“Body Count” is a cheesy and clichéd backwoods slasher directed by infamous Italian director Ruggero Deodato (Cannibal Holocaust).

THE PLOT: A murderous Shaman is killing teens one by one on a Native American-cursed campsite.

“Body Count” features a simple narrative…horny teens getting killed while camping. It features clichéd characters (the prankster, the jock, the virgin), a mundane plot, and sloppy editing. “Body Count” is a fairly stupid slasher…yet strangely entertaining. For every negative facet, “Body Count” also has a positive. Great chase scenes, violent kills, and some nice T&A. It’s a real mess of a film but an engrossing mess none the less.

The cast features the always legendary David Hess (Last House on the Left) and that asshole from Rambo II Charles Napier. The rest of the cast is forgettable and atrocious…probably doesn’t help that “Body Count” features some of the worst dubbing I’ve ever seen! Another technical problem with the film is that it’s almost impossible to see what’s going on! The film is extremely under lit. Character development takes a backseat, as characters are introduced and killed off in the same scene! Aimless characters wander around and never question where there friends have disappeared to…even after they’ve been dead for days!

The film’s backwoods location is quite effective and there’s a haunting score from Claudio Simonetti. And although Deodato’s unoriginal script lacks clarity,  the violence and kills in the film are intense. There are some solid chase scenes with effective camera angles that amp up the tension. The kills are graphic but not over the top. Deodato has a way of making violence on film look violent…if that makes sense. The brutality of the kills really hold the film together, especially when everything else (acting, narrative, pacing) is trying to make it fall apart.

To be honest, “Body Count” is a cheap and mundane “Friday the 13^th” rip-off. Deodato does bring some of his trademark energy and carnage to the death scenes but the film’s humdrum plot and unlikeable characters make it a pain to sit through. And the killer seems to be able to teleport! His abilities are exaggerated to the point of absurdity. I’d say this is for slasher fans only.

“Body Count” features a throat stabbing, dirt bikes, a penis shot, 2 shower scenes, severed fingers, a Friday the 13^th-style bed stabbing, a sexy severed leg, and a death by booby trap.

GORE SCORE-3/5

Tit-O-Meter-2/5