August Underground is a 2001 Americanexploitationhorror film directed by Fred Vogel, who co-wrote it with Allen Peters. The film stars Vogel as a serial killer named Peter, who kidnaps and kills several innocent people, while his unnamed accomplice, played by Peters, films and documents the murders.

August Underground
Two-Disc Snuff Edition
Directed by	Fred Vogel
Written by	Fred Vogel Allen Peters
Produced by	Fred Vogel
Starring	Fred Vogel Allen Peters
Edited by	Kelly Hutch
Music by	Kaos FM Richard J. Donahue
Production companies	Absu Films Toetag Pictures
Distributed by	Toetag Pictures
Release date	1 January 2001 (2001-01-01) (United States)
Running time	70 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English

Filmed in an intentionally amateurishfound footage style,August Underground was met with mixed reviews. The film was followed by two sequels,August Underground's Mordum in 2003, andAugust Underground's Penance in 2007.

Peter, a psychopathic serial killer, invites his camera-wielding accomplice into his basement, where he is holding a woman, Laura, captive. Peter and his unnamed accomplice torture and humiliate her at their leisure.

Next, the two pick up a female hitchhiker. After Peter rapes her, he beats and leaves her for dead on the side of the road. After the duo are kicked out of a concert for rowdy behavior, Peter and his accomplice return to the house to find that Laura has died.

Peter murders an old woman in her home, then terrorizes a convenience store with his accomplice. They abandon their plans to kidnap the clerk or a shopper when they hear police sirens approaching. The two then proceed to tourRoadside America and visit a tattoo parlor. When the tattoo artist finishes giving Peter a tattoo, he and his twin brother are captured by Peter and the cameraman. They cut a leg off of the tattoo artist then bludgeon him and his brother to death.

The two hireprostitutes for a drug-fueledorgy. Petersodomizes one prostitute while beating her with a hammer. The remaining prostitute tries to escape. In the chaotic chase that ensues, the accomplice drops the camera — which cuts off.

• Fred Vogel as Peter
• Allen Peters as Man Behind the Camera
• Kyle Dealman
• Dan Friedman
• Alexa Iris as Hitchhiker
• Victoria Jones as Old Woman
• Aaron LaBonte as Younger Twin
• Ben LaBonte as Older Twin
• Andrew Lauer
• Peter Mountain
• AnnMarie Reveruzzi as Laura (Girl in Cellar)
• Erika Risovich as Erika (Blond Prostitute)
• Russel A. Sagona
• Randi Stubbs as Black Prostitute
• Stephen Vogel as Boy in Supermarket
• John A. Wisniewski as Michael (Dead Man in Bathtub)
• Nick Yatso as Bouncer at Concert

August Underground was produced, and directed by Fred Vogel in hisdirectorial debut, with Vogel also co-writing, and starring in the film's lead role. Initially, Vogel had wanted to make a "big-budgetzombie film", but felt that his inexperience at making afeature film would turn away any potential financiers.^{[citation needed]} With this in mind, Vogel decided to make another film that would help him gain awareness of his work and potential financing for the film. The idea for the film came from Vogel's frustration with the serial killer genre, which he felt "didn't show you what was really going on". Taking inspiration fromJohn McNaughton'sHenry: Portrait of a Serial Killer, Vogel wanted to make a film that was both "ugly" and realistic^[1] while also being unique and original.^[2]Principal photography began in August 2000, under the working titlePeter.^[1]

Vogel initially hoped to conduct aguerrilla marketing campaign for the film, in which VHS tapes of the film would be placed in random locations around the United States, such as parks and playgrounds, for passersby to discover. However this plan was abandoned following theSeptember 11 attacks and subsequentanthrax attacks.^[3]

Gregory S. Burkart ofBloody Disgusting includedAugust Underground on his list "20 Landmarks of Found-Footage Horror!", writing: "I'm not a big fan of this series, but I admire Vogel's fearless audacity in serving up the ultimate in onscreen sadism".^[4] Jay Alan fromHorrorNews.net gave the film a positive review, praising the film's performances, gore effects, and realistic quality.^[5] Chris Mayo ofSevered Cinema offered similar praise: "August Underground is a true testament of what horror should be; nasty, nihilistic, raw and real".^[6] Robert Firsching fromAllmovie wrote in his review on the film: "A grueling but important antidote to the plethora of films glamorizing serial killers,August Underground is not likely to find a wide audience, but will not leave those who manage to find a copy unaffected".^[7]

The film was later ranked at #14 inComplex'sMost Disturbing Movies of All Time, with the entry on the film noting its realistic quality, and "sadistically natural vibe".^[8]

In 2005, while traveling to Canada to attend theRue Morgue Festival of Fear inToronto, director and co-writer Fred Vogel was arrested, pending charges of transporting obscene materials intoCanada, when copies ofAugust Underground and its sequel were found by customs officials among the merchandise he had intended to bring to the convention. The charges were eventually dropped after Vogel had spent roughly ten hours in customs custody and his films were sent to Ottawa for further observation.^[9][1]

Ethel Cain's song "August Underground", from the albumPreacher's Daughter (2022), is named after the movie.^[10]

• Official website
• August Underground atIMDb
• August Underground atRotten Tomatoes