A group of friends are stranded in the woods after their car breaks down. They stumble up on the house of a sadistic family and find their secret locked downstairs. Ah hell, I’ll tell you it is a metal mouth with an appetite for human flesh. Sound familiar?
Now you can’t give a horror movie reviewer a movie like this and expect me not to pick up on all the “homages” to classic horror films. The sledgehammer whack is a near copy of TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE. You even have a Bill Moseley character straight out of THE DEVIL’S REJECTS sporting a bloodied goatee and a gross pot belly. Clint Glenn runs in nothing but his undies, a veil of blood, and a chainsaw accessory. Tell me you don’t think of Christian Bale in AMERICAN PSYCHO. Luckily for Glenn, and the lady viewers, he can pull it off. Yummy.
And while some of these mentions may annoy the hell out of some people who would refer to them as rip offs, I think some of these cases should be considered more like updates. For instance, everyone knows the obligatory “dinner scene” that accompanies most cannibal or torture porn flicks. Well, surprise! It’s here too. But at least Nott made it his own. When I saw the victims sitting around a table, I rolled my eyes. But then it turned into an interesting game when the victims are prodded into selling out their own friends and negotiating body parts. You will giggle with glee when you hear one girl say, “Cut the bitch’s eyes out.”
The cast from Nott’s previous THE QUICK AND THE UNDEAD appear here as well, which is not a bad thing since I am fond of Glenn and actress Erin McCarthy. But the stand out actor was Parrish Randall. He reminds me of a young Harvey Keitel straight out of the old biker movies. Homeboy is confined to a wheelchair, but that doesn’t stop him from trying to rape a victim fully capable of running away!
Some other Texas filmmakers helped out on the production as well like Mel House (CLOSET SPACE) and Stacey Davidson (SWEATSHOP). As an added bonus, you see Mel get shot! Also included in the mix is a Minnie Driver looka-like, a Token Black, and a redneck that says, “We ain’t got no diggity dang coolant.”
The lighting and sound were a problem at times, but when you are getting wrapped up in seeing people butchered, who really gives a fuck anyway. And that is one of the best selling points in Nott’s film. That he doesn’t scrimp in the gore department and he maintained action through out the majority of the film.
Favorite Quote: “You spittin’ in my face, you face-spittin’ motherfucker!”
Bottom Line: Definitely recommended for Texas Chainsaw Massacre fans. This will fit in nicely with your collection.
Rating: 7/10
