Harry Penderecki, famed horror shlock-meister of the 80's, finds his beloved career spiraling downwards and his fan base reduced to maniacal stalkers at horror conventions. In an effort to reinvent his films and reclaim his star status, he sets out to make his most ambitious film yet: The "sophisticated and unique" slasher film known as..."Brutal Massacre". With a crew in place and a location scouted from the hands of a foul mouthed, unhinged 'Nam vet, he sets out to bring his vision to life...only to see everything fall apart and have all the mayhem captured on film by a trailing documentarian's camera. A massacre, indeed!
Brutal Massacre is not a horror film. Really, what made you think it would be?
It's evident of that thanks simply to the subtitle of the film. The complete title is "Brutal Massacre: A Comedy". But I think it's a bit more intriguing to show a film called "Brutal Massacre" in which the cover depicts a severed hand in a bucket of popcorn. Who knows what you're in for?? The fact is...you're in store for a fan service mockumentary. The critic's declaration of "Spinal Tap for horror fans" is perfectly astute and the whole thing feels like Roger Corman, or perhaps (and most similar to) a modern day Edward D. Wood trying to make their one last big break. In fact, the perfect description of the film is a horror film version of Spinal Tap meets Ed Wood (the Tim Burton film). In that, we have a genuinely funny and supremely entertaining comedy that not only brings smile to your face, but also embraces both the bloodthirsty film industry and the film genre that we love and respect.
Of course, the film is helped by the wonderful cast at hand and the great script that they have to work with. It's almost like a who's who of cult figures. Sure, some names are missing...Hodder, Englund, Todd, Campbell...but you can spot them in other tongue-in-cheek fan service films like The Rise of Leslie Vernon and Hatchet. Well, except for Campbell that is. On deck we've got David Naughton (a very, very game actor who made his mark as the protagonist in American Werewolf in London) along with Ken Foree (Dawn of the Dead, the original Romero version), Ellen Sandweiss and Betsy Baker (two of the original girls from The Evil Dead), Gunnar Hansen (the original Leatherface himself) along with fun, fan favorites more akin to the comedy world like Brian O'Halloran (Dante from Clerks) and Gary Bednob (the angry, foul mouthed little Indian man from The 40 Year Old Virgin). It all makes for a cast that is having an outstanding time. And a happy cast equates to a happy viewer.
The best of the bunch? Naughton is fantastic and lovable as the increasingly frustrated (though vaguely naive) director..yes, very much like Ed Wood! You also can't go wrong with Brian O'Halloran who, as proven in Clerks, can play frustrated to a T! But the true stand out is Gunner Hansen. His character, Krenshaw, is the stuff that cult characters are made of. I'd put him up with the likes of Greedy G and Satan Man. He's basically a really, really pi$$ed off Vietnam vet who the crew rents a house from. Almost everytime he appears, he is accompanied by a loud "BOO!" crescendo (it works..not as a scare element but as comedic gold) and a truly maniacal stare. His mouth is second to none in pure profanity and he looks as if he'll murder anyone in sight in a second and do it all with a happy, psychotic grin on his face.
These wonderful characters are brought to life with a great script by Stevan Mena. If his name sounds familiar, it's because he debuted with the "had potential, but just ok overall" throwback slasher known as Malevolence. The guy is truly a fan of the genre and explores the intricacies of a cult filmmaker. Harry Penderecki is a man with films entitled "Sasquatch at the Mall", "Bowel Movement", "People Pesticide" and of course "I'll Take the Ring Back and the Finger Too". His fictional films are the stuff that Troma would kill to have in their lineup and the stuff that Roger Corman would be proud to endorse. So we have a cult filmmaker who finds himself jaded with modern day horror and attempts to bring himself back into the good graces by reestablishing his name in the echelons of horror fame. Then comes the rest of the cast, each with their own little intricacies and elements that make them fun (if ill tempered) people. This mockumentary explores not only the world of Harry Penderecki but also the filmmaking business and just about every step that he must go through to bring his vision to life. Naturally, it all falls apart in incredibly horrible, but hilarious, ways. It all works like a charm.
If there's a downside to this film, it is that it can be a bit too silly for it's own good at times. It is actually very easy to bypass this as, when you look at it, the film is just a goofy, mockumentary meant for laughs. Then again, one really has to wonder how exactly Penderecki makes it through the film alive! You'll see what I mean..
It's technically not a horror film..but then only horror fans can TRULY appreciate what is on film here. It's fan service to see some of our favorite icons hamming it up and playing their comedy chops. There's not really much more to say about this film other than that it is a well written and well put together mocku that celebrates the genre we love and what a pain in the neck it can be sometimes. Penderecki and his crew are fun and lovable characters and, although the circumstances seem larger than life and can get a bit too wacky for the proceedings, it's all in good fun. If you enjoy a fun ensemble piece or a good old fashioned mockumentary, this is a fun film. Even non-horror movie goers can enjoy it.
Mis thrown knives...intentionally bad actors...angry/happy drunks...2 story attempted suicide dives...knife wielding FX guy...Mick Garris as himself...karate chopping cameramen...trigger happy hunters..."Mario Bros." endings...all par for the course of Brutal Massacre
Funny, goofy and silly, but a hell of a lot of fun. Oh and gratuitous, out of focus nudity. Because as the redneck financier says: "You can't sell a scare flick without tits!"
KRENSHAW!! My new favorite character! Seriously... it's like I want to high-five him, but I'm afraid he'll stab me in the process.
Yeah, that looks pretty crappy. No wonder Penderecki is so frustrated.
LMB prodcutions. The L stands for "Lick"... the M stands for "My" and the B stands for... I'll give you a hint... It's not "Bookshelf"
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