Valkenvania - Die wunderbare Welt des Wahnsinns

This flick has just the right mixture of stupid, funny, gross, disturbing, and completely off the wall. And most importantly, it was reviled by the critics, big qualifier there. If this was a midnight movie, I'd go see it. It would be great to occupy the after hours.

Finally watched this movie last year after finding a DVD copy out in the wild.

My last attempt was in the late 90s when I was 13 years old and I caught an airing on TV. I was a huge fan of John Candy, Chevy Chase AND Dan Aykroyd, so I was pumped about this one, but it ended up being too weird for me and I tuned out after about 30 minutes.

This time however, I understood it much more and ended up really enjoying it from beginning to end. Chevy Chase is just killing it with the one-liners, John Candy stealing the show as a by-the-book cop AND his sister, and let's not forget Dan Aykroyd being the jack-of-all-trades as co-writer, producer, director and actor (also in a dual role, in heavy make-up no less).

Shame it bombed at the box-office, but I can understand why audiences didn't get it in '91, probably the same reason my 13-year-old self turned it off 30 minutes in: we weren't expecting those comedians we love so much to be in such a DARK comedy. It definitely was ahead of its time...

I can't help but wonder what Aykroyd's original cut was like, before any studio interference, and back when it was still titled "Valkenvania". He had planned for it to be more of a horror film with comedic elements, until Warner Bros demanded he make it a comedy with horror elements.

Either way, I enjoyed the final product, and recommend it to anyone who hasn't seen it.

A review by Jex Russell.

Okay, Okay. This wasn't the funniest or even the best movie ever made, but it certainly wasn't the worst. I thought the humor was great and I loved all the characters, although the huge baby twins were really disgusting. I loved Dan Akroyd in this movie. I loved the way his character talked and his makeup effects were great. I miss John Candy terribly. He was always funny in whatever movie he starred in. I think he was one of the greatest comic actors ever. He was the highlight of this movie. I loved both his characters, Dennis and Eldona. I think "Nothing But Trouble" would be classified as a black comedy but it was a good black comedy. I can understand why most of you would think this was a bad movie but there are definitely worse movies than this one out there. This movie was funny, entertaining, and not at all boring. I would definitely recommend this one to anyone who likes black comedies and to anyone who likes Dan Akroyd and liked John Candy. I don't particularly care for Demi Moore but I liked her in this movie. And Chevy Chase was funny like always. Like I said, this wasn't the best movie ever made but it wasn't the worst. I thoroughly enjoyed this movie and I'm glad that it was made. Thank you for reading my review.

The only film directed by Dan Aykroyd to date is this very dark, strange and completely misunderstood and underrated comedy.

I think the reason for its poor reception is comparing this to all of the other movies the cast had done to that point.

Chevy Chase the films main star made many good films such as Caddyshack, the Vacation series, Fletch and Funny Farm.

Aykroyd of course was huge off the success of both Ghostbusters pictures, John Candy had done Planes, Trains and Automobiles, Uncle Buck and even had a cameo in Home Alone the highest grossing comedy of all time at that point.

And then of course Demi Moore had just finished Ghost which was a huge smash hit so it would only be fair to expect with this cast and Aykroyd directing that this would be a film of similar quality.

The thing is many dont understand that as a screenwriter Aykroyd has been known to have very far-fetched ideas to which many directors have to say they cannot be filmed.

He apparently directed this movie after his buddies John Hughes and John Landis turned it down even though he didnt want to he knew it was necessary to get the film made.

Aykroyd's direction I feel is the main reason people misunderstand this movie. Keep in mind he also wrote this movie and played two large roles requiring heavy amounts of makeup. He also took every suggestion to heart from the cast and crew which resulted in some strangeness to say the least.

At one point he had monitors for his actors to view their performances and allowed them to make changes they saw fit and that is where I think the performances look different from any of the main casts other films.

Chase looks bored out of his mind as if he thinks the movie sucks and just wants a paycheck. We know he can show range when he wants to (Funny Farm is a great example of this.)

Aykroyd gives the best performance in the movie as the Reeve and provides some laughs.

Candy looks like he just wants to do his best for his buddy Aykroyd but in his role as Dennis the police officer he seems depressed and is really the only voice of reason. He also is in drag as Aykroyd's granddaughter who has affection for Chase. This performance is actually pretty funny.

Moore comes across extremely ambitious. Like Chase it seems she is aware that this movie is not the best fit for her talent but nonetheless she does her very best to work with the material she has and does well with it.

In order for this movie to be enjoyed you have to forget that this talented cast made better movies before and in the case of Moore especially since and just enjoy it as a pretty crappy movie that's actually fun because it is so bad.

That's why I like this movie. It truly is the definition of a so bad it's fun movie. I think Aykroyd as director felt there would be an audience out there that would appreciate this movie as such.

This is not Vacation, Ghostbusters, Planes, Trains and Automobiles or Ghost.

It's a funny quirky movie that is a lot of fun just for being so weird.

Go into it with that expectation and you should have some fun.

It's the kind of movie I like to watch on a bad day and have some laughs from its sheer quirkiness.

If your idea of a dark comedy is something like "Beetlejuice" or "Deathtrap" or "Heathers", then watch out. This one makes them look like Peewee's Playhouse.

You know how certain horror movies cross over into comedy? Like when Freddy Krueger says "Welcome to prime time b!tch!!" and slams a girl's head into the TV? Well, this is the opposite: comedy crossing over into horror. It gets pretty weird, and if you're not expecting it, it can be downright upsetting.

I think that's what makes so many people hate this movie. With an all-star comedic cast like it has, it promises to be a laugh riot like the DVD cover says. I was expecting something like "Ghostbusters" meets "Fletch" meets "Summer Rental". Instead it's more like "Planes, Trains & Automobiles" meets "Deliverance". In other words the comedy is very low-key, not quite enough to offset the disturbing story.

Dan Akroyd, who plays a sadistic murdering judge, is just plain frightening. John Candy, who plays the sympathetic policeman, gives the story an air of tragedy. Chevy Chase is his usual wisecracking self, but it can't compete with the horror & violence of the plot (being trapped in a hicktown house while people are getting brutally murdered all around you). You really have to be ready for it, otherwise you might end up traumatized. The "Bonestripper" scene will give lifelong nightmares to any kid under the age of 12, as well as impressionable adults.

But now that you've been warned, perhaps you'll be able to take it in stride. I'm not sure if writer Dan Akroyd intended this to be so nightmarish, but it sure is. Definitely a one-of-a-kind. NOT for young kids!!