Brutal Massacre (2007)

Studio: Anchor Bay Entertainment

DVD Release Date: July 22, 2008

Directed By: Steven Mena

Cast: David Naughton, Brian O’Halloran, Gerry Bednob, Ellen Sandweiss, Ken Foree, Gunnar Hansen

Brutal As Hell Rating: 3 ½ out of 5 stars

Review By: Marc Patterson

Harry Penderecki (David Naughton) is a washed up horror director whose last few films have financially sunk like a lead brick.  He gets one last shot at creating a film he hopes will be his big comeback into the genre, and unfortunately for him it has to be.  It’s break or bust for the guy who made such classics as “I’ll take the Ring Back, and the Finger Too”, and my personal favorite, “Bowel Movements”.  With a documentary filmmaker in tow he heads out into the countryside to film his magnum opus “Brutal Massacre”.  Hilarity ensues as one thing after the other goes wrong, snowballing his personal disasters into an avalanche of pure amusement for us.

Brutal Massacre is one of the rare films that actually live up to its moniker “The Spinal Tap of horror”.  I went into the film expecting it to take on a horror element with a sub-plot of real killer knocking off cast members, etc.  But instead, Brutal Massacre is pure comedy providing 90 minutes of mockumentary mishaps and hijinks.  Anyone who has ever made a low budget film, or has been involved with the making of is going to have a hell of a good time with this romp through the nightmares of trying to make a film on a next to non-existent budget.  From dealing with prima donnas, to sound guys who don’t have a clue as to what they are doing, this is a trip that both filmmakers and fans are going to be able to fully appreciate and laugh out loud to.

It was a real treat to get a cast line-up Mena puts together for us.  David Naughton clearly takes center stage as the director on the edge, but without this brilliant cast of comedians and horror veterans this might not have been nearly as enjoyable.  Gunner Hansen holds down the film with an absolutely brilliant portrayal of a crazed ‘Nam vet, who has a few screws loose and is hanging onto reality by a thread.  His mere physical presence, with those big bulging eyes and goofy swagger are enough to have you laughing without him even doing anything.  Of course the knowledge that he was ol’ Leatherface certainly makes us cringe with as much horror for what he might be about to do, as much as we’ll laugh at the things he is doing. 

The subtleties in the filmmaking were as equally wonderful as the casting and are going to have you watching the film a few times over to pick up on minor details you missed the first time through.  On a second viewing I picked up on several humorous moments that were discreetly tossed into the background.  Nothing is better in a comedy than to be able to build some re-play value by tossing in those minor quirks.  And speaking of re-play value, make sure to check out the extras.  While not overly plentiful there is a Behind the Scenes featurette as well as Extended, and Deleted scenes, topped off by the side splitting trailer that had me at hello.

While not a bonafide horror film, Brutal Massacre is nothing short of an outrageous good time that any true genre fan must see.  Without a doubt this comes highly recommended.