Screamplay (1985)

Screamplay (1985)
Director: Rufus Butler Seder
Writers: Ed Greenberg, Rufus Butler Seder
Executed in the manner of a 1940's low-budget programmer, this comedy-thriller chronicles the misadventures of screenwriter Edgar Allen (Rufus Butler Seder), aspiring to move along in the literary footsteps of another, 19th-century Edgar Allen. Edgar is trying to come up with good horror script in order to impress an agent. If the script is good, the agent will take on the scenarist. Needing digs, but having little dough, Edgar agrees to work for room and board as a janitor of the ramshackle Welcome Apartments, owned by an odd experimental filmmaker. Edgar finds that every resident is more than a little eccentric and uses them in his new script.
'Wow amazing and sad that Rufus Butler Seder only ever got to make one movie, he also stars as Edger Allen a young dreamer who's hopes of making it as a big time screenwriter are set back when people are dying like the characters in his script. The films a wonderful blend of b-movie exploitation, golden era hollywood and even some thrown in German expressionism. The use of projected backgrounds in alot of the scenes works so well even though its clearly used due to lack of budget. Film also stars lofi arthouse legend George Kuchar as a sleazy hotel manager who befriends Edgar after killing a roller skating transexual mugger in one of the films many humorous death sequences. As well as great visuals there's so many priceless snippets of dialog like the old has been actresses "I've f'cked Barrymore, I've f'cked Karlof ... (you've f'cked Karlof ?) ... I've f'cked them all" in the manner of Sunset Blvd style Norma Desmond. How can you not love this movie, Oscar Wilde said "We are all sitting in the gutters but some of us are staring at the stars" like that this gutter film dares to stare into the stars. Gotta fit a mention in for Katy Bolger who plays wannabie actress Holy like Rufus Butler Seder its a shame she never went on to make more films. Highly Recommended Cult Gem'

(8½ out of 10)