The Last Horror Film aka Fanatic was a film that I was always intrigued by but was one of those horror films I just hadn’t gotten around to seeing for reasons unknown. That was until yesterday. I found the film on a cheap DVD in a charity shop and so thought ‘What the hell’ and bought it. It cost £1 which was well worth it for a reunion of both Joe Spinell and Caroline Munro.

Joe plays Vinnie Durand, a New York cabbie who is obsessed with becoming a film director and travels to the Cannes Film Festival to try and convince his favourite actress Jana Bates (Munro) to star in his film. But is there a film? Is there even a script?

The Fanatic was made guerilla-style at the actual Cannes Film Festival which provides a brilliant backdrop for the action as we get to see the huge billboards for actual films that completely obliterate the front of French hotels and buildings when the movie moguls have come to town and are trying to pitch their product (there even a huge billboard for John Waters’ Polyester which made me laugh).

This was the reunion of Spinell and Munro after they starred together in William Lustig’s masterpiece, Maniac. Whilst The Fanatic isn’t quite as good, it’s still highly recommended. Spinell is excellent as Vinny and excels at playing obsessive loners who lapse in and out of dark delusions and real life so much that they really don’t know the difference between the two. My favourite delusion that we see him have in the film is when he goes to see a strip show and starts to imagine himself as the stripper. That’s right, we get to see Spinell dressed as a female stripper seductively (ahem) taking off his last few items of clothing. ‘Where has this movie been all my life” I thought as I watched this scene.

The kills are bloody and very well done, the suspense is excellent and the exploitation films being sold at the festival are emphasised within the film which should provide a brilliant snapshot in horror history for the horror fan who’s watching.

The Fanatic really does feel like a hidden gem which has only just been rediscovered. I heard that Severin Films has released the best version of the film and given it the 4K treatment. I also understand that this was restricted to only one pressing which is long since sold out. I hope they release this film again. It fully deserves to be seen in its most complete version and looking and sounding as good as possible. I’d buy it.

4.5 stars out of 5