DVD REVIEW: FRIGHT FLICK (2010)

FRIGHT FLICK (2010)

Release Date: January 25th 2011

LABEL: Vicious Circle Films
RATED: Unrated
GENRE: Horror-Comedy
DURATION: 93 Min.
DIRECTOR: Israel Luna
CAST: Chad Allen, Richard D. Curtain, Todd Jenkins, Daphne Khoury, Adam Kitchen,  

PLOT: Director Israel Luna shows audiences just how cut-throat show business can be in this bloody outrageous horror-comedy that satirizes the filmmaking industry. When the air-headed leading lady of a B-grade fright flick turns up brutally murdered during the film shoot, the motley members of the cast and crew find themselves at the heart of a real-life whodunit -- and with so many competing egos on set, everyone's a suspect.
 

 
FILM: Israel Luna's TICKED-OFF TRANNIES WITH KNIVES (2009) was a fun revenge-thriller exploitation film featuring kick-ass trannies in full-on revenge mode. Luna showed himself to be a young filmmaker with a great understanding of the genre and having a blast with it. This time out Luna is sending-up the world of indie horror filmmaking in the farcical and light-hearted slasher Fright Flick. The movie opens with a slutty bimbo (Jennifer Garner) taking a shower. Good start. She's being stalked by a killer. She emerges from the shower and discovers her boyfriend's mutilated body. Obviously she's a bit thick and doesn't quite get that the blood-soaked sheets would seem to indicate his brutal demise. She asks the corpse "Have you been eating jelly?". What!?! She catches on and lets out a full fledged scream queen wail while simultaneously pushing her ample breasts together, nice. Turns out she's shooting a scene in a horror film called Fright Flick. We're watching a film within a film, a concept I enjoy ala Lamberto Bava's DEMONS (1985) and PET SEMATARY (1992). The crew roll their eyes at the horrendous performance they've just witnesses as director Laurent (Richard D. Curtin) comes to the starlets aid to fondle her massive breasts and heap false praise. The starlet retires to her room and is killed as the leg of a camera tripod is rammed through the back of her skull and emerges from her mouth in a shot that recalls both PEEEPING TOM (1960) and CANNIBAL HOLOCAUST (1980). Flash forward 2 years later and we're on the set of a second sequel to that film also helmed by director Laurent. This time out there's a new trashy starlet and once again a murderer stalks the set.
 

 
Everyone seems to be at odds with one another on this set. The screenwriters are hiding a new script from the director who may have stolen a script previously, there's scheming producer, conniving assistants, eccentric and bitchy crew members - everyone just sorta hates or distrusts each other. While the acting is fairly uneven across the board the film is populated by some fun characters including Charles Baker's amped-up gay make-up artist and Dick Curtin as the sleazy director is a lot of fun. Good cheesy performances that are hammed-up to 10 on the overacting scale but fun. Meanwhile the film's cast and crew begin one-by-one falling victim to the killer. There are some decent killings including a great throat slash, hedge clippers to the face and the aforementioned camera tripod to the head, not too shabby. The comedy is so-so but the whodunit and slasher elements weren't half bad. In a bit of genre fan service there are homages to HALLOWEEN II (1981) and FRIDAY THE 13th (1980) that were nice additions. Overal, not too shabby but a bit underwhelming.

DVD: The film is presented in 16x9 enhanced widescreen with 5.1 surround sound. The image looked fine but this is a shot-on-the-cheap digital production and lacks the visual flair and style of Israel Luna's previous entry Ticked-Off Trannies with Knives. My screener didn't have any special features but the final DVD will include the following.

SPECIAL FEATURES:
- Blooper Reel
- Severed Scenes
- The Guts of FRIGHT FLICK: A Behind-the-scenes Documentary

 

 

VERDICT: FRIGHT FLICK (2010) is a trashy bit of fun with pretty low aspirations that lacks the wit and spark of Luna's TICKED-OFF TRANNIES WITH KNIVES but as horror comedy send-ups  go this is loads more fun than say SCARY MOVIE. Not a classic but maybe a weekend rental. **1/2 (2.5 out of 5 stars) 

VICIOUS CIRCLE FILMS

DVD REVIEW: Ticked-Off Trannies with Knives (2010)

TICKED-OFF TRANNIES WITH KNIVES (2010)

STUDIO: Breaking Glass Pictures
YEAR: 2010
REGION: 1
RATED: Unrated
GENRE: Exploitation, Revenge-Thriller
RUNNING TIME: 90 Min.
DIRECTOR: Israel Luna

PLOT: When the innocent and likable Bubbles Cliquot shows up for her nightly stage performance with a black eye, her transgender sisters suspect foul play from her latest boy toy. In an attempt to get Bubbles back to her bubbly self, the girls take her out for a relaxed night of cocktails at a local gay bar. After a few drinks, the ladies’ troubles seem far away, and Bubbles’ friends Emma Grashun and Rachel Slurr convince her to join them for a triple date with a pair of charming boys. Sadly, not even three tough-as-nails vixens could be prepared for the ambush that comes next. It turns out the blind date is set up by Boner, the baseball-bat-wielding, tranny-hating rapist who gave Bubbles her shiner. After luring them into an abandoned warehouse, Boner and his two beefy minions unleash all their hatred on the unsuspecting ladies, leaving them bashed and bruised, but not broken. After waking from her coma, Bubbles enlists the aid of her friends – the sharp-tongued Rachel and the fiercely protective Pinky La’Trimm – to bring her attackers to bloody justice.The ladies get in touch with their inner Zen before arming up with an assortment of bladed weapons and dressing in their finest dominatrix gear (if their knives don’t kill, their looks surely will). Not even a man as psychotic as Boner could imagine the well crafted and ingeniously planned bloodbath that ensues. (from breakinglasspictures.com)

FILM: With a name like TICKED-OFF TRANNIES WITH KNIVES it's gotta be good, right? Enter a new sub-genre of exploitation cinema - TRANSPLOITATION. The film begins as we meet tranny go-go dancer BubbleCliquot (Krystal Summers) and her transgender friends, all of whom have awesome stage name: Rachel Slurr, Pinky La'Trimm, Tipper Somore, Emma Grashun, fun stuff. They're a group of fun living trannies who are out to just have a  night out on the town but all that abruptly comes to an end when they're confronted by a murderous trio of homophobes lead by Boner (Tom Zembrod). From this point the film is a throwback to the  70's-era rape/revenge-thrillers not unlike I SPIT ON YOUR GRAVE (1978) or LAST HOUSE ON THE LEFT (1972) ...only with trannies.

There's some Tarantino influence fully on display with plenty of tasty dialogue as well as a strong John Waters influence. The films is heavy on campy humor including a bit of a tribute to the infamous 70's porn DEEP THROAT that takes place at a hospital when Dr. Phil Latio arrives on scene delivering some deliciously lewd puns, fun stuff and obviously a film with it's tongue planted firmly in cheek.

Fun though it may be don't forget this a revenge thriller and there's a nasty bit o' violence perpetrated against this fun loving bunch of trannies. While most of it takes place off screen it is well shot and you feel it. I think the final third of the film is a bit weak when compared to what came before it mostly because the tone feels off when trying to transition from campy comedy and taking some well-deserved revenge against the perpetrators. The story feels a bit threadbare but when one comes to a film titled TICKED-OFF TRANNIES WITH KNIVES what do you expect!

DVD: TICKED-OFF TRANNIES WITH KNIVES (2010) comes to DVD by way of BREAKING GLASS PICTURES. The film is presented in 1.78:1 anamorphic widescreen with 2.0 stereo audio. Ticked-Off Trannies with Knives is a good looking indie feature with a vibrant color palate, it's been digitally manipulated to give it the grindhouse look of a well-worn print similar to PLANET TERROR (2007) - missing reels, artificial print damage, scratchy audio - you know, that old chestnut. I was sent is a screener of the film that contained none of the special features which appear on the final DVD which was a damn shame as after viewing the film I had questions.

Special Features:
- Bloopers
- Nacho and Chuey Show
- Chapter 4: The Red Pen
- Behind The Scenes Featurette
- Commentary with Director Israel Luna and Stars Willam Belli and Krystal Summers

VERDICT: A fun, campy and excessive film that sends-up the revenge-thriller exploitation flicks of the 70's/80's and is mostly successful. I think film is definitely front-loaded and the final act of the film drags on a bit but still a tasty b-movie blast. The DVD is available now from Breaking Glass Pictures.
 *** (3 out of 5 stars)

- McBASTARD