DVD Review: Club Dread
Club Dread (Unrated, Extended Edition) (2004)
Studio: Fox Home Entertainment
DVD Release Date: June 7, 2005
Directed By: Jay Chandrasekhar
Cast: Jay Chandrasekhar, Bill Paxton, Kevin Heffernan, Jordan Ladd, Brittany Daniel
Brutal As Hell Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
Review By: Marc Patterson
Pour yourself a big fat margarita and head on down to Coconut Pete’s Pleasure Island where the drinks are cold, the babes are hot, and every day is filled with hedonistic pleasures! Damn if I’m not in a Pleasure Island state of mind! I pulled this oft overlooked gem of horror cinema off the shelf the other night, downed a crapload of tequila, and threw my own damn party! Club Dread is the ultimate horror comedy from the guys you brought you Super Troopers, and Beerfest! All is suntans and games in the Costa Rican resort until a cloaked, machete wielding killer starts hacking his way through the staff, leaving cryptic messages pieced together from Coconut Pete songs. Coconut Pete (Bill Paxton), a washed up version of Jimmy Buffet (who does not like to be compared to him in the least bit!), puts his staff on high alert, but with the high probability that a staffer is the killer all eyes are looking over shoulders.
I’m going to just come out and admit it. This is one of my favorite horror flicks of all time. It’s right up there with the Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Psycho, Friday the 13th, and the lot. It’s funnier than Scream, and certainly should not be taken as a spoof on the genre. Just as Wes Craven forged Scream to poke fun at the worn out slasher genre, while at the same time hitting us with genuinely gore filled frightening moments, Club Dread takes it to the next level by injecting the genre with a healthy dose of humor to boot. What’s truly amazing is that a comedy troupe got it done with such wonderful results. Most horror writers/directors struggle to inject any credible humor into their story line. Hilarious that comedians can so accurately piece together a film that will make you jump with fear as much as you laugh. Even more hilarious that this is the best of the troupes films (though Beerfest was quite mind numbingly fun).
But okay, I know what you hardcore horror buffs are saying. It’s still a horror comedy. It can’t possibly garner 4 stars against the array of other films out there. And I ask how it is that bonafide “horror comedies” became the redheaded stepchild of the horror culture? When compared to more serious genre pieces Club Dread proves its value sporting incredibly nasty gore filled moments, several nice dismemberments, and even a few moments that pay tribute to those slasher flicks which paved the way. The naysayers can piss off.
I don’t really think there’s too much more for me to say. This is one flick that carries ample replay value, and after a hard day makes a perfect film to “veg out” to. With plenty of boobs, blood, and fun I couldn’t really ask for more. Easily I’ll tell you to add this one to your collection, but you make that call.
