The Film: 4/5

Esteemed critic and cineaste Stephen Thrower once claimed that if a viewer were unable to love Godmonster of Indian Flats, that viewer had no soul. (Readers, kindly forgive the paraphrase.) The following review will demonstrate my unequivocal agreement with Thrower’s contention.

Before I discuss the film, though, allow me to say a few words about Godmonster’s director, Fredric Hobbs, a man who lived a double life as a purveyor of low-budget cinema and a critical darling within the world of fine art. Hobbs began exhibiting his sculptures and art installations in the 1950s; when he was in his early forties, Hobbs birthed his own art movement, now known as ART ECO. The style, which still resonates with artists around the world, is a kind of pastiche, one that melds the arts with technology in an effort to critique the twentieth and twenty-first centuries’ ecological imbalances. Hobbs’ artwork is coveted by international galleries and collectors alike, and his canonization within the art world seems assured.

Which brings us to Godmonster of Indian Flats, a film that may seem closer in spirit to Ed Wood or Ray Dennis Steckler than the rarified air of modern art. However, Hobbs’ penchant for underground filmmaking is not anomalous, once we consider his work in tandem with the films of Andy Warhol, David Salle, and Cindy Sherman. All of these artists recognized populist cinema’s uncanny ability to disperse ideas to the popcorn crowd that had their germination in the galleries, and, in this regard, the films of Fredric Hobbs are no different.

Even on its own terms, though, Godmonster is a wild ride. True to the sprit of ART ECO, it is a film about a mutated sheep embryo (i.e. an ecological disaster) made worse by the meddling of an ignorant scientist. It is a monster movie with a papier-mâché mutant sheep, true, but it is also so much more. Offering criticisms of American capitalism, racism, and provincial lifestyles, Godmonster is a sheep-horror movie with heart, soul, and guts.  

Audio/Video: 3/5

AGFA and Something Weird Video are to be commended for this release. Nevertheless, there’s no getting around it: the video and audio presentations are less than easy on the eyes and ears. The blu-ray features an 1080p transfer; the aspect ratio is 1.33:1.  Print damage is evident throughout, and viewers are advised to turn on the subtitles in order to catch bits of garbled dialogue, despite the HD audio track (DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0).  My sense is that AGFA has done the best they could with a print that likely suffers from irrevocable damage. While parts of the viewing experience make for a rough go, the film remains entertaining and engaging from beginning to end.  AGFA’s blu-ray is likely the best presentation we’re ever going to get. Frankly, we’re lucky that this movie still exists in any viewable form.

Extras: 4.5/5

True to form, AGFA has loaded this release with some jaw-dropping extras.  Here’s a rundown of what’s available:

The largest extra is a complete bonus film, The Legend of Bigfoot (1976), starring sasquatch-hunter and huckster Ivan Marx (who plays himself). The film pretends to document Marx’s country-wide quest for Bigfoot’s “migratory habits,” which are eventually “confirmed” with unfocused shots of man walking around in a fuzzy suit. (I watched this film with my six-year-old daughter; she was unconvinced by the evidence. I should point out that my daughter wholeheartedly believes in unicorns.) Interestingly, this mess of a movie is directed by Harry Winer, who would go on to direct SpaceCamp and enjoy a successful career in television.

The film is followed by a series of entertaining shorts:

“Strange Sightings,” a documentary featuring interviews by a slew of questionable individuals who regale viewers with tales of alien sightings and abductions.

“White Gorilla,” an excerpt from the 1945 feature film of the same name, which serves as a kind of racist precursor to Godmonster. (In Hobbs’s film, he would undo the kinds of stereotypes that “White Gorilla” promotes.)

“Rampaging Monster Trailers from the AGFA Vaults,” a sterling example of truth in advertising.

Finally, the disc offers the short “educational” film “School Bus Fires.”  Certainly the most random of the extras, but it’s goofy fun. AFGA states that “School Bus Fires” is “More Dangerous than the Godmonster!”  They’re not lying.

Overall:

A singular oddity and a testament to the humanistic spirit of regional filmmaking, Godmonster of Indian Flats is a must-watch for fans of cult cinema, and it is a worthwhile footnote for admirers of Fredric Hobbs’ more famous artworks.  AGFA is to be commended for this loaded release. I only wonder how the fledgling label is going to top this.