Editorials
If Looks Could Kill, Then Death Would Be My Name: A Retrospective of George Romero’s ‘Bruiser’
Between the years 1993 and 2000, George Romero was not forgotten, though he was on something of an unwanted hiatus at that time. In spite of a few box office flops, Romero didn’t stop trying to get back into the horror scene, but during that hiatus, several projects he was attached to – including Resident Evil, The Mummy and The Stand – were stuck in development hell. Unfortunately for Romero (and for Romero fans), none of these projects came to fruition; instead they went to other directors who had great success with them.
After a few failed attempts to get projects off the ground, Romero returned with another original horror film of his own, but to this day it hasn’t received the recognition it deserves.
Bruiser is a horror story about dignity and pride. Henry Creedlow is a man that doesn’t want to fall short of his expectations. He tries his hardest for his wife, boss, and friends on a consistent basis. Henry is a good guy and people know that. However, they always take advantage of him. One day, Henry wakes up and realizes that his face is gone, replaced with a white canvas. No texture, no structure, just blank white. Nothing. It’s more than his face that’s gone, it’s his identity, too. Henry soon realizes that the only way to regain everything back is to make the wrong things right and finally stand up for himself. Once he does that, he regains his pride, well-being, and his identity. It will just take a few deaths to achieve this status, naturally.
In 2000, Bruiser brought Romero back into the fold but it suffered horribly due to the fact that it lacked promotion and was only released in Canada at the time. By the time it got to the States, it was pirated and being sold illegally at conventions throughout the world. Sadly, by the time it had a wide release, it was too late, marking another failure for Romero. Even when torrenting wasn’t around, bootleg VHS tapes and DVDs were the main source of trading among horror enthusiasts and this is a prime example on how these types of things can harm a film.
In 2002, Bruiser was widely (and legally) released on VHS and DVD and could be found at most retailers and rental stores. But after its official release in the US, the film still suffered, with the majority of horror fans looking at the cover and thinking it was another ripoff of Halloween because of the white mask on the front. The early 2000’s weren’t the best times for DTV (Direct-to-Video) horror flicks anyway, and most big rental stores only received one or two copies on DVD and maybe one copy of a VHS tape.
Long story short, Bruiser was at the wrong place at the wrong time.
A lot of little films like this suffered during this time and didn’t really get noticed until later in life; some even achieved cult status later down the line. We didn’t have Redbox or Netflix, so a ton of little indies just collected dust on shelves. And Bruiser, well, it never did attain much of a following.
But for hardcore Romero fans, Bruiser was in many ways a return to form for the horror master. Just like Night of the Living Dead, Dawn of the Dead and Day of the Dead, Romero had something to say about the world and the people in it with his 2000 return. Bruiser tackles society as a whole and what it can do to a person. It’s not a supernatural aspect when the white face appears on our lead character; there is something to be said about what happens to him and I think a lot of people missed that point and still do. Most of Romero’s films are outstanding, in large part because he knew how to blend real life into horror. Deep down, that’s the real horror; not the zombies, the monkey, the white face, or the wannabe vampire.
With Bruiser, another horror film rich with social commentary, Romero created one of the most memorable and likable “villains” in the genre. When is the last time you truly cared for the killer? Someone that you want to see prevail even when they are murdering their friends and family? Bruiser is one of those films that won’t leave you because it’s so unique. People may look at the film and see it as a revenge slasher, but it’s a lot more than that once you scrape off the surface.
Not only does the film have an interesting plot, but it’s also got original music by The Misfits and a special appearance by them as well. Jason Flemyng is another treat in the film. Jason had been in the industry for a while playing bit parts here and there, never getting that leading man role, and he really let his talents shine with this character and showed that he can carry a film by himself. The surrounding cast is great as well; notably, the detective is played by horror veteran Tom Atkins.
In the year 2000, George Romero made an amazing film that is undervalued even to the most hardcore horror fans and it’s time that Henry Creedlow gets the attention he deserves.
Judging from the unprecedented box office success of Kane Parsons’ Backrooms adaptation, you’ve likely already seen the liminal horror hit that managed to make audiences afraid of empty hallways and bad wallpaper. And now that so many of us have already entered the yellow labyrinth (some of us more than once), the time has come to discuss the spoiler-filled details that make the movie so fascinating in the first place.
And if there’s one element here that makes the Backrooms movie stand out from any previous lore/mythology, it has to be the genius addition of the Still Life entities. Warped recreations of real people that somehow wandered into the Complex, these misremembered creatures are responsible for some of the most disturbing imagery of 2026 – as well as laugh-out-loud memes created by one of the film’s very own concept artists.
However, true to Parsons’ word that the movie would rely heavily on practical effects, each of these distorted monsters was brought to life by real actors under heavy layers of makeup and prosthetics (with the occasional splash of CGI enhancements). While Anora and If I Had Legs I’d Kick You actress Ivy Wolk wasn’t among these performers, despite what Letterboxd might have you believe, the creature cast did benefit from veteran players with plenty of genre experience.
For starters, Alien: Romulus alumni Robert Bobroczkyi (who previously brought that film’s horrific Offspring to life during its most memorable sequence) plays the flick’s main antagonist, the Still Life version of Captain Clark. And though there was some obvious CGI involved in making the character’s peg-leg and nightmarish face more believable, Bobroczkyi’s monstrous performance and his natural 7’7″ frame helped to make that final chase sequence a clear highlight among this year’s genre offerings.
The film’s Texas-Chain-Saw-inspired “dinner” scene also features a freaky collection of less-aggressive Still Life creatures in the form of the Bearded Man, the Red-Headed Woman and, strangest of them all, the cheekily named “Archibald Leland Sutter Still Life” (who earned this title among fans and crewmembers as a reference to his apparent affinity for lamps).
While this was the first major horror outing for both Patrick Baynham (The Bearded Man) and Dana Mahmood (Archibald), Rhiannon Roberts has worked as a stunt performer in everything from Yellowjackets to HBO’s The Last of Us adaptation – which is probably why The Red-Headed Woman is the most active out of Clark’s impromptu “family.” That being said, the Archibald Leland Sutter Still Life is my personal favorite of the bunch simply because his anachronistic outfit suggests that the Backrooms phenomenon might be a lot older than the Async Foundation. I also love how hard he tries to be helpful with that little light of his!
That might be it for the Still Life entities, but I think horror fans will also be pleased to hear that the film’s Found Footage prologue stars none other than Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City star Avan Jogia as Naren Warne – and American Mary herself Katharine Isabelle also shows up in a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it cameo at Mary’s house party towards the middle of the story (though I have a feeling that she originally had a bigger part that was likely cut for time).
At the end of the day, Parsons’ Backrooms may have been an auteur-driven project motivated by the young director’s unique take on the classic creepypasta, but film has always been a collective artform, so it’s fun to see just how many talented performers it takes to bring this kind of supernatural nightmare to life in a way that connects with so many people.
You must be logged in to post a comment.