By Melissa Antoinette Garza
I was perusing the horror section on Amazon Prime and came across Excision for rent. I saw Traci Lords was in it and that was it for me! I’m a huge Lords fan. I always thought she had a strong engaging personality. That combined with her sheer talent and unique life journey helped create one of the most compelling and underrated actresses I’ve ever seen in front of a camera.
It goes without saying that she has always been a very gorgeous woman. Her looks have only improved with age, and though the character was not a seductress by any stretch, her beauty cannot be hidden.
I remember when I was a kid, and I saw her in Cry-Baby (1990). I thought she was great then and even more-so now. At the end of the movie, there are a few very dramatic and emotional scenes without any dialogue and where Lords just grabs a hold of the audience’s heartstrings and doesn’t let go.
To say that Excision is a strange movie is to say that The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975) is a musical. It just doesn’t touch the surface of what the film truly is.
It opens with teenager Pauline (AnnaLynne McCord) who has strange visions and nightmares that are filled with blood, necrophilia, abortions, and people dressed in a futuristic style. The bloodier and viler her visions are, the more excited Pauline gets. She often awakes masturbating at the fantasies that just played out.
Pauline is a difficult character to explain. She has greasy unkempt hair, scars from acne on her face, and the body shape of a young child. By societal standards, she would most certainly be considered an ugly and unpopular kid, but in no way is she the typical bullied geek.
In regards to her looks, I have to give kudos to those who made up McCord. They did as good of a job as those who changed Charlize Theron into Aileen Wuornos for the film Monster (2003). McCord is actually very pretty. I was shocked to learn that she was the same woman who portrayed Suzie in The Haunting of Molly Hartley (2008) or Naomi on the revamp of 90210. Not only are her looks completely different but the way in which she portrays Pauline is unalike anything she had done previously. There’s an odd confidence and narcissism mixed with an absence of sanity that really fleshes the character into something very odd and unique.
There are so many ways in which Pauline is seriously screwed up. There are so many events that transpire which should be red flags to her teachers, counselors and parents. It isn’t even as though the adults look beyond her behavior. They know she needs to change but are just at a loss as to how to change her.
At one point, Pauline decides she wants to lose her virginity while on her period. Her fascination with blood just brings her to this very disturbing place. She chooses a popular kid who despite treating her like crap, decides to have sex with her. As they do the deed she fantasizes about the two making love in a bed of blood where it just washes over the two of them. After he climaxes, she persuades him to perform oral sex. He quickly finds out it’s her time of the month. He looks in the mirror, sees the blood all over his mouth and gets understandably very angry.
Meanwhile, her mother Phyllis (Traci Lords) is messed up as well, albeit in a very different way. Phyllis is conservative, a bit racist, and overall discriminatory against people with disabilities. At one point, she meets with Amber (Marlee Maitlin) who is a deaf school teacher putting together a Cotillion which Phyllis wants her daughters to be a part of. While discussing the event, Phyllis talks very slowly emphasizing every word. Amber signs that she can read lips normally. Phyllis then makes a shallow and insensitive comment about sign language. Later, she warns Pauline that African American men are notorious for being unfaithful. Her husband Bob (Roger Bart) gives her a dirty and shocked look but she makes no apologies and instead repeats the offensive remark.
Despite her many flaws, she isn’t all bad. There are moments she tries to be a good mother. She certainly relates more to her younger daughter Grace (Ariel Winter) who suffers from Cystic Fibrosis. Grace is much more of a girlie-girl than her sister and therefore has a better relationship with Phyllis. Still, when anyone makes fun of Pauline, it is Grace who sticks up for her. Not that Pauline is incapable of taking care of herself. She threatens to conduct surgeries on those who are rude to her. It makes sense in the context that her dream is to become a surgeon. One may think this is an odd profession for such a disturbed young woman but when one really thinks about the character it makes sense.
The only person she really seems to care about is Grace. Grace is facing eventual death if she does not get a transplant. It is very normal that Pauline wants to be the one to save her sister. The lengths and extremes she goes to however is anything but ordinary.
The patriarch of the family is tied with Grace as the most normal character in the movie. Though he’s laidback and constantly berated by his wife, he doesn’t flip out. He is actually a genuinely nice guy who is seemingly very much in love with Phyllis.
Two other notable appearances are Malcom McDowell and John Waters. For starters, McDowell portrays Pauline’s math teacher. Though his part is a small one, it’s always a pleasure to see him on the screen. I’m so happy he’s been doing so much lately. He has made guest appearances on Community which is my favorite TV show that is currently on the air. He’s a Hollywood treasure and I adore his work. He adds so much to every film he’s in. One could look at any number of films to see that his career has spawned decades and his work continues to be of the highest caliber. A few old classics and modern gems that come to mind are Caligula (1979), A Clockwork Orange (1971), Class of 1999 (1990), and Suing the Devil (2011). Shockingly, he has 10 movies either in production or just completed! Despite his workload, his performance never suffers.
As for the King of Cult, John Waters – much like Seed of Chucky (2004), I simply wish he was in it more. His character is a religious therapist who Pauline gives a difficult time as she doesn’t believe that religion and science mix.
Unfortunately, there was no trivia on IMDB about this film. I wondered if Lords encouraged Waters to do the film as they had done Cry-Baby together. I’m always curious about small facts like that.
Now is the difficult part – Would I suggest this movie? It is most certainly watchable. The performances given by the actors are some of the greatest I’ve seen. There are admittedly scenes where the movie just tried too hard. Usually, these were the night terrors which attempted to be cleverly symbolic yet instead it felt like the audience was hit over the head with symbolism. In these few quick sequences, it did feel as though the powers-that-be were talking down to the viewer.
Still, it’s hard not to recommend this film. It is a little pretentious in certain areas but that doesn’t take away from its originality. In a lot of ways, the movie itself is like the character Pauline. It’s awkward, insane, and narcissistic.
I definitely enjoyed the production more than my husband who just felt that the film tried too hard to be an art-house horror film. Though I definitely agree with his criticism, I still think there are so many aspects of the movie worth watching and so many original ideas behind it that the good outweigh any bad.
Scared Stiff Rating: 7/10
