I could never remember if the film was actually any good because a lot of films back then I have fond memories of but now in recent viewing I see that they're not actually that good. But my fears were quickly put to rest when I saw this bad boy of an 80's classic. How hard does it rock? It rocks all kinds of ass. It owns the 80's movie. It is what I think about good 80's horror.
Script wise...it's perfect. It's tightly written, funny as hell, has great characters,a great plot and an interesting take on the haunted house set up. But best of all this film isn't just a horror movie... it's a freaking comedy for the first act set in the world of a horror movie. The humor comes naturally and isn't forced and is never too cute for it's own good. The writer knew what kind of film he was making and so he kept everything to make it fit in it's own tone. But best of all the film has a timeless and never feels dated. This film came out about 18 years ago and it's still freaking fun as hell. The jokes still keep me laughing and I've seen it a bunch of times since. I laugh out loud ever single time. Hell, the lines in this film are so damn catchy and the actors deliver them with such life that I can't help but to love them. Man, the script is so well done that I actually know them by heart. I can repeat every catchy line from the film out of the blue and they still make me laugh. I love it. What makes it so great it has a perfect mix of laughs and pure horror. This film is for fans of the genre and they give the fans what they want... but better then that they actually deliver a great film along with the gore and blood. This film captures an era where horror was fun and wasn't scared to try new things while still delivering a good film. It's a classic.
Cast wise...everyone is spot on. They all know how to deliver their lines and they know how to keep their characters alive and fun. First let's start off with our lead... Cathy Podewell as Judy" the good girl virgin". You know what...I love her performance. That's it. I love her in this film. She's really sweet and I love her acting... or non of there of.lol. You know what I know what I mean. She's not really a great actress but she's on that boarder line of being wonderfully bad. A lot of people won't like her but I love her. She's adorable and cute. Then there's Billy Gallo as Sal and Hal Havins as Stooge. They both are funny as hell have some of the best lines in the film. They are a blast. That's it. I love both their characters. But it's their acting and personalities which makes us like their "jerk" characters in the film. They're both jerks but fun jerks. Everyone else is great to in our group of teens.
Directing wise... I love director Keven S. Tenney. I love his directing on this film. I adore it, I study it and marvel at it. It's amazing. For the first 40 minutes it's mostly a comedy but he shoots it in a very interesting way. He has kick ass angles, camera moves and I just dug everything he brought to the table. The man knows how to make a cool looking film. I love his shots. I can't start to even tell you. This film not might be the most original type of 80's horror movie but it is very original looking. You watch this film and you know you aren't getting some low budget horror movie. No, the style here makes this film feel bigger then what it was meant to be. I loved how the camera seemed to just follow and move. Man, I just trip out on this film because every time I see I catch something new about the directing. There's always something new to spot. There's always some cool shot... or cool camera move that you never noticed before. So I love this film for that too. Not only that but Kevin doesn't let his style speak for him... he also crafts a great horror film. He knows how to bring real terror and fright into this film. But still it fits perfectly with the first part of the film. But I was also happy to see that even in the horror part of the film he never lost his flair for style. I love the floor shot looking up at Demonic Angela as she seems to float above the air... and if you watch the film with the insightful commentary then you've get a bigger treat when you find out just how they did it.
Okay, so you got a clever script,fun cast and an amazing director... so what else do you need? Well, how about an even better score. I love the music for this film. It was done by Dennis Tenny, the director's brother, and he creates some of the most unforgettable music for a horror film ever. I love his score. It's got balls and is original. I never heard a score like that before and haven't heard one since. I also loved the music they used in this film. They didn't just use the latest popular songs(like today's horror movies) or songs from a current popular bands or rappers(like they did in the 80's). Nope, they used music that they picked for the film and would fit in. The music is great and what I loved more is the songs that Dennis Tenny wrote for the film. I love "Computer Date".
