|
 Brutal
Massacre: A Comedy (2007)
R1 / NTSC DVD
Anchor Bay / 2008
Directed by Stevan Mena
Written by Stevan Mena
Cast: David Naughton, Brian O'Halloran, Ellen Sandweiss, Ken
Foree, Gunnar Hansen, Mick Garris & Tony Timpone
Review by Brian Harris
Intent on crafting the horror masterpiece he’s always wanted
to make, Brutal Massacre, Harry Penderecki sets out with his
crew to do just that while the cameras of a documentary crew
roll on them. Will Harry finally see his greatest
achievement take life or will the death toll and financial
burden be too much for LMB Productions and Harry to handle?
Cult classic? No. Masterpiece? Not even close. Hilariously
clever film with admirable performances from beloved genre
icons? Absolutely. Brutal Massacre: A Comedy is a smart,
fresh indie deconstruction/spoof of the genre and its
filmmakers, fans, actors and films that’s every bit as funny
as it is on point. The performances, while occasionally
stiff, are all entertaining as hell, especially from Gunnar
Hansen who steals the show as homeowner Krenshaw. I was also
diggin’ Brian O’Halloran’s character Jay but maybe I’m
biased because I love his work with Kevin Smith. For the
most part the characters were all big fun, the dialogue was
spot on and most of the deliveries were perfectly timed.
This flick was like a ticklish karate chop to the funny
bone, delivered by a rambunctious little Indian
cinematographer.
Brutal Massacre: A Comedy is a fun, silly pseudo-doc that
never really feels like an authentic documentary at all but
that won’t stop you from enjoying this tasty low budget
treat. Stevan Mena has proven he can handle more than just
retro-slasher cinema, which is great, but I still want my
prequel and/or sequel to Malevolent dammit! |
