FAR OUT review

Phil Mucci’s Far Out confirms the promise of his freshman offering, the revisionist silent horror short The Listening Dead, in a big, big way. Far Out nails, with startling precision, the all-encompassing vibe of a late ‘60s / early ‘70s drugged-out happening gone hilariously, gruesomely wrong. Make no mistake – Mucci’s films are the real deal, deliriously stylized romps through cinema’s past via a marriage of technology new and old.

Setting the stage with a stop-motion approach to a gleefully mod bachelor pad, Mucci shoves the viewer head-long into a chemically-fueled party attended by, as slippery host Mal puts it, “everyone who matters”. Mysterious guest Carmilla (the alluring Carly Trumbull) soaks in the atmosphere and, when she finally cuts loose, manages to pull the shag carpeting out from under everyone - including the viewer.

An embodiment of aesthetic perfection, Far Out owes as much to Roger Corman’s Masque of the Red Death as it does Beyond the Valley of the Dolls and a slew of vintage Italo sleaze-horror pics. Everything – from the just-slightly-out-of-sync looping of dialog down to the psychedelic filters and framing – paints Far Out as a child of time long since past.

Even though it culls from a spread of sources Far Out possesses a twisted, gleeful energy all its own. It’s a tribute to the film’s jazzy, why-not attitude that the afore-mentioned late-game left turn just flows with the overall experience. The obvious care exerted in crafting the film extends end-to-end, with game performances (from “a cast of sexy young hopefuls”) and a cool, trippy rock ‘n roll soundtrack. It all begs the question, where was Mucci when Tarantino and Rodriguez were handing out those Grindhouse trailers?

Far Out is currently out to festivals, and is scheduled to play in the upcoming Fantastic Fest in Austin, Texas. Early next year, the film will be featured on The Sundance Channel as part of a line-up of ‘60s and ‘70s-era horror films from the likes of Jess Franco, among others. Odds are the kudos will keep on coming for Mucci and his work, and with good reason. Far Out stakes a claim as one of the most impressive genre shorts from a U.S. filmmaker in some time, and positions Mucci as someone to watch, very closely.

Phil Mucci interviewed at Twitch

Far Out on MySpace

Phil Mucci online

The Hive Films online

Fantastic Fest online

The Listening Dead online