Few words can really truely describe the electrifying love that I felt the first time I watched ‘Forbidden Zone’, and now im a half dozen watches into this thing…Even to this DAY. I STILL fall head over heels for it all over again with each rewatch.

The plot, revolving around a large and strange family who purchase a house with a portal to the sixth dimension and all manner of bizarre oddities housed within sits pride of place on my film shelf and I hold it largely responsible for rekindling my love of film and cinema as an art in recent years, after a long draught of mediocre ‘direct to video’ flicks and idle cult fodder.

The scripts razor, CONSTANTLY challenging conventions, CONSTANTLY snarking and sniding its way across EVERY line, EVERY scene and EVERY frame. This isnt a film that takes itself seriously, but it’s passion in what it DOES want to say and show shines BRIGHTLY against the overly acidic and comedically bleak overtones.

Not a film to skirt controversy, this film pretty much targets every minority AND majority. its characters are simultaineously dim witted, but wittily charismatic. expect PLENTY of nudity, humping, on screen drug use and racist charicatures THROUGHOUT. It kind of reminds me a little bit of ‘The Evil Dead’ in the sense that that too was a film that skirted controversy, but was largely given a free pass due simply to how utterly absurd it really truely is.

And I cannot stress that poitn enough, this film. is NUTS. absolutely off the wall art house experimental fleisheresq cinema at its absolute finest.

The direction is simple, but highly effective, with purposfully low budget sets intermixed with ‘Gilliam-esq’ animations and hyper manic WAY over the top hammy acting. Richard Elfman helps bring this film to life in a ‘Lightning in a bottle’ moment that is seldom seen and even less likely to be executed well…and yet, somehow he pulls it off.

The cine too is simplistic, but the mixed media approach combined with a HELL of an edit results in a simply delightful mix that oozes charm and works lockstep with the manic script to deliver something really truely unique…in the best way possible.

The performances are campy, over the top and utterly delightful. There isnt a single dissapointing performance here…and I really mean it, everyones firing on all cylinders, and for some here its quite literally the performance of their respective careers.

AND as if this thing couldnt get any better. The entire score is written by most of the folk who would go on to form the AMAZING new wave band ‘Oingo Boingo’ so expect PLENTY of pop punk instrumentals, unique twists on vaudville classics and even a dusting off of some archive recordings for comedy effect.

In short, there is VERY little I dislike about ‘Forbidden Zone’ there are a few unfotunate choices that are quite problematic these days (see: the excessive use of ‘Blackface’ a commonality in Fleischer era cartoons…VERY unnacceptable both then and now.) But the films so silly and clearly non malicious while simply stewing in its own scathing juices…I just cant find any reason not to absolutely love it for just being SO different and fun.

I found this WAY too late, and not a day goes by where I dont regret checking this thing out 10 years earlier than I did. Dont make the same mistake I did, Watch ‘Forbidden Zone’ today!

source https://letterboxd.com/tytdreviews/film/forbidden-zone/2/