Borderline Cult

Three sociopaths, two men and woman, form a serial-killing team in northern Mexico. The woman lures young women to their remote country digs that includes the graves of their former victims, one of the men kills them, and the other guy digs their graves.

As plots go, that about sums it up.

As a profile of a serial killer, this movie fails. It also fails as psychological suspense, or even as slash-and-gore "horror". We don't even get a chance to feel for any of the victims, they're never with us long enough to care about them.

If you like characters with no apparent motivation and a complete lack of depth, you might enjoy this movie. If you like amateurish photography or a grainy, washed out appearance, you might find something here. If soundtracks that lean heavily toward the incessant droning of flies appeal to you, this could be a real keeper.

Otherwise, just be thankful it is only 81 minutes long...if you can stand it for that long. Not worth the disk it's burned on.

Story Synopsis: A fictionalised account of what was responsible for the deaths of more than 400 women, mainly prostitutes & tourists, in the US / Mexican border town of Juarez. Three shady characters team up to kill as many victims as they can. With them in the area, nobody is safe.

Film Analysis: This is yet another of the staggering number of cheap horror films made by former German New Wave legend turned Hollywood hackmeister Ulli Lommel. As is the case with practically all of his post-millennial works, he takes a true story – in this case the mysterious force killing hundreds of women in the US / Mexican border town of Juarez – & uses it to mount an abstract film.

Borderline Cult is one of Lommel's better films, although strictly mediocre. There is not much to the film than three despicable characters luring female victims to an isolated spot in the hills & killing them. That's all you're going to get & Lommel keeps things going by using all the tricks he's learned after decades making art-house films in his native Germany & cheap hackwork in the States. It is like watching a zombie rise from the grave & stagger about with no real aim other than pure instinct. That is how the film feels to me.

The acting is disturbingly good – Christian Behm makes quite an impression as the intelligent brute who enjoys killing women & has a habit of comparing parts of his life to history's worst killings. He has made acting appearances in most of Lommel's post-millennial films & outdoes himself here. It is a shame that the film isn't entirely up to scratch. Also making an appearance is producer Nola Roeper, who appears as a fortune teller.

It's a good thing that I didn't buy this DVD. I rent it for .50 cents and it is not even worth 50 cents. It is not even worth it being on the shelf or being exist at all. All it is, a pure torture one after another. No plot, no stories, no nothing... I can't believe I waste my time watching this movie all the way through. I was waiting to see what happen at the end like hopefully these dumbbells to be arrested. They dun' goofed up MAJOR times! 420 Times... We get the message. Don't get me wrong. SAW Trilogy is a FAR better movie this this crappy movie. The story behind SAW has points and purpose. This movie.... Ummm. None. I'm not usually put hate in the movie but this one set me off. I have seen a lot of movies and there are some that I don't like and rate as 1 but it wasn't as BAD as this film.

So take my word. DO NOT WATCH/RENT THIS MOVIE!

BORDERLINE CULT opens with two drunk women staggering around. We learn that one of them is part of a trio of murdering maniacs. The non-crazy woman is tortured and killed by a bald man in Drew Carey's old glasses. There's also a voodoo dude in a top hat.

Another female is lured to her doom.

Then, a tarot card reading by a woman with a sprayed-on tan, more mindless murder, etc.

This is a totally nonsensical movie of "rinse and repeat" slaughter. Three weirdoes and the women they annihilate. It's lazy filmmaking at its most idiotic, with any semblance of a plot discarded in favor of one dumb scene of violence after another.

Roll credits...

Borderline Cult (2007) is another one of the notorious Hollywood House of Horror releases helmed by Ulli Lommel. Three sociopaths hang around Topanga Canyon and Juarez Mexico looking for easy prey. What they want or why they murder people remains a mystery? The trio spend their free time documenting their exploits on digital video in between looking for victims. Some of them wander in the area or they go out hunting for them. Who are these killers and why do they do what they do? Do find out why or if you care check out Ulli Lommel's Borderline Cult.

Like the earlier reality horror films from Lommel, they had all kinds of problems with the MPAA over content. This one is no exception. Many of the murders were heavily edited to get an R- rating. I've always wonder why he even bothers to try and get his films rated. Do they actually play in theaters?