TrueJoshNight Truly Dreadful Film

ThiefHott Too much of everything

Tetrady not as good as all the hype

ScoobyWell Great visuals, story delivers no surprises

BA_Harrison Helen Fraser (Norma Moore), a pretty (or should that be 'purdy') city girl on vacation with her hubby Paul, flees into the Texas backwoods after finding her spouse dead (having lost an argument with the business end of an axe!). Panic-stricken, she runs into redneck Odis Pickett, who takes her back to his cabin to meet the family: pregnant wife Emmy, daughter Sarah (pronounced Say-rah), and idiot son Bo. But rather than call for help, Odis proceeds to subject Helen to a night of drunken abuse, culminating in rape.And all the while, a murderer lurks in the woods outside, waiting to kill again.Scum Of The Earth (AKA Poor White Trash 2), by director S. F. Brownrigg, may not feature the highest of production values, and might be a mite talky for many people, but with a script that delivers some of the funniest hillbilly dialogue in the history of cinema (this one packs in every clichéd redneck saying in the book), great characters (think the Clampetts, only not so clever), and a smidgen of incest, rape and murder, it's difficult to resist the film's sleazy exploitation charms.Norma Moore does a decent enough job as the woman in peril, looking suitably scared (and rather tasty) throughout, but it is those playing the dungaree wearing, possum eating hicks that really make this piece of 70s trash cinema unmissable. Gene Ross is delightfully odious as Odis, slurping moonshine from a jar whilst slapping his slutty daughter to the floor and threatening his pregnant wife; Charlie Dell, as Bo, makes an extremely convincing moron; Camilla Carr is equally as credible as Bo's loose-knickered sister (I'd buy that for a dollar—NOT!); whilst Ann Stafford, as Odis's downtrodden woman, provides some much needed pathos.Added to this potpourri of Southern stereotypes are several brief-but-nasty scenes of gore (the opening axe-ing, an impalement, a barbed wire garrote, and a shotgun blast to the face) and a truly silly ending in which the identity of the killer is finally revealed; the result is a mighty enjoyable movie that'll have you smilin' like a mule eating' briars.And if anyone tells you diff'rent, don't pay him no never mind!7.5 out of 10, rounded up to 8 for IMDb.

Maciste_Brother The best thing you can say about S.F. Brownrigg and his films is that he had his own unique style and vision. Few directors can actually claim that. But are his movies really good? They work on a Brownrigg level but when you start thinking about them outside his universe, they really don't hold up. I enjoy Brownrigg's quaint "aw shucks with a bloody axe" quality more than the movies themselves. The same can be said about SCUM OF THE EARTH or POOR WHITE TRASH 2. There's actual attempt at direction and acting here, compared to exploitation films made then or even today but the problem is Brownrigg's treatment is better than the material he's working on. The story in SCUM OF THE EARTH is totally implausible: a big city woman is forced to stay with a family of hillbillies after her husband was murdered, with an axe to his chest, by an unknown assailant. The dramatics are not really believable, certainly after Pick rapes the main character. With characters dying like they're in a Friday the 13th film, woman being raped, etc, you expect people to react in a more worried way but they don't. They stay in the house until the killer reveals himself at the end, who just walks in the house just like that. BTW, the killer's identity is lame.What's missing is atmosphere. It acts like a complete exploitation film (gruesome murders, rape, nudity) but in the end feels more like a grubby afterschool special, with its focus on characters than the horror. Some of the murders were effective but because of the cutesy music, the horror elements were totally nullified. I thought the score sucked the life out of this film.I'm glad I watched POOR WHITE TRASH 2 (the version I saw on video). Like I said before, I admire Brownrigg's style more than his films. He has certainly created his own special niche in the world of cinema. The problem with this film is that there's hardly anything memorable about it.

dhtucker4 All my high school friends and I saw this movie at a drive-in. We still quote lines to this movie still! "Bo, git me a jar!" It was retitled as "Poor White Trash, Part II" - but there never was a Poor White Trash - Part I. I've been trying to get this on video for over 20 years, with no luck. It's so bad, it's funny. I think the budget for this flick must have under $50,000. The dialogue is laughably bad, the actors are godawful, the plot has so many holes like a broken colander. But to its credit, this movie is far worse than anything Ed Wood did - "Plan 9 From Outer Space" and "Glenn Or Glenda," etc. don't hold a candle to this flick. Possibly "Eraserhead" might come close, but I don't think so. To set the mood to watch this movie, you must be either drunk (half-in-the-bag) or stoned or both.

Casey-52 If anyone knows me, they know that I am a huge fan of the low-budget chiller "Don't Look in the Basement!", a highly underrated early 70s classic. My review for that film is one of the few positive reviews for it, read it and you'll see why. I researched extensively the works of director S.F. Brownrigg and especially the work of his amazingly talented cast. I discovered that Brownrigg used many of the same cast members in his other movies, so I jumped at the chance to find this film and several others.While "Scum of the Earth" does not in any way challenge "Basement!" scare-wise, it does feature excellent acting, sleazy atmosphere, and a grat storyline with many surprises. It was originally released in 1974, then re-titled in 1976 as "Poor White Trash II" and made more money than when it was originally released! Such a shame it has been neglected for such a long time because of its title.Camilla Carr, Gene Ross, and Hugh Feagin return from "Basement!" and all are excellent; Feagin is a lot better than his Sgt. Jaffee in the previous film. Carr easily steals the show; she was great as Harryette, the baby-obsessed murderess in "Basement!" and is better here as the white trash daughter of Gene Ross' drunk farmer. Ross was superb as Judge Cameron in "Basement!" and is just as good here. Brownrigg certainly knows how to build atmosphere with his low-budget potboilers. "Basement!" has a claustrophobic atmosphere with an overlying aura of madness; "Scum" has an isolated atmosphere with an overlying aura of filth. The setting is inside Texas backwoods and is just filthy; every scene in the house hints at humidity, sloth, and bad smells.Added to Brownrigg's familiar cast are Norma Moore as the heroine in peril, Ann Stafford as Emmy, Ross' abused wife, and Charlie Dell as Bo, the idiot son of the family. Well, Moore isn't any Rosie Holotik, but does well in her earlier scenes, only to slide into overacting heaven by the end of the film. Stafford is superb, the ultimate burdened Southern wife! Dell does well, too, bringing much sympathy from the audience for his sorry state, hated by his father and sister and pitied by his mother. Another note: Brownrigg uses some music from "Basement!" and the theme song, "Death is a Final Affair", is excellent! Ultimately, "Scum of the Earth" is a movie that must be seen to be appreciated. No review can do it justice, just as no review can do "Don't Look in the Basement!" justice. You can only find it under the false title of "Poor White Trash Part II", but I hope that someone re-releases this on video in a clean print with the original title.