Halloweed

I'm a fan of these types of comedy which have aired on weekends in my rural region of the world since I was a child. So if the humor is childish then nostalgia washes over me. In the same vein as Cheech and Chong or Harold and Kumar or whatever that Egyptian stoner duo is I've seen ads for in my hotel on Jordan. I love those two

If you don't know that coming in you're going to be disappointed. It stars Danny Trejo, machete himself, and a guy from Scary Movie. That should be your first clue

As for the production value it's fine. They show editing skills I don't have and the shot with the semi was clearly storyboarded and blocked

Movies are for fun. So if you like Reefer Madness or Half Baked and immature humor and fun, this is for you.

I like to give indie films a lot of credit because its not easy to get a film completed. But wow. I have no idea what I watched. It took me multiple attempts to get through the whole thing. From a technical standpoint this was a big swing and a miss. The acting was so painful that not a single joke landed. This was a plot that could have been a big hit in the early 2000's with a much stronger script and a better team. I wish I wasn't sucked in by the title of the movie, it's the only element that works.

My quick rating - 4,5/10. I cannot believe it took this long for this title to be used for a movie. Anyway, 2 stoners leave town and move so the main lead (name doesn't matter, you will never see him again) can escape living in the shadow of his serial killer father after his execution. The bright notion is after viewing an infomercial about the loneliest place around, they decide to move there. There is a romantic angle, and a mysterious killer on the loose as well to attempt a plot. The movie is much more comedy and never really bothers to focus on the murders. There is much saving to earn any points and this is easily done by the friend in the movie who is completely hilarious in his effort to convince people he is not gay. It is worth watching strictly for that and is the only reason I am keeping it. Oh, did I mention that these two morons have to mainline pot to survive? And the town they move to happens to survive by living on weed as well. The entire town seem to be potheads conveniently. Grab your 5 footer and toke up, I would assume the movie will be damn funny if you are high.

This movie was exactly what I thought it would be and that's a good thing. A perfect mix of humor, suspense and a nice compliment of blood and weed. The movie starts out with a pair of lovable, down on their luck brothers dealing with their infamous father, played by the always wild and entertaining Tom Sizemore. The main lead, Trent Modine(played wonderfully by Shannon Brown), and his half brother, Joey(played by the raunchy yet hilarious Simon Rex) decide to move to the small town of Mooseheart to start a new life. This is when the story takes off and the roller coaster begins. As we follow Trent through the story he encounters some of the wildest characters you'll ever want to meet. The film is great for exactly what it is, a light hearted horror spoof. The cast is the highlight of this film. Tom Sizemore, Danny Trejo, Simon Rex, Ray Wise, Jason Mewes are all brilliantly cast for their respective roles led by Shannon Brown who carries the lead perfectly as the angst ridden, down on his luck ordinary guy that is surrounded by chaos and over the top characters. The chemistry between Trent and Joey and Trent and Madison is genuinely strong. The writing works well and the cinematography is spot on. I had a blast watching this and I'm sure you will too!

Halloweed is difficult to review because it's bad in so many ways. The cheap production value is the most noticeable detriment. The sets, props, and wardrobe look like they were slapped together for a student film. Meanwhile, the juvenile script is a close runner-up. The core idea of a stoner-slasher movie is fun, but the actual execution is embarrassing. The dialogue is stupid, the story is obvious, and the jokes are for fourteen-year-olds. On top of that, entire scenes serve no purpose beyond failed humor and padding the runtime. Lastly, there isn't enough characterization of our main protagonist. He is meant to be a relatable everyman but he is a bland, blank slate.

The acting is painfully bad as well. Much of that can be blamed on the material, but there are definitely stuttered lines and awkward pornstars. Plus, there are several technical issues like shots cutting off the tops of characters' heads, washed out lighting, tacky sound effects, and distracting musical covers. All in all, Halloweed is such a symphony of cinematic shortcomings that it's actually kind of impressive. However, that isn't an endorsement. There are better funny-bad movies to laugh at.

Writing: 1/10 Direction: 1/10 Cinematography: 1/10 Acting: 1/10 Editing: 3/10 Sound: 3/10 Score/Soundtrack: 2/10 Production Design: 1/10 Casting: 2/10 Effects: 1/10

Overall Score: 1.6/10.