegedly by the film's masked killer antagonist, Scarman. Leading the charge is Raffy (Jessica Napier, who Aussie TV fans might remember from McLeod's Daughters), the daughter of the original ill-fated director. She ropes in her classmates, including has-been actress Vanessa Turnbill (Molly Ringwald, chewing scenery with delightful gusto) who starred in the original footage. Naturally, once the cameras start rolling again, so do the heads… quite literally. Scarman, or someone sporting his creepy mask and signature garden shears, starts thinning the cast and crew with bloody efficiency.
Kimble Rendall, who cut his teeth directing music videos for bands like INXS and Hoodoo Gurus before eventually giving us the wonderfully schlocky Bait 3D (2012), helms this Aussie horror effort. You can sometimes feel that music video slickness trying to peek through, but the overall feel is more grounded, more… well, video. It doesn’t quite have the polish of its bigger Hollywood cousins, but that’s part of its charm. It feels like something unearthed, a bit raw around the edges.
### Ringwald vs. Scarman? Yes, Please!
Let’s be honest, the big draw here, especially looking back, is seeing the undisputed queen of 80s teen angst, Molly Ringwald, playing a washed-up, demanding horror actress. It's inspired casting, and she leans into the camp, delivering lines with a theatrical flair that’s miles away from Samantha Baker or Claire Standish. Was it jarring seeing her covered in fake blood instead of navigating high school drama? Absolutely, and that's half the fun. Retro Fun Fact: Ringwald reportedly took the role partly because she was keen to break away from her teen idol image and work in Australia. She definitely commits to the bit.
Jessica Napier carries the lead role competently as the determined final girl archetype, navigating the increasingly deadly film set. The supporting cast is filled with familiar faces from Australian film and TV, adding to that specific regional flavour. And then there's the cameo. Pop megastar Kylie Minogue pops up briefly as the ill-fated director in the film-within-a-film's opening scene. Retro Fun Fact: Apparently, Kylie Minogue did the role as a favour to director Kimble Rendall, whom she knew from the music industry. It's a short appearance, but adds another layer of surreal pop culture collision to the proceedings.
### Good Old-Fashioned Gore
This is where Cut really embraces its video nasty roots, reminding us of a time before CGI blood spray became the norm. Forget subtle scares; Cut goes for the jugular with practical effects that feel satisfyingly visceral. The kills are frequent and often elaborate, featuring beheadings, impalements, and plenty of the red stuff. Remember how those glistening, syrupy blood effects looked under the harsh lights of a low-budget set? Cut delivers that in spades. Scarman’s weapon of choice, those giant garden shears, makes for some gnarly moments that feel genuinely painful thanks to the commitment to practical gore. It might look a bit dated now, sure, but there's an undeniable, tactile reality to seeing those effects executed physically on set that often gets lost in today's digital wizardry. The film leans heavily on classic slasher tropes – the isolated location (mostly a creepy old house and soundstage), the dwindling cast, the masked killer with a signature weapon – playing them relatively straight despite the meta premise.
Filmed primarily in South Australia, the production utilized locations like an old mental asylum and film studios to create its suitably eerie atmosphere. While not a box office smash internationally, it did reasonably well in its native Australia, tapping into that late-wave slasher interest. Its budget was modest, likely enhancing that practical, hands-on feel we see on screen. It wasn't trying to reinvent the wheel, but rather give genre fans a gory good time steeped in filmmaking lore.
### Final Cut: Still Sharp Enough?
Cut isn't a lost masterpiece, let's be clear. It arrived slightly late to the meta-slasher party, and its script sometimes feels more functional than clever. The twists aren't exactly earth-shattering, and some of the acting outside the main players is... well, let's just say characteristic of the budget. But watching it now, especially through the nostalgic lens of VHS Heaven, reveals a surprisingly entertaining B-movie charm. It's a fascinating collision of 80s star power (Ringwald), late 90s/early 00s pop culture (Minogue), Aussie filmmaking grit, and a genuine love for gruesome practical effects. It understands the slasher formula and delivers the goods with enthusiasm, even if it doesn't transcend the genre.
Rating: 6/10
Justification: Cut earns points for its audacious Ringwald casting, surprisingly gnarly practical gore, and its unique status as an Aussie meta-slasher curio from the turn of the millennium. It delivers decent slasher thrills and some fun performances, even if the script and overall execution feel a bit rough-and-ready compared to its slicker contemporaries. It loses points for predictability and some uneven patches, but its B-movie heart is in the right, blood-soaked place.
Final Thought: A weirdly wonderful time capsule, Cut is the movie equivalent of finding a surprisingly sharp pair of shears buried in the back shed – a little rusty, definitely dated, but still capable of delivering a nasty surprise. Perfect for a late-night viewing when you crave that specific flavour of late-VHS-era, practically-realized horror.