KR FEATURES MODIFY THE MOVIE (2005) Directed by Greg Jacobson, Jason Gary Official Site - ModifyTheMovie.com The first thing that I want to make very clear is that MODIFY is not a horror film. Well, not in the traditional sense. Not in any sense really. The film is a documentary that delves into the world of body modification and the people who partake in this lifestyle. At first, one might assume that body modification only refers to piercing and such, but when you think about it, even something as simple as dying your hair is body modification. So pay attention people because if you don’t “Modify” chances are you know someone who does. If you don’t then you have no friends and should probably end your life, maybe this weekend. Please note that ending your own life would, in fact, be considered body modification. I’m just saying. I chose to spend time writing this review because I think the subject is an important one. How many times have you gone to your local mall and seen some dude buying a mint chocolate chip ice cream cone with more metal in his face then Dr. Doom? Or enough tattoos on their body to be a walking art gallery. We see these people from time to time and I’ll admit, even I look a little longer then I probably should. I certainly don’t think “Yikes! Look at that motherfuckin’ freak!!” I’m not saying you do either. I choose to look longer because it’s something you don’t see everyday, every week or even every month and that’s interests me. However, there are people who do see these expressive individuals and immediately pass judgment. “What is wrong with that dude?” or “Man, all that guy wants is attention.” I believe these comments are made out of fear and lack of understanding and that’s why I think MODIFY is such an important film. It helps those, like myself, who are unfamiliar with the subject to better understand it. No joke here people. Modify is a tough film to sit through. Directors Greg Jacobson and Jason Gary hold nothing back. I’ve seen enough horror movies for a lifetime, but nothing can prepare you for the real deal. In Modify we see people hanging on hooks, people hanging from people hanging on hooks, piercing of a penis, someone’s tongue being cut in half, cocks being slit in half, breast augmentation, liposuction, sex change surgical procedures. I mean, we see everything and everything is raw, bloody and damn real. It’s hard enough for me to watch someone giving blood, so as you can imagine I was pretty queasy during MODIFY. I didn’t close my eyes once though. Not because my balls are the size of overblown beach balls, but because I thought it was important to see everything the filmmakers intended for me to see. I’m very comfortable saying the documentary would not have been nearly as powerful or informative if these gruesome procedures weren’t shown in great detail. What I found most interesting about MODIFY, which came as no surprise, were the people interviewed for the film, which includes Erik 'Lizard Man' Sprague, The Torture King, Stalking Cat, Bear, Trigger and many more. I know most people won’t recognize these names, but I can almost guarantee you’ve seen their faces at one point or another. These “Freaks” talk about their introduction to body modification, their personal modifications and how they feel about Modification in general, which includes everything from how the general public perceives them to current laws surrounding the subject. Now here’s what I respect most about these unique individuals. Not once did I hear any of them speak ill about the people who don’t understand, and don’t care to understand their actions or lifestyle and I truly respect that. If there were one thing I can’t stand in this world it would be ignorance. You can be ignorant, but if you are then please shut your fucking mouth. Modify asks all the right questions like: is it body modification or body mutilation, do people modify for attention, spirituality or other reasons, what are the legal limits to body modification and is it an addiction. All these questions are raised to the right people and answered very intelligently, which is what made the film for me. These people know what the fuck they’re talking about. There’s not a right or wrong answer to any of the previous mentioned questions and it was really interesting to see the various answers. I thought everyone would be on the same page, which definitely was not the case. Overall, MODIFY is a very powerful and important film. I would bet my DVD collection and the family dog that it will be a more important film twenty years from now. Why? Because body modification isn’t going away people, it’s only just getting started. Like I said, the film is tough to sit though, but if you are at all interested in understanding why people would want to slice their tongue in half or dangle from eight inch hooks then I can’t recommend this film enough.