Brutal Massacre: A Comedy DVD Review

 

The Flick

Brutal Massacre: A Comedy is one of those films that some die-hard fans of the horror genre will love, however the average viewer will probably have a hard time making it through the entire flick without bumping the fast forward button.  I love independent movies that break the mold, outshining their competition.  This flick, however, is not one of those indies.  

Harry Penderecki (David Naughton) is a washed up horror director on a mission to restart his career by making a bloody indie horror movie.  Not since his film I’ll Take the Ring Back, and the Finger Too!  has he been able to sustain a healthy amount of interest in any of his films.  Also, every time he makes a movie someone either dies or gets severely injured, so Brutal Massacre is his last ditch effort at regaining the spotlight and proving that he can finish a film without killing anyone.  The entire story is told through the camera lens of a documentary filmmaker there to bring Harry’s struggle to life.  

The actors were for the most part competent, but sometimes the dialogue they were given felt forced, and the film itself looked like it was shot without adequate lighting.  Director Stevan Mena assembled an impressive cast for the flick, including Brian O’Halloran as the films AD Jay, Ellen Sandweiss as production manager Natalie, Gerry Bednob as DP Hanu, Ken Foree as the humble grip Carl, and Gunnar Hansen as the deranged property owner Krenshaw.  The comedy worked, but some of the deliveries weren’t as solid as I was hoping they would be.  It’s not that the film wasn’t good, it’s just that the film was the kind of movie that plays well on late night cable or bumming on a couch with a cold one, but otherwise is pretty luke warm. I’m getting tired of the documentary story line that has been used-to-death in the past few years, but the technique works here.  I feel that I should also note that Brian O’Halloran was particularly impressive, showing that he has skills beyond what most people know him for (Clerks).  

If your looking for a fun time waster I’d recommend renting this one, but it’s not one I’d purchase for my collection.  Brutal Massacre: A Comedy wasn’t really a killer film, but was still entertaining.  

The Disc

Overall there isn’t a whole lot of extras on this DVD.  There are some deleted scenes, a few trailers, a short Behind the scenes movie that features the actors in character talking about the fake movie, and that’s about it.

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