There are few things scarier than a good slasher movie. There are also few things less frightening than a bad slasher movie. The good news is that, sometimes, the crappiest movies make for the best entertainment. Brutal Massacre: A Comedy, is a “mockumentary” about Harry Penderecki (David Naughton), the director of such horror “classics” as I’ll Take the Ring Back… and the Finger Too, is planning his comeback with the greatest film of his career. But as one disaster after another strikes the set of the picture, the question begins to arise as to whether the film has a curse of its own.
The DVD bills the movie as being “’This is Spinal Tap’ for horror movies.” That may be a bit of a stretch. It’s not that good – but it is a lot of fun, and frankly, that’s what the Halloween party is all about. The film mercilessly mocks the clichés of the horror genre, even as Harry is desperate to avoid them. Instead, though, he’s saddled with an investor who won’t support a film without gratuitous nudity, a cinematographer who can barely communicate, and a grip whose urge to be a “team player” borders on the maniacal. While mocking horror films, the movie also pokes a lot of fun at the Hollywood establishment and the way movies are made. The actors are all either prima donnas or airheads, the guy who owns the house where they’re shooting is a complete lunatic, and Harry’s longtime producer is having a nervous breakdown dealing with disasters from filming on a shooting range to a backed-up toilet in the crew’s RV.
This is a cheesy movie making fun of cheesy movies. The production values – even for a mockumentary – aren’t great, and the performances aren’t going to win any awards. Fortunately, this is part of the intent of the movie, so it manages to get away with it. Still, it’s amazing that Brian O’Halloran (Clerks) as the assistant director is a far superior actor than any of the actors playing actors. That may be a new record for use of the word “actor” in a single sentence.
The film also deserves credit for throwing in a lot of nods to horror fans. Ken Foree (Dawn of the Dead) has a pretty big part, and he’s actually very funny in the role. Gunnar Hansen (Texas Chainsaw Massacre) is also good as the insane homeowner, and Ellen Sandweiss (Evil Dead) puts in a decent performance as well, and there are cameos by horror director Mick Garris and Fangoria magazine editor Anthony Timpone as themselves.
It’s not a great movie, and no one will ever mistake it for one, but it’s funny and a lot of fun for horror fans.
In other news…
Tonight we’re having the audience dress rehearsal of Bless Me, Father, the play I’ve been directing at the Thibodaux Playhouse. The show has come together beautifully, and my awesome cast has made something I think folks are really going to enjoy. I’ll have more to talk about tomorrow, but for now, just know it’s gonna rock. And that you can get ticket info from ThibodauxPlayhouse.org.
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