Vortex (1982) Reviews

• Threadbare budget used effectively

  Baroque2000-12-02

  This film, shot in 16mm with a tiny budget (reportedly a mere $80,000), was an attempt of bringing film noir stylings to independent film. The storyline works around a plot of corporate warfare and defense contract corruption uncovered by private detective Angel Powers, who is investigating the death of a government official. (Powers is played in deadpan style by Lydia Lunch [poet, musician, and the Godmother of Gothic Rock] and comes across as more "spike heel" than "gum shoe".) While the special effects and camera work reveal the painfully low budget at times, the atmosphere is particularly haunting, especially when accentuated by the film's jazz music score. An interesting period piece from the days before cam-corders and home computers, when people actually had to use film to make independent movies. Why this isn't on video or DVD goes beyond me, since it was one of the films that blazed the trail where other films like "The Blair Witch Project" went!