Club Dread

Club Dread was one of those in-between films. It wasn't bad, although it had bad parts. But it wasn't really good, although it had good parts. I had never heard of Broken Lizard or Jay Chandrasekhar, nor had I seen Super Troopers. So maybe I just don't get it. There was a lot of opportunity for nudity passed on, and I think that might have been part of the wry, just-under-the-radar humor that this was so full of. It has been called a horror movie spoof, but that's not completely accurate. It is a full-fledged slasher film, but they are obviously having a lot of fun with it. But not all of that fun making and thinking up this film translates into fun watching it. But I will give them credit for putting something out that isn't the same as everything else out there. Kudos for Brittany Daniel who made this easy on the eyes, too. I'd say check it out, but just don't have unrealistic expectations.

With that being said, I loved this movie. With such terrible slasher spoofs as Scary Movie (I never bothered seeing the sequels) that was just one giant oral sex joke, this was a great breath of fresh air. The plot was typical (part of the spoof) and the acting at times hokey (yet again, part of the spoof), it's easy to get distracted away from the subtle humor and very entertaining dialogue.

Though the acting isn't classical actor's guild stuff, the characters are great. Especially Pete, Putman and Juan. I guess since I have seen the counter culture that this movie is mocking while spoofing the horror genre, it only makes it that much better.

If you're expecting a ground breaking horror movie, you will be disappointed. If you're expecting Super Troopers, you'll be let down. If you're expecting ground breaking in the spoof department... you might want to look elsewhere. If you just want a funny movie that doesn't try too hard and is entertaining on a subtle level, check this one out.

8/10

I see a lot of Super Trooper fans that hate this movie. Personally I enjoyed this movie far more than Super Troopers. I don't understand why anyone would try to compare the two movies though. They are two totally different style movies. Kevin Heffernan as Lars & Brittany Daniel as Jenny were both hilarious together. I personally thought it quite hilarious that a spoof of slasher flicks was actually a better slasher flick than most serious slasher flicks while being hilarious at the same time. It seems to me that the reason most of the critical people don't like this movie is that they took it seriously. That is the problem.

At first viewing of this comedy by Jay Chandrasekhar I dismissed it as a completely cheesy and off-the-wall spoof movie we have all seen many times already, and I was right! The biggest difference is that this fun film tries to be something all it's own, while still spoofing all the ridiculous slasher movies from the 80s. Bill Paxton was hilarious in this movie! It makes me completely forgive him for being in Titanic.

I'm not going to go on and on about this film. I'll simply say that if you are looking for another Super Troopers movie, you will not find it here. But Broken Lizard delivers a pretty entertaining movie that will not disappoint those looking for a fun ride.

Taken purely as a comedy, "Club Dread" is not a very good one. Most of the time it substitutes vulgarity for wit. Let's face it, when a film has a character named "Yu" merely for "Yu" / "You" puns, you know you're not dealing with any type of comic genius. But if the Broken Lizard people ever decide to leave the comedy business, they may have a bright future ahead of them in the horror field. As a slasher movie, "Club Dread" is gory and suspenseful, with good kill setups and the requisite false scares. The whodunit angle is handled really well - it's virtually impossible to guess who the killer is. Also, the locations are pleasant, all cast members seem to be enjoying themselves, and the two female leads (Jordan Ladd and Brittany Daniel) are too sexy for words. To be honest, I would give this movie ** out of 4 just for that scene on the beach where Ladd flips a guy over and then sits on top of him, but since I generally liked the rest of the movie as well, let's make it ***.