The Janitor

I had "The Janitor" recommended to me by two friends, and when a time came where the opportunity presented itself, I jumped on it like a loaded hand grenade. Best decision I could possibly make. There is a fine line between "good bad horror films" and "bad bad horror films" (see also my review for "Andre the Butcher") and this one stays safely on the "good" side.

The plot is this: a janitor is sick of being looked down on and kills as many people in his office building and at a sorority that he can in the time given him.

This film is not going to be something called a masterpiece. The acting is campy, the characters are caricatures, and if it cost more than twenty dollars to film this I would be surprised. But they make it work. Those with a sick sense of humor will love the non-stop jokes about STDs and semen. And the violence and gore is about the best you will find in a horror film, mainstream or otherwise. Star / writer / director Andy Signore seems to have learned a lot from Troma's Lloyd Kaufman (who appears in this film as a bum).

There's also a difference between good horror nudity and bad horror nudity. Some films throw topless women in the mix simply because they can, and others will do so in a way that is completely unattractive (see again "Andre the Butcher"). The Janitor has some excessive nudity, but it seems necessary and very "hot" which complements the gore aspects well. (I say "necessary" because the characters who get nude are written to build up to these things, unlike other films that have nude women show up without explanation.) Oh, and if you like the nude scenes, check out the Easter Eggs on the DVD. Well worth it.

Okay; campiness, humor, nudity, gore. What am I missing? Ah, yes, the music video on the DVD. This is also a must-see. The star not only wrote and directed, he also sings on the soundtrack and has made a great music video called "You're Gonna Die" which fits the theme of the film well and teaches you to respect your cleaning staff.

Rent this film. Buy this film. If you do not like it, I cannot offer you a refund -- but you will never have to trust another horror movie review from me again.

Blood, breasts, and cleaning products rain supreme in this soon to be classic film. Filmed with entertainment in mind, this gore flick has lots of sick humor! There isn't much justice my words can do. Just see it. This is is total B-Movie. B= best, breast, blood, bludgeoning, and bucket of cleaning solution. See it! The characters are unique and fun, the girls are hot or at least highly killable as some of the dudes scream like girls and get the plunger! Warning contains some of the best video ever seen of girls "having fun." Was seen when they first played this online. Is a must see film for parties and other large gatherings where feeding off one another's reactions makes it over the top.

Well, just watched the midnight showing of Janitor and I was quite happy with it. I'm into the lower end of the budget food chain. This movie had it all, humor and slasher elements. None the less it was a great movie and if your into the B-movie/low budget slasher/comedy flicks I suggest a watch. The characters are well played and fit in well, and some of the scenes are things well...you just haven't seen before. Trust me, I had more than one WTF moment. Like before mentioned I was pleased with it as a whole, it was a good movie and it didn't try too hard to be taken overly serious. I like movies that are fake as hell, if I wanted to sit down and watch something super realistic I'd watch the news. This was entertaining and innovative. Three cheers for the blue collar working man, you keep on Rollin' Janitor! Well, take it easy and happy viewing.

Poor Lionel is tried of taking crap from the workers in the building that employs his Custodial services, so he goes on a rampage mutilating anyone who looks at him the wrong way. Mr. Growboi s a fellow janitor who looks to Lional as a son and helps him cover his bloody tracks. However Mr. Growbo isn't someone you should spurn. With horror comedies, they either work or they suck. No middle ground here. Fortunately this one works, coming off as a moderately well acted version of a Troma film (Lloyd Kaufman even has a cameo). It's gory, has gratuitous toplessness, and is frequently quite fun. The character of Lional kinda reminded me of a cross between Peter Jackson circa "Bad Taste" and Orville Ketchum from "Hard to Die" and "Sorority House Massacre 2". My hats off to Andy Signore, TJ Nordaker, and everyone else involved in the production. You guys know how to bring a tear to the eye of a drunken jaded exploitative horror fan.

Eye Candy: Rachael Ann Bennett, Crystal LeBard, Stephanie Medina, and Tusdi Rodriguez get topless

My Grade: B

DVD Extras: Commentary by Andy Signore, John Carreon, and TJ Nordaker; a 58 minute Making of; "th Office is Closed" short film; Lackadaisical Music video; Photo gallery; Deleted scenes; and the trailer

2 Easter Egg: Bruce Cronander improvising & missing his cue; more nudity set to music

It was a lot better than I expected. The dark comedy was great, and there was also the type of humor that I think mainstream audiences would enjoy as well. This movie can be compared to Troma films because of all the sex and violence, but in my opinion, The Janitor seems to have more style than a Troma film would. Some of the shots and angles and such are really creative, and the editing was quite smooth. By some of the choices made with music and characters and whatnot, you could tell that one of the directors was influenced by the Coen Brothers. The Troma influence is probably a lot more obvious. Hell, Lloyd Kaufman even shows up as a bum...with a Troma poster on the dumpster he lives by. And with the line "That's my right leg!" which some punk yells after the janitor rips his leg off, there's another apparent Troma connection...in Toxic Avenger 4, the same line is yelled by a guy who gets HIS right leg ripped off. For a first feature, these guys show a lot of professionalism in their work. Fans of horror/comedy should definitely check this movie out!