Cinco De Mayo

I "highly" enjoyed this movie. I'm Facebook friends with the director, Paul Ragsdale who is a fantastic guy. This has no effect on my review. I was a child of the 80s and I watched horror films the whole time, and I quickly embraced slashers. As an adult, I'm a full-blown slasher addict/nerd. I'll take any slasher I can get. What Paul Ragsdale once told me was that he loves making horror movies that remind him of the 80s, and I admire that. 'Cinco De Mayo' is a complete throwback to 80s slashers. It's a great movie. If you love 80s slashers, I "highly" recommend it. It's a love letter to 80s slashers.

The opening with the hilarious host Stacy Monroe from the fictional show "All Nite Long" (a homage to "Up All Night" with Rhonda Shear) quickly says that good campy fun is at the forefront of this feature. But underneath the Pulpiness/ 80s grindhouse nostalgia and dark humor, there are some very important and heavy themes that (this being an entertainment page only) we can't discuss here. "Get Out" explored similar themes, but as always, A & P Productions did it first.

Those themes caught us by surprise since we weren't expecting to find them in a micro-budget horror film. But it's what made us such huge lifelong fans of A & P.

There's one scene where the soft-spoken, mild-mannered, and supportive protagonist teacher Humberto (played by Anthony To'omata, whose acting chops always show a sweet friendliness despite his tough-looking appearance-unless he's playing a villain, like in Murdercise) is unfairly accused of being a "radical" and an "instigator." A therapist also diagnoses him as being "predisposed to violence" and having "an Aztec bloodlust." By that point, the only things Humberto had done was try to inspire his students to respect their heritage and point out the violence on the streets around him. Those scenes are darkly humorous and uncomfortable. They hit a little bit too close to home, but also go beyond their overarching theme and can resonate with anyone who was a goth/metalhead kid constantly being associated with evil creeps just because of the way they dressed.

The rest of the plot delves full-on into the slasher genre while still using original concepts, such as mentioning legendary folk hero Joaquin Murrieta (AKA Robin Hood of El Dorado). Delawna McKinney also shows up playing a character that is so different from the badass warrior she played in "Streets of Vengeance" that we didn't even recognize her the first time we watched "Cinco De Mayo." That says a lot about her chameleon acting talent and makes us wish she would appear in more movies. Overall, this was a special film for us for us not only because of its creativity and originality, but also for personal reasons. Thank you for this one, Angie and Paul.

Tired of his failed efforts, a teacher becomes frustrated that his class refuses to accept his teachings about the importance of their own Mexican culture in their lives but can't do anything until a psychiatrist inadvertently unleashes a homicidal spree across the community turning him into an Aztec-fueled warrior.

This was a rather fun and enjoyable indie slasher. Among the better elements here is the fine way this sets up the solid motivation for the killer to go on his rampages. The setup here involving his unbridled passion and respect for reaching others who aren't receptive to his teachings as they're just out for the stereotypical party they assume Mexican culture to be is a fantastic starting point here. When added together with the racist treatment the others engage in around him, from firing him unnecessarily to calling him an immigrant and worse, there's a wholly worthwhile and engaging starting point for this one. That setup allows the film to become a solid slasher. The initial setups here offering the first shots of his snapped sanity by taking out those around the town who engaged in racial treatment towards him are fun shock ambushes while the low-budget gore effects provide a fun sense of cheesy charm. It becomes quite fun in the finale where the rampage has sparked action from the remaining townsmen that bring about some rather fun encounters all bringing about a racial tinge that adds a lot to this one which all combine to give this one plenty to enjoy. There are some issues to be had here. One of the few issues here that bring it down is the rather overbearing setup that tries to make a stance on the cultural appropriation of Hispanic culture but becomes quite over the top as it goes along. Serving as a means of instigating his rampage well with how the mistreatment and racial prejudice keep him going, it all goes on way too stereotypical to be realistic or effective as it borders on aggravating parody to work which might upset those due to that issue. As well, there are times when this one's low budget comes into play with the gore and general appearance, but not enough to lower it that much.

Rated Unrated/R: Graphic Violence and Graphic Language.