Igor and the Lunatics (1985).

The Scoop:
Oh, Troma…. Is there no pile of turd you can’t turn into a movie?

Actually, “Igor and the Lunatics” is a Troma film in distribution only. It was made by wannabe filmmakers Billy Parolini and Jocelyn Beard over the course of several years before it was bought by the Troma team, who created a “director’s cut” of the film (whatever that means) and released it.

The meandering, shambling plot about ’60s cult leader Paul (T.J. Michaels)  who whips his acolytes into a frenzy and kills an escaping cult member with a big timber saw. They wind up in jail and 16 years later get released, only to start killing again. There are also a former cult member (Jospeh Eero) bent on vengeance , a feral teenage boy (Buddy Durrant), a pseudo-Indian guy called The Hawk (Peter Dain) and a dumb-as-rocks damsel in distress (Mary Ann Schacht). And then there’s Igor (Joe Niola), who is not the cult leader as the title might lead you to believe, but who really, really likes sharp objects.

Given all this background, I shouldn’t have to tell you that it’s terrible. Every aspect of the production, from the writing to the direction to the acting to the music to the gore effects, is clueless and incompetent. However, the sheer lunacy of it all does provide for some fun and unintentional hilarity. Niola in particular is insanely hammy, and probably the best part of the whole thing. “Igor and the Lunatics” is strictly sleazy and bottom of the barrel, and just right if you’re into that sort of thing.

Best Bit:
Paul: “Come to me, Sarah!”
Lackey: “Come to him, Sarah!”

Side Note:
T.J. Michaels is actually T.J. Glenn, who has gone on to a long career as an actor and stunt coordinator plenty of straight-to-video trash films like “Deadtime Stories,” “Lord of the G-Strings” and “The Bog Creatures.”

Companion Viewing:
“The Last House on the Left” (1977).

Links:
IMDb.
The ’80s Movie Rewind.

Take a Look:
The Tromariffic (i.e., NSFW) trailer: