Noirmageddon: A Mark Anvil Thriller

Directed by Thomas Berdinski

Reviewer: Brandon Ennals

Last year, a few of us at Horrorphilia were lucky enough to have Thomas Berdinski and Jeff Bromley join us as we reviewed 6 zombie movies on a podcast. Prior to that show, I was able to watch The Italian Zombie Movie which was directed by Berdinski and starred Bromley. Instantly, it was obvious that The Italian Zombie Movie was made by a crew that loves fun films, and love to have fun while shooting a film. Their sincerity and genuine love for schlocky, humorous films was so obvious that it becomes infectious and allows you to just sit back and have fun. Such is the case in Berdinski’s follow up film Giant Rubber Monster, and once again it is clearly present in the film Noirmageddon: A Mark Anvil Thriller.

This film is structured and presented like a standard noir film, however, much like The Italian Zombie Movie, that wrapping does not begin to represent the present inside. The story is such a contrast from the visuals that it almost feels like its own universe, the Berdinski Universe. Noirmageddon is full of funny and very random events that are delivered as you follow the character of Mark Anvil (Jeff Bromley), as he follows clues in an attempt to solve a mystery given to him at the beginning of the film. As Anvil goes to different locations to research these clues, he finds random things like a pie baking lucha libre, vampires, a doomsday prophet, and a shark attack. I loved the randomness. It keeps you wondering what else is going to be thrown your way. As random as all these things are, the finale adds one more giant surprise that wraps everything up nicely. I couldn’t think of a better way to wrap up this film. Well done Thomas.

My only complaint with Noirmageddon is it’s too short! The running time is only 22 minutes, but they really pack a lot into those 22 minutes. I guess the short run time could actually be a blessing since there is no down time. Once the film begins, you don’t take your eyes off the screen. If you still want more after the feature film is finished, you can check out the extras on the DVD which include alternate scenes, a deleted scene, a blooper reel, and trailers for Berdinski’s first two films, which I recommend also.

One last thing I would like to mention about this film is the cast. It contains some well known horror hosts and personalities, much like Giant Rubber Monster. Roxsy Tyler, Marlena Midnite, Robyn Graves, Count and Countess Gregula and Dr. Sigmund Zoid all make appearances in this film. So if your a fan of Berdinski, or a fan of any of the members of the cast, try to seek out a copy of this film. Go out and give these people support. If you can’t support people who do this for the love of it, then who can you support? Plus every dollar that goes towards this film will be used to make another fun and insane movie. For that alone, Thomas Berdinski, you have my support and my dollar.