Father's Day (Review: World Premiere)

Father's Day (2011) 

By Astron 6
(Adam Brooks, Jeremy Gillespie, Matthew Kennedy, and Conor Sweeney)

I have just returned from the Toronto After Dark Film Festival's world premiere screening of Astron-6's FATHER'S DAY. I'm still picking my face off the floor. If Father's Day doesn't explode in popularity among fans of weird trash cinema, then there is no justice in this world.

Like a secret society of demented magicians, the film-making collective known as Astron-6 has pulled off an amazing slight of hand with their new new horror/exploitation/comedy masterpiece: Father's Day. Everything about Father's Day would lead you to believe it's a slightly tongue-in-cheek homage to grindhouse exploitation ala Hobo with a Shotgun. But this is only a misdirection. In reality, Father's Day is an epic farce of sheer lunacy and unbridled special FX mania in the true independent spirit and envelope-pushing tradition of Troma (which is releasing the film). Father's Day is like nothing I've ever seen before, but if I had to come up with a simple analogy, I'd say that Father's Day is like Hobo with a Shotgun meets The Toxic Avenger meets Macgruber meets Lucio Fulci's The Beyond meets Hausu meets Talladega Nights meets Evil Dead 2 meets GWAR meets Showgirls meets Deathproof meets an acid trip through a meat grinder.

SYNOPSIS


To truly summarize the plot of Father's Day is impossible without spoiling the film's deliriously delightful twists and shifts, which I would never do. This summary, however, sets up the basic deranged premise: a cannibalistic rapist who sexually assaults only fathers is pursued by Ahab (Adam Brooks), an eye-patch-wearing vigilante whose life and family were shattered when "The Father's Day Killer" raped and murdered his Dad. Helping him seek vengeance are his stripper sister (Amy Groening), a priest (Matthew Kennedy), and a teenage male prostitute named Twink (Conor Sweeney). I've only described the basic frame of this film -- it goes to places I never would have expected, and I was laughing, cheering, and gagging all the way.

Rating: 5 / 5 Raped Fathers

IS IT SILLY?

Father's Day is, at its core, a farce. Unlike Hobo with a Shotgun, which presented outlandish scenarios with a core of seriousness, Father`s Day is intentionally and intensively ridiculous. It`s a comedy through and through that exploits the grindhouse action genre and blows up all its cheesiest and most stereotypical conventions with the cinematic equivalent of C4. With every act break, the movie becomes stranger. The script, as you might imagine, is a wicked beast that`s hard to pin down, but the dialogue is infinitely quotable, quirky, and sharply aware of its own silliness. To explore any further the depths of Father`s Day's rollicking humor will spoil the movie. The less you know about the plot, the better. Just remember: never call a man a tree.

This image doesn't even begin to hint at Father's Day off-the-wall lunacy

IS IT SEXY?

Here's something I can tell you: Father's Day is wall-to-wall boobs, butts, and cocks! There's so much male and female full-frontal nudity in Father's Day that it might make Caligula blink. Some of this nudity is of a graphically violent nature (men beware: penis mutilation ahead) but for the rest of the time the camera lingers leeringly on female strippers. At Monster Chiller Horror Theatre, we place the bar low in terms of sexiness, but Father's Day more than fills its shameless and tawdry T and A quota.

IS IT SHOCKING?

Holy God yes. I don't need to tell you that rape is never a good thing, but it's also (sadly) true that we've grown desensitized to the representation of female sexual abuse in film. Father's Day turns this desensitization on its head by shoving our faces into scenes of male-on-male rape. You will never forget the horror of seeing fathers -- middle-aged, balding men in glasses and windbreakers -- being savagely ass raped by a cannibalistic lunatic. The gore is excessive and daring, and the scenes of sexual assault are brutally comical, if that doesn't sound to sick to admit. You will see things in Father's Day that not even you own sweet Pa could have prepared you for. Truly a marvel of low-budget special effects.

The stunts are also unbelievably dangerous. None of these actors are stunt people from what I can tell, but they do things on an almost Jackass level of full-throttle, gung-ho stupidity. Midway through the film during a car chase, characters leap from truck to truck and hang from windows -- but Father's Day didn't have the budget for stunt doubles and CGI effects. What you see the actors doing in full frame is more raw and real than any Michael Bay action blockbuster. And it's scary as hell; I am amazed no one died shooting these scenes or got seriously hurt.

IS IT SURREAL?

Hand-in-hand with its silliness, Father's Day is also a surreal trip into a world designed to look and feel like a grainy, reel-to-reel grind house epic while at the same time speeding through a minefield of acid-nightmares and filmtasmagorical stop motion inspired, no doubt, by the works of Sam Raimi. In surreal style and editing, Father's Day manages to embody the paradox of being incredibly derivative while completely and scarily unique.

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At the risk of making grand comparisons, I think that Father's Day is going to spread like wildfire through the genre film community in the same way that Pulp Fiction exploded after its first screenings. While mainstream critics lifted Pulp Fiction to classic status, I don't think the mainstream will cotton to Father's Day. It's too absurd. It's too violent. It's too enamored with the era of fuzzy VHS bootlegs and direct-to-video 80s cheese. But from the conversations I heard in the crowd as we left the theatre, I'd bet dollars to doughnuts that this movie is becomes the must-see modern film among genre, trash cinema, and exploitation fans.


Troma releases a lot of crap, but I expect Father's Day to become the new jewel in Troma's Crown -- giving this generation what The Toxic Avenger gave its: sex, laughs, action, and gore.

Rock 'n' Roll Nightmare (Review)

Rock 'n' Roll Nightmare (1987) 

(aka. The Edge of Hell)

Director: John Fasano

You can't call really consider yourself a red-blooded Canadian fan of exploitation and trash cinema until you've put down your hockey stick, set aside that Tim Horton's, and popped in a copy of the ridiculously bizarre Rock 'n' Roll Nightmare starring Canadian god of glam metal: Jon Mikl Thor. Through The Zed Word: Zombie Blog, I am covering this weekend's SHOCK STOCK weekend in London, Ontario where Thor will be a guest and screening his new project: Thor -- The Rock Opera. What a perfect time, I thought, to finally review this 'classic' Canuxploitation film where Thor battles evil with the power of ROCK!

Rock 'n' Roll Nightmare is inept to the point of self-satire but is nevertheless fun as hell. It's like the film version of every nerdy metal fan's adolescent wet dreams inspired by comic books and images of rock warriors airbrushed on the sides of vans -- but shot with a less-than-epic budget. It's an amazing gem of trash and cult cinema, and it's all set in Toronto.

SYNOPSIS

Metal band Triton rents out a farm house in rural Ontario so that they can practice their sets and get their fuck on! Lead singer John Triton (Jon Mikl Thor), a beefy blond metal machine who loves Canada for the arts, has a hell of a time getting his band to focus on their music. Between sneaking off to fuck their boyfriends and girlfriends, the band is being tormented by evil demons in the shape of silly latex puppets and Halloween props. The band is picked off, one-by-one, until only Triton remains. Then, the film takes a spectacularly out-of-nowhere twist that concludes in one of the most mind-boggling and cheer-worthy final battles ever filmed between good and evil.

Rating: 2.5 / 5 Smoking Puppets

IS IT SILLY?

Rock 'N' Roll Nightmare might give new meaning to the word. Obviously, the film is not meant to be truly scary, otherwise it wouldn't be populated by one-eyed puppets that smoke, ill-fitting leotards and metal rock costumes, and unforgivably bad monster masks. Yet, it's precisely this haunted house of cheap tricks and completely random host of demons and goblins that gives Rock 'N' Roll nightmare its indelible charm.

Was it good for you, baby?

Aside from the silly effect, actor Jon Mikl Thor brings the movie to a whole new level of endearing ridiculousness with his portrayal of Triton, an impossibly earnest metal band front-man. Thor is simply so clearly into his role despite the bad script and bad direction that his commitment to this bizarre movie should put a grin on your face. Watch him rock that mic in a red vest and belt out complex lyrics such as, "Energy takes me where I want to be. And you're where I want to be.Girl, you give me (give me) energy!"

The poor direction and production values also contributes to the film's silly factor. After creating the abysmal Zombie Nightmare (my review @ The Zed Word), Jon Mikl Thor re-teams with John Fasano to demonstrate that they still don't quite have a handle on this whole movie-making thing. Case in point: I REALLY hope you like to watch a van driving...for 10 minutes.

Someone needed to give the editor a hand on this picture

IS IT SEXY?

What Rock 'N' Roll Nightmare lacks in quality, story, and genuine scares, it makes up for in shamelessly gratuitous female nudity. Almost every woman gets nude in this movie, there's plenty of bouncing busts, and even the chiseled Thor gets into the buff for an awkward shower sex scene. There's no time to get bored with the movie with this much bare flesh on screen!

The always classic Handbra

Peek a Boob!

Oh yeah. That's steamy.

IS IT SURREAL?

Rock 'N' Roll Nightmare would just be another cheap Canuxploitation film if not for its balls-to-the-wall ending. As the devil appears to claim Triton, Triton reveals that he's been the only one in the house the whole time. All the other band members, even the one he awkwardly tonged in the shower, have been illusions created by Triton, for Triton is no mere mortal. In fact, he is THE INTERCESSOR, a warrior angel.

He-Man: The Rock Opera

The Intercessor looks like Dolph Lundgren from Masters of the Universe crossed with a heavy metal runway model. We learn that the Intercessor's imaginary friends were just a ploy to trick the devil (played by a rigid rod puppet) out into the open so that the Intercessor could lay a WWF beat down on him.

Arrrrgh! Cyclops starfish attacking!

Seriously, as the battle between the Devil and the Intercessor gets underway, it consists of Jon Mikl Thor grimacing like a wrestler and putting wrestling locks on a cheap rod puppet.

Choke the devil!

Does any of this make sense? Not one bit. But it's a surreal and completely left-turn from demon possession horror into superhero pseudo-fantasy. And I love it.

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Rock 'N' Roll Nightmare is not a good movie -- that's why we call it trash cinema -- but it's a crusty Canadian gem that provides a guilty pleasure for fans of horror and glam metal. Jon Mikl Thor is admirable for keeping a straight face as Triton (aka. The Intercessor). He's the heart of the film. Without him and the insane Intercessor twist, Rock 'N' Roll Nightmare would be little more than a dusty old VHS sitting in someone's basement. As it turns out, the film has enough kooky qualities and a cult fan base to support it that Synapse Films put out a very nice DVD full of extra features. More than you ever thought you wanted to know about Rock 'N' Roll Nightmare.

And Thor fans, rejoice further! Jon Mikl Thor has a brand new project coming out that's screening on April 30th at the Shock Stock horror and exploitation weekend in London, Ontario. I'll be in attendance to bring you a review of THOR -- The Rock Opera. Stay tuned!

Medium Raw: Night of the Wolf (2010)

 

Medium Raw: Night of the Wolf (2010) 

Director: Andrew Cymek

When people think of independent Canadian horror / thrillers, they tend to focus unfairly on the limitations of a low budget rather than the talent that often shines through. Medium Raw is the kind of film where the director's talents are clearly evident but the film may be hampered by its budget, casting, and production schedule. It is, all things considered, a fairly successful thriller with a strong comic book vibe. It also introduced me to one of my new favorite costumed killers: THE WOLF.

SYNOPSIS

In Parker's Asylum, the maniacs are loose and out for blood

The WOLF: an armored serial killer with deadly metal jaws
THE BULL: A maniac who kills at the sight of anything red.
MABEL: A raving cannibal looking for her next meal

In MEDIUM RAW: NIGHT OF THE WOLF, all are prisoners of Parker's Asylum until a power outage frees the inmates and traps innocent people inside. Among them are Johnny (Andrew Cymek) a cop looking for revenge on the Wolf for killing his sister, Jamie (Brigitte Kingsley), Johnny's ex-lover and a therapist in the extreme cases ward, and Dr. Parker (William B. Davis) the head of the institute. Johnny and Jamie must help protect those trapped inside of the asylum from being preyed upon by The Wolf (Craig Snoyer), who murders according to a twisted Red Riding Hood obsession, Mabel (Sandi Ross) an exuberant down-home cannibal, and the Bull played by the late Canadian wrestler Andrew Martin (aka. Test).

Rating: 3.5 / 5

IS IT SHOCKING

The Wolf is a fantastic and genuinely unnerving villain. With a menacing (if somewhat impracticable) costume, the Wolf cuts an impressive silhouette. There are several generally creepy scenes at the beginning of the film and later in the asylum where the Wolf is a real threat on par with any other costumed killer in the horror pantheon. His mask is like a bear trap ready to spring on your face, and he's decked out in metal plating and sharp claws. The costume, art, and set direction in this film needs to be applauded. The asylum and other creepy locales feel like immersive and claustrophobic environments were maniacs are waiting for you just around the corner. They never feel like cheaply constructed sets; they are the perfect places for the Wolf to hunt and play. 

The Wolf, out of costume, being trained to sit and stand like a good boy.

The Wolf, it also turns out, cannot speak because of an injury that Johnny inflicted on him during his arrest. That plot device, while odd at first, opens up a whole other dimension to the character  that, while I kind of saw it coming, was nevertheless entirely satisfying. The Wolf as a villain gets a big thumbs up from me.

Cannibal Mabel goes, "NOM NOM NOM!"

As much as I loved the Wolf, the real standout scares in this film come from the character of Mabel (Sandi Ross) as a gleeful domestic cannibal. When Mabel escapes, she tries to bond with her therapist Jamie (Brigitte Kingsley) by teaching her how to cook. Rather than playing Mabel as a menacing arch-villain, Sandi Ross plays Mabel as a very exuberant foodophile, except her meat of passion just happens to be human flesh. There are really great gore scenes dripping with black comedy as Mabel teaches Jamie how to correctly cut flanks of human flesh and properly cook a human rib cage. Her bond with Jamie also blends Mabel's love of food with a sexual undertone that culminates in a tasty scene that I don't want to spoil. 

When we screened Medium Raw in August at Horror in the Hammer's Fright Night Theatre, the crowd went nuts for Mabel. Sandi Ross's performance is flat-out worth the price of admission. You can hear how excited the audience was in our Q and A with the cast of Medium Raw on episode #16 of Screamwave the horror podcast.

Unfortunately, the acting of our two lead heroes is painfully wooden in comparison. While Brigitte Kingsley gave a good turn as Summer Vale in Dark Rising, her performance as Jamie misses the mark. She does not sell any of the romance or the danger she needs to, even during some convincing peril stunts. Writer/director Andrew Cymek plays Johnny, and he's not much better. Johnny's back-story and past relationship with Jamie is too angsty and moody for him to pull off seriously. It's not until the film begins to embrace its comic book tone and run with its black comedy that Cymek and Kingsley's characters start to come alive. This occurs, however, too close to the end of the film.

Watchin' X-Files with no lights on /
We're dans la maison /
I hope the Smoking Man's in this one

Thankfully, Cymek was able to land two other notable actors to bring some genre gravitas to Medium Raw. In the role of Dr. Parker, William B. Davis lands every line with a perfect mixture of menace, sincerity, and melodrama. Davis is best known to fans of X-Files as the Cigarette-Smoking Man, and he does not disappoint. Also popping up in a small cameo is
John Rhys-Davies, best known as Gimli the dwarf from Lord of the Rings and Sallah from the Indiana Jones films.

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While the acting can be rocky and too many times it hinders the dark tone that the film is going for, Medium Raw's gimmicky villains are a pleasure to watch. In particular, the Wolf and Mabel are worth seeing even if you don't care about the excellent sets and settings. Keep in mind that Medium Raw is not a big-budget Hollywood feature, it does have limitations. There are diamonds in the rough, though. Except for the acting and scripting in places, for your money Medium Raw is a satisfying independent  horror / thriller.

If you don't fall in love with The Wolf as a villain, and if you don't completely go nuts for Sandi Ross as Mabel, maybe you're the one who should be in the asylum.

Attending THE FESTIVAL OF FEAR at this year's FAN EXPO CANADA? Make sure to catch the CAST OF MEDIUM RAW Q and A at 5pm. I'll be there on hand with Horror in the Hammer. Come check out the cast talk about what it was like making this film.

Full Fan Expo schedule and details @fanexpocanada.com

And make sure to catch my daily coverage from Fan Expo over at THE ZED WORD zombie blog

Horror, Eh?: Early Canadian Horror Movies (1960-1990)

Today is Canada Day! What a perfect time to sit back and think about all that Canada has contributed to horror. From horror creators (David Cronenberg) to productions (The Changeling), Canada has definitely been associated with some truly unique and terrifying films. Here are a few of the most notable early Canadian horror films from the age of VHS. 

THE MASK (1961)

A cursed mask compels those who wear it to suffer weird nightmares and commit murder.

DERANGED (1974) 

A film about a killer based on the life of Ed Gein.

BLACK CHRISTMAS (1974) 

A killer terrorizes a sorority house with frightening phone calls during Christmas break.

DEAD OF NIGHT (aka. DEATHDREAM) (1974) 

Thought to have been killed in Vietnam, Andy returns home as something very wrong.

SHIVERS (1975) 

Residents of a high-rise apartment are infected by parasites that turn them into killer sex-fiends.

THE BROOD (1975)

A psychologist's controversial therapy techniques have a

connection to murders perpetrated by a brood of mutant children.

RABID (1977) 

Experimental surgery turns a woman into a sexually-charged

vampire who transmits a hyper strain of rabies.

PROM NIGHT (1980) 

 A masked killer out for vengeance stalks four teens at a senior prom.

TERROR TRAIN (1980) 

 A slasher is loose at a New Year's Eve costume party aboard a moving train. 

THE CHANGELING (1980) 

 

After the death of his family, a man finds his new home haunted by a spirit with a message.

. 

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME (1981) 

A series of murders take place before a woman's 18th birthday.

MY BLOODY VALENTINE (1981) 

A  masked murderer kills those who celebrate 

Valentine's Day despite the warnings of local legend.

VISITING HOURS (1982) 

After brutalizing a journalist, a misogynistic murderer attempts to kill her at the hospital.

VIDEODROME (1983) 

An unscrupulous cable-TV programmer's life descends into 

madness when he purchases some disturbing programming for his station.

CURTAINS (1983) 

Young actresses auditioning for a movie role are targeted by a mysterious masked murderer.

THE FLY (1986) 

An eccentric scientist begins to transform into a mutant fly after a transporter accident.

 

THE GATE (1987)

 

Three youngsters release a clutch of zombies from their suburban backyard

THE BRAIN (1988)

A giant, alien brain attempts to brainwash an entire town.