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Faust: Love of the Damned

2000
Dir. Brian Yuzna

When John Jaspers’ girlfriend is brutally murdered by a gang of thugs he loses the will to live and plans to kill himself by jumping off a bridge. Just before he jumps he is approached by the sinister "M" who offers a dubious proposition: he will enable Jaspers to wreck brutal revenge in return for the man’s soul. Jaspers accepts and is transformed into Faust, a demon-like superhero who embarks on a bloody trail of vigilante vengeance… However when “M” returns to claim Jaspers’ soul, all hell breaks loose when Faust refuses to stick to the bargain.

“I am the pornography that makes you hot!”

Based on the cult graphic novel by David Quinn and Tim Vigil, Faust was the first film produced by Brian Yuzna’s Spanish production company, Fantastic Factory. Something of an oddity, the film is, if anything, an interesting attempt to approach the super-hero movie from a slightly different angle. The notion of an avenging demon is a tantalising one akin to the likes of The Crow or Spawn.



The 'Faust: Love of the Damned' graphic novels had a reputation for containing some of the most out-there horror content in the graphic novel market. As the director responsible for the likes of Society and Return of the Living Dead 3, Brian Yuzna would seem the perfect candidate to helm such a project. The film's comic book origins are evident in its tone and aesthetic, and some of the imagery featured, including a rather iconic looking shot featuring Jaspers standing on the bridge in his Faust form. As events unfold, Yuzna loads the film with more striking imagery (the influence of Clive Barker evident in some hellishly tortured-erotica), soft-core nudity and weird S&M depictions of the pleasures of the damned. An off-kilter sense of humour certifies the absurdity. The world in which the story unfolds is a dark, cruel, seedy place, populated by mobsters and molls. As well as copious nudity, the film is awash with blood and gore courtesy of Yuzna regular, effects wizard Screaming Mad George, and much of the outlandish violence sits at odds with the cartoon humour. At times Faust comes on too much like Freddy Krueger, spouting cheesy one-liners and puns while dispatching victims. One particularly bizarre and outré moment briefly recalls some of the queasy sights from Yuzna’s Society.


The tone is all over the place. Faust is depicted as a ruthless, unstoppable killer, as well as a tragically doomed figure. As John Jaspers/Faust, Mark Frost provides a wacky, bug-eyed performance, completely throwing himself into the role. Elsewhere stable support comes from the ever-reliable Jeffery Combs as good-intentioned cop Lt. Dan Margolies, and Andrew Divoff as the devilish “M.” With 'cult movie' stamped all over it, Faust should appeal to fans of Yuzna's brand of zany, cartoonish horror, and is an interesting if flawed take on the superhero horror film, à la Darkman, The Crow and Hellboy. 

The Arrow Video boxset was released on 18th April 2011. It includes Faust: Love of the Damned, Romasanta: The Werewolf Hunt, Beyond Re-Animator and Arachnid.

Special features on the Faust: Love Of The Damned disc include:
- Audio commentary by director Brian Yuzna
- “Director Of The Damned: Brian Yuzna, Faust And The Fantastic Factory”
- “The Pain in Spain: A History Of Horror In Hot Weather” with Angel Sala, director of the Sitges Film Festival
- Original trailer
- Double-sided fold-out poster featuring new artwork
- Collectors’ booklet “Brian Yuzna: Maestro Of Mayhem” by author and critic Calum Waddell
- Reversible sleeve featuring brand new and original artwork
- English Dolby Digital 5.1 and Spanish Dolby Digital 5.1 audio options.
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