August Underground



""Come on, I got something to show you...""

- Peter

August Underground is a 2001 horror film, and the first release of Toe Tag Pictures.

You know that sequence in Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer where Henry and Otis break into a house and videotape themselves torturing and murdering the residents? Stretch that out to feature length and you pretty much have August Underground.

Presented as a degraded serial killer home movie, the film follows a sadistic psychopath named Peter as he commits random acts of torture and murder, all of it recorded by his unnamed and unseen (but very talkative) accomplice. Among the people they brutalize and/or kill are a female hitchhiker, an old woman, a convenience store clerk and two of his customers, twin brothers, and a pair of prostitutes. A girl named Laura is also kept captive in Peter's basement, beside the corpse of her dead and castrated boyfriend, Michael.

A sequel, subtitled Mordum, followed in 2003. This time around, Peter is being helped out by his sadomasochistic girlfriend Crusty, and her sexually depraved manchild brother Maggot, with whom she has an incestuous relationship. The trio initially get along well (barring random outbreaks of infighting) but after a while, things turn sour between Peter and Maggot over the affection of Crusty.

The final installment of the series, Penance, was released in 2007. Unlike its predecessors, the footage of this one is near-mint, so we can see all the horrors inflicted upon the victims in crystal clarity. Now it's just Peter and Crusty, whose unstable relationship is barely maintained by their mutual love of serial murder, though after a while that stops being enough, and the two deranged individuals start to turn their violent impulses on each other.

Of the three, Mordum is the most well known, and with good reason; coming off like an experiment to create "the sickest film evar!" it features things like rape with a severed penis, and a blood and vomit-covered woman being cut open and "gut fucked". Obviously not for your average, sane moviegoer.

This series provides examples of the following tropes:
""That's your fucking baptism, you fuck!""
 * A Date with Rosie Palms: The female hitchhiker in August Underground, after some coercion. ("Make a finger disappear!")
 * While Crusty is molesting, tormenting and puking on a pair of women in Mordum, Peter and Maggot jerk off while filming it.
 * All There in the Manual: The main killer's name is Peter.
 * A Love to Dismember: After Maggot forces a man to cut off his own penis in Mordum, the chunk of dick is taken by Crusty, who violates a woman with it.
 * Alternate DVD Commentary: The first film has one by Peter, and it comes complete with him torturing a hapless victim in the background.
 * An Arm and a Leg: August Underground has Michael being dismembered post-mortem, and later one of the twin brothers has a leg hacked off with a meat cleaver.
 * Annoying Laugh: Maggot.
 * Ass Shove: The first film is likely one of the few places where you can see a woman have her shit shoved back up her ass.
 * Attention Whore: Maggot.
 * Ax Crazy
 * Bad Samaritan: Peter helps an old woman carry her groceries in August Underground, and kills her once he gets inside her house.
 * Batter Up: The female convenience store patron is whacked with one in August Underground.
 * Beard of Evil: Maggot, and Killjoy in Mordum.
 * Big Bad: Peter.
 * Big Bad Duumvirate: Peter and the cameraman in August Underground, and Peter and Crusty in Penance.
 * Bi the Way: The prostitutes in August Underground.
 * Blood Bath: At the end of Mordum (after it has long lost coherency) Peter drags a near-nude Maggot under a woman who is suspended upside-down, and slits her throat, resulting in an even bloodier Maggot.

"Crusty: (while in a crack house) "These people are fucking sick!""
 * Blood From the Mouth
 * Blood Is Squicker in Water: Michael's severed penis is left in a toilet in August Underground.
 * Camping a Crapper: Bodies are shown in bathtubs, though whether they were killed there can be debated.
 * Bouncer: One kicks Peter and the cameraman out of a concert in August Underground.
 * Bound and Gagged
 * Breast Attack: Before the events of the first film, Peter sliced one of Laura's nipples off, and shit is subsequently smeared in the wound. Crusty also rips a woman's nipple ring off in Mordum.
 * Broad Strokes: The series has no real continuity.
 * Brother-Sister Incest: Crusty and Maggot.
 * Camera Fiend
 * Chase Scene: The very end of the first film, when the second prostitute tries to escape.
 * Chuck Cunningham Syndrome: The first film's cameraman.
 * Cluster F-Bomb
 * Collared by Fashion: Crusty, and a victim in Mordum.
 * Cold-Blooded Torture
 * Country Matters
 * Covered in Gunge: A number of victims get covered in a combination of blood, shit, piss, cum, and vomit.
 * Creator Cameo: Special effects men and producers Aaron and Ben LaBonte are the twin brothers, while co-producer and casting director John A. Wisniewski is Michael the Bathtub Corpse.
 * Creepy Basement
 * Creepy Doll: A few in the bathroom in Mordum.
 * Cut and Paste Note: The series title logo.
 * Dark Chick: Crusty.
 * Daylight Horror: The murder of the old woman in August Underground.
 * Death by Sex
 * Depraved Bisexual: Crusty.
 * Destructive Romance: Peter and Crusty, to the point of being the entire premise of Penance.
 * Direct to Video
 * Disposable Sex Worker: A pair of victims in August Underground.
 * Driven to Suicide: Mordum ends with Maggot randomly slitting his own throat.
 * Drop-Dead Gorgeous
 * Drop the Hammer: This basically becomes Peter's default method of murdering people.
 * Eats Babies: Maggot.
 * Even Evil Has Standards: Peter is not amused by the bond between Crusty and Maggot.
 * Excessive Evil Eyeshadow: Crusty.
 * Extreme Omnisexual: Maggot.
 * The Faceless: A few of the victims in Mordum have masks taped to their heads, presumably as a form of dehumanization.
 * Facial Horror: "I think you broke her face!"
 * Fan Disservice
 * Fat Bastard: Peter.
 * Fight Scene
 * Flipping the Bird
 * Force Feeding: Laura, the woman in the cellar in August Underground, is forced to eat a rotten apple core, shit, and Michael's severed toe.
 * Forehead of Doom: Crusty.
 * For the Evulz
 * Geek: One of the twin brothers in August Underground.
 * Giggling Villain
 * Girlish Pigtails: Creepily, Maggot at the end of Mordum.
 * Goofy Print Underwear: Peter.
 * Groin Attack: Michael from the first one has his genitals cut off (whether it was before or after he was killed is unrevealed) and a man is forced to sever his own penis with manicuring scissors in Mordum, which also has Peter kick Maggot in the balls a few times during an argument.
 * Gutted Like a Fish: Michael in August Underground, and a victim in Mordum.
 * Hero of Another Story: About midway through Mordum, the trio run into Killjoy, another serial killer who stores his victims (both dead and dying) in a shack he shows off to them.
 * Heterosexual Life Partners: Peter and the cameraman in August Underground.
 * Hookers and Blow: The finale of August Underground.
 * The Hyena
 * Hypocritical Humor: Mordum:

"Peter: (while looking at statues of Biblical figures) "You know what I don't understand? I don't understand, you know, like, in, y'know, in the bible, and y'know, the stories that you hear, y'know, they're always upset, and weeping, and crying and stuff like that. These people just have a stoned look on their face. Get it?"
 * I Lied: Crusty and Maggot telling a man they'll set him free if he cuts his own penis off Mordum.
 * I Love the Dead: Peter sodomizes Erika while caving her head in with a hammer in August Underground, and Mordum has Maggot have sex with the wound of a dead and gutted woman, and rape a little girl's corpse ("So fucking tight!")
 * I'm a Humanitarian: Maggot.
 * Improvised Weapon: The old woman is stabbed to death with a corkscrew in August Underground.
 * Incredibly Lame Pun: August Underground:

Cameraman: "That was bad.""

"Peter: "Doesn't she look smart like that?"
 * In-Universe Camera
 * It Got Worse: Never assume things can't get sicker.
 * Jittercam
 * Jizzed in My Pants: While Killjoy is torturing a woman in Mordum, he screams "You made me cum in my pants!"
 * Joisey: "Smells like shit."
 * Knife Nut
 * Laughing Mad: Maggot.
 * Leave the Camera Running
 * Limited Special Collectors Ultimate Edition: Two Disc Snuff Edition.
 * Male Frontal Nudity
 * Meganekko: After Crusty dons some glasses in Mordum.

Crusty: "That's because I'm a librarian, now fuck me!""

"Crusty: (mockingly) "You're not gonna have to worry about growing up now, sweetie!""
 * Messy Hair: Crusty.
 * Mood Whiplash: Constantly switching from scenes of torture and murder to mundane outings, like dicking around on a farm or visiting Roadside America.
 * Nameless Narrative
 * No Animals Were Harmed: They probably were.
 * No Ending: In the first film, after finding Peter raping Erika's corpse, the other prostitute makes a run for it, getting outside with Peter and the cameraman chasing her. The film cuts to black after the cameraman either drops the camera, or falls.
 * Mordum cuts to static after everyone starts freaking out and Maggot slits his own throat.
 * No Name Given: The cameraman, and most of the victims.
 * No, You: "I'm not a fucking whore, you're a fucking whore!"
 * Oddly-Named Sequel 2: Electric Boogaloo: Mordum and Penance.
 * Off with His Head: The headless infant in the trashcan in Mordum.
 * Only Known by Their Nickname: Crusty and Maggot.
 * Perfectly Cromulent Word: Mordum.
 * Perky Goth: Crusty.
 * The Pig Pen: The villains live in squalor, yet hypocritically criticize the similar living conditions of some junkies in Mordum.
 * Pittsburgh
 * Portrait Painting Peephole: Peter spots Maggot and Crusty fucking through a keyhole in Mordum.
 * Potty Failure: Though you can't really blame the victims.
 * Psychopathic Manchild: Maggot.
 * Psychotic Love Triangle: Peter, Crusty and Maggot.
 * Put the Laughter In Slaughter
 * Random Events Plot: Mordum.
 * Re Cut: The Maggot Cut of Mordum.
 * Remember the New Guy?: Mordum begins with Crusty and Maggot just there, helping Peter.
 * Self -Harm: Crusty ("I like dull knives better").
 * Sequel Escalation
 * Serial Killer
 * Sexy Discretion Shot: While full frontal female nudity is on display in August Underground, actual sex acts are either shown from afar, or not at all. They don't bother with the sequels, however.
 * Silent Credits
 * Shirtless Scene
 * Slashed Throat: Various deaths in Mordum.
 * Smoking Hot Sex: After Peter forces the hitchhiker from the first one into blowing him, and pummels her.
 * Snuff Film
 * The Sociopath
 * Spikes of Villainy: Crusty at one point has on some kind of spiked fetish underwear in Mordum.
 * Spiky Hair: Peter.
 * Starring Special Effects
 * The Stinger: Mordum shows a cat killing and eating a mouse.
 * Stylistic Suck: The first two films are purposely degraded to give them a worn, bootleg VHS look.
 * Synchronization: Peter jokes about this while killing the twin brothers in August Underground.
 * Tattooed Crook: Most of the villains.
 * Terrible Trio: Peter, Maggot, and Crusty in Mordum.
 * Those Two Bad Guys: Peter and the cameraman in August Underground.
 * Token Minority: The black prostitute in August Underground.
 * Torture Cellar
 * Torture Porn
 * Turn of the Millennium
 * Urine Trouble: A bucket of urine is poured on Laura in August Underground.
 * Villainous Breakdown: The premise of Penance.
 * Villain Protagonist
 * The Voice: The cameraman in August Underground.
 * Vomit Indiscretion Shot: Peter vomits while dismembering Michael in August Underground, while Mordum is an emetophile's wet dream.
 * White Mask of Doom: Show up a few times in Mordum.
 * Word Salad Title: Filmed in August + Underground film = August Underground.
 * Would Hurt a Child: A decaying infant's corpse that is covered in maggots is shown in Killjoy's shed in Mordum, and later Maggot is shown having his way with the body of a little girl.