Bachelor Party in the Bungalow of the Damned (2008) 
 

Studio: Brain Damage Films 

DVD Release Date: October 12 2009 

Directed by: Brian Thomson 

Starring: Gregg Aaron Greenberg, Joseph Riker, Trina Analee, Zoe Hunter, Monique Dupree 

Reviewed by: Ben Bussey 



On the cusp of tying the knot with his loving but not entirely trusting fiancée Michelle (Analee), Chuck (Riker) heads off for a weekend of what he promises his beloved will be nothing but guys playing golf. However, that’s not quite the plan according to his lifelong buddy and best man Sammy (Greenberg, who I assume has added the ‘Aaron’ to his name to avoid confusion with Greg Grunberg of Heroes and JJ Abrams BFF fame). Sammy’s got the keys to a bungalow with a pool and a hot-tub, and has arranged the evening’s entertainment in the form of three well endowed and enthusiastic exotic dancers. However, things are not quite what they seem – and before you know it, it’s time for a battle to the death between drunk fratboy types and vampire strippers.

Here’s the thing with a movie like Bachelor Party in the Bungalow of the Damned. From the title and premise alone, you know not to expect a masterpiece. And when presented with an opening sequence akin to that of a Bond movie – albeit done on a home computer – full of curvaceous figures fading in and out of smoky graphics, there’s no mistaking that this is purely a film you are supposed to kick back and enjoy over a few beers, not take remotely seriously, and most likely forget about entirely by the time the end credits have rolled. As such, this is the kind of no-budget movie that seeks to defy the obvious critique “this is a piece of shit,” because it is knowingly so and not attempting to be anything more. Therefore it’s no longer a piece of shit. Right? Well, sometimes, maybe – but not in the case of Bachelor Party in the Bungalow of the Damned. Knowing shit it might be, but it’s still pretty much just plain shit.

Every crime a no-budget horror movie has ever been guilty of is applicable here. First off, it looks and sounds terrible, the horrendous lighting and muted audio making it almost impossible to follow the action at times. Still, even if we could see and hear everything it’s doubtful it would all make sense, the script being riddled with standard contrivances and dreary dialogue. While some of the gore gags had potential, they are scuppered by middle of the road practical effects, bargain basement CGI and the aforementioned execrable cinematography. And, perhaps most disappointing of all given the premise, there isn’t even really all that much T&A on display. Don’t get me wrong, when it’s there it’s good, but it’s hard to appreciate fully as – I think I may have already mentioned this – the cinematography is really, really bad. On top of which, I can’t for the life of me understand why Monique Dupree wasn’t granted more screen time, given that she’s clearly the sexiest woman in this movie. Ahem.

If anything comes close to saving the whole endeavour, it’s Greg Aaron Greenberg’s central performance as the beer-swilling best man turned vampire killer. He brings a likeable quality, slightly reminiscent of Jeff Anderson in Clerks, lifting what could easily have been a one note Stifler-type character to a reasonably compelling unlikely hero. But not even he can bring any credibility to the limp attempt at a dark, serious ending – made all the limper by how it wimps out at the last moment.

Writer/director/overworked multi-tasker Brian Thomson may well believe, as he sardonically notes in the end credits, that “gaps in continuity constitute the unconscious poetry of the cinema” – but sometimes there’s just no substitute for a well written script with good dialogue, that’s well acted, well directed and well shot. The likeability of Greenberg and the spankability of Dupree apart, Bachelor Party in the Bungalow of the Damned has pretty much none of those things going for it. Cheap and it may be cheerful it may be, but that will only get you so far.

Brutal As Hell rating: 1 out of 5