Review: Ravage Nation

Text © Richard Gary / Indie Horror Films, 2023
Images from the Internet

Ravage Nation (aka Ravage III: Ravage Nation)
Directed by Michael Moutsatsos
Dondi Inferno Productions
87 minutes, 2022

Before I even start, please note that the fact that this is the second chapter in the series should not matter, and I will explain below within the review.

 When idjits refuse to get mass vaxxed, as with the COVID virus, the disease has the chance to mutate. So far, we have been fortunate that until now, the mutations have been slightly lesser in severity. But what if they got worse, instead? That is the premise, in part, of this film.

Jake Scozzaro, Ed Gage

By 2036, most of the population has been wiped out by CV5., Let everyone thank the likes of Trump, DeSantis, Bobert, Greene, etc., for this. According to the text scrawl that opens the film, mothers gave birth to human mutations in the forms of beast-like creatures, which hunted humans. If they bite or even scratch you and you live, you turn into a flesh-eating zombie yourself in a mere 12 seconds. All this info and exposition is presented before the credits (it also appears in the trailer, below).

The mutants tend to be people with either extreme white make-up on, or animal heads (masks), and they go around either capturing and killing humans on their own, or murder them in gangs, often with axes or sledgehammers, for some reason: a pragmatic choice may be that because the mutants wear thick gloves, I am guessing to help with the make-up expenses, rather than having to show the misshapen hands. If this is true, I respect that.

Rather than a narrative storyline, we see vignettes of people being killed, many bound up beforehand. The film is mostly monochrome, usually black and white, and the slaughters in red. These fragments are not exceedingly long, so if you tire easily, a new one is coming up very shortly.

Because Act 1 of this film is episodic, it really does not matter that there were two previous releases. There are very few returning characters, except perhaps one of the main ones from the previous releases, Dean (Jake Scozzaro), who has multiple personality disorder (they are legion, including one from my home town of Brooklyn, NY) – think of Split (2017), without The Beast – perhaps derived from PTSD resulting from the effects of the first two films (which I have not seen), after what happened to his family, shown in the prologue. He dominates nearly the entire Act 2. Amusingly, he kills a chained zombie who wears a tee-shirt that says “Vaccinated.” Perhaps a Right-Wing commentary, as they claim you will catch COVID even if you had your shot(s)? That is true because too many, as I said, have not had their shots to neutralize it communally. Also, one character discusses how COVID was invented by the Chinese as a chemical weapon, a solid Republican talking point. Again, I politically digress, but at least you know where I stand…

There is some humor here and there, seemingly to revolve around a ventriloquist’s doll called Marv, who not only Dean has conversations with, but so does a guy named Stan (director Michael Moutsatsos), who not only talks to Marv (and hears answers), but also to imaginary people. When Dean and Stan get together at a picnic table with Marv to play cards, it feels like sitting in on an ad-lib, off-the-wall conversation.

Another returning character is survivalist Silver (Ed Gage) who is into martial arts; however, his appearance in Act 3 is more of an extended cameo, though he does get to show off his “moves” with fists and a sword.

Another aspect I found of interest is both the external and internal actions of the two food groups, as it were. The mutants kill humans randomly but like to eat babies. This leads me to a question: if a mutant, also known as a hybrid, eats a human, is that cannibalism, as they are both the same and varied species? Anyway, the mutants mostly seem to work together (not counting the lone wolf zombies who are mindless eaters, as they should be) to slaughter the humans they consider inferior. However, the humans kill mutants, zombies, and other humans, the latter for the competition of food, I guess. In this scenario, the mutants seem more cohesive, socially.

While there are some squeamishable scenarios, the gore looks decent, but, though the level of violence is quite strong, shown steadily throughout the entire film. For me, I did not mind the monochrome, but the way the red filter is used gives a “tell” that a kill is about to occur, kind of ate away at the surprise value, even if it was obvious what was coming.

The ending is a bit up in the air, but considering the storyline, such as it is, it makes sense to leave it open ended, because a title card at the end informs of a Ravage Domination sequel. There is not an easy resolve for the world situation as it depicts; no fixes. Sort of like the end of The Planet of the Apes (1968) with Charlton Heston yelling on the beach, or I guess a better choice may be Night of the Living Dead (1968).

Though the film occasionally feels amateurish and cobbled together (yet it has won numerous festival awards), it certainly is entertaining. I may have to go back and watch the first release, and see the origins of the events that are recounted here.

IMBD listing HERE

Review: Bullets of Justice

Text © Richard Gary / Indie Horror Films, 2020
Images from the Internet

Bullets of Justice
Directed by Valen Milev
Zenit IT
79 minutes, 2020
https://www.facebook.com/BLOOD-Pi-1475601389429732

Post-apocalyptic dystopian future features are becoming more and more popular, though usually in the sci-fi (the danger of technology) or zombie universes. This film, shot in Bulgaria with local actors (with one cameo exception, noted below) spoken mostly in English and some Bulgarian (I believe) with subtitles, takes a different, action-based approach. It was directed by Valen Milev, who more famously gave us Wrong Turn 6: Last Resort (2014).

The basic premise has been told numerous times before, such as Captain America: the army intends to create a “super-soldier,” but things go awry. In this case, which takes place post-World War III, the soldiers are melded with pigs (say what?), who essentially take over the world until there are a few non-swine humans left, and the pig-soldiers are out to eradicate them through ingestion. Sort of like a pork-ified Terminator.

Doroteya Toleva, Timur Turisbekov

When our story begins 25 years later, our hero is Rob Justice (Timur Turisbekov) and his scarred assistant/lover Nina (Yana Marinova), who we see living in a shell of a city, battling some of the “Muzzles.” Y’see, them Muzzles are now the top of the food chain, with their favorite meals being of the human kind. Humanity has been caged like we do with cows and, well, the other white meat.

During the exposition by Rob to fill in the viewer what has happened, we briefly meet his father in a cameo by the great Danny Trejo (who still looks amazingly fit and gnarly for his mid-‘70s).

Meanwhile, those who are still out in the wild (as well as those captured) are physically filthy and dirt smeared. Well, so are the pigs, but in the real world we’re used to that, as pigs lay around in mud (to keep cool; they have no sweat glands, which makes one wonder about the expression, “sweating like a pig,” but I digress…). Oh, and let us not forget that there is a lot of pig shitting, the smell of which is apparently how they identify each other. Just be glad this isn’t in John Waters-style Smell-O-Rama.

Semir Alkadi

Even among the humans, there are traitors who are willing to sell out their fellow survivors to the muzzles, led in part by one of the more ridiculous characters, assassin Raphael (Semir Alkadi), who always has wind blowing through his long hair no matter where he is (and even if it affects no one else), usually wearing next to nuthin’. Sure, there’s going to be some sort of showdown between Rob and Raphael at some oink… I mean point.

Rob is part of the resistance and is sent to New York to kill “the mother,” who keeps producing all these pig mutants. Ok, let’s step aside for a sec here. This may all sound far-fetched, but hooo boy, this film is incredibly out there. Accents are thick, one muzzle has a face like a sphincter with balls under his chin that basically looks like a butt from the back whose name is, I kid you not, Benedict Asshole (Alexander Ralfietta), some time travel, and a whole lot of narrative inconsistencies. Camera glares abound and blood gets splattered on the lens. Then there is Rob’s sister and lover, a freedom fighter, Rakska (Doroteya Toleva), who has a mustache like her father (Trejo). I’m not sure if this is meant to be a dark comedy or not, but the shear level of insanity definitely had me laughing – in a good way.

Benedict Asshole

There is a lot of sex and nudity (full both male and female), and even some gay overtones here and there, though none of it is really explained. That’s the thing about this film, it is both engrossing, and yet has no problem making you scratch your head and say, “What the hell did I just see?” While we mostly view things through Rob’s experience, he’s kind of a Billy Pilgrim who has become unstuck in time, but nothing seems to be what it appears to be, and don’t look for answers. I guess the viewer has to accept it for what it is. This is also true of the accented dialog, which consists of lines like, “Bullets are always just! They are birds of justice, made of lead. If they don’t belong to you, they’ll never hurt you.” Saywhaaaaat?

CGI is used often and wonky at best, which in this case makes it humorous. Some of the multitude of people we see in a Muggle abattoir of human flesh are real, and some obviously made of rubber: light in weight and springy for tossing, but they look really good. Nearly the whole film is shot with a sepia type of lens, taking out bright colors and giving everything a brownish – again, dirty – look to it.

Did I enjoy the experience? Would I recommend it? Weeeeeeell, it’s not that easy. This film is definitely a mind-fuck, and yet there is something appealing about it in it’s inner insanity. I can accept the basic backbone to the story abut the rise of the pig soldiers, as I have read Orwell’s Animal Farm, which perhaps influenced the plot, but there are so many oddities that come and smack you on the face throughout that I would think one would need to be of a certain mindset to enjoy it. I will admit I laughed quite a bit at the inanity of certain scenes, and more because of it than not, it kept my attention. If I was a stoner – and it almost seems like it was geared in that direction – I don’t know what I’d make of it.

I would recommend it, but cautiously. It’s entertaining as hell, but equally confusing. If you’re in for a joy ride and don’t care about “sense,” yeah, you might get a kick out of it. Honestly, I did.

Review: The Horde

Text © Richard Gary / Indie Horror Films, 2017

Images from the Internet

The Horde                             

Directed by Jared Cohn

313 Films / Razors Edge Productions / Traplight Pictures

Gravitas Ventures / MVD Visual

87 minutes, 2012 / 2016

www.MVDVisual.com

When I first heard the name of the film, I thought, “I wonder if it’s a zombie horde or a vampire horde? Perhaps a demon horde?” From the cover it is pretty obvious that at the very least this is a horror action film. You may ask yourself, “Isn’t most horror usually filled with action (if it’s good)?” You may ask yourself, “This is not my beautiful…” oh, sorry, I guess my mind wandered back to the 1980s…

Josh Logan has many shirtless moments

For the action part, we meet handsome ex-Navy SEAL John Crenshaw (real-life bio-chemist and stuntman/martial artist Josh Logan, who also wrote the film) and his beautiful girlfriend, Selina (Tiffany Brouwer). She’s a teacher taking five of her (high school?) beautiful students on a camping trip to take photographs of nature for school credit, including two couples and an angry and spoiled rich gay brat, Riley (Thomas Ochoa, who has specialized in LGBTQ-etc. roles).

Unfortunately, the woods are full of, oh yes, the Horde. It is a large, inbred family, which they call mutants, as they are just genetics mixed with radiation poisoning, in a similar vein to that kind of group in films like The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974) and especially The Hills Have Eyes (1977… I don’t feel a need to acknowledge the remake). They refer to the females they capture as “breeders” and the males as “meat.” Well, that explains a lot towards motivation, doesn’t it? Love it when stimulus is clean and simple. Then add the ingredient of escaped criminals and mad scientists who are out to make some meth to bring in some cash to the congenital mix, and you have a nice formula for said mutations to run amok.

The enforcer of the horde in question is a huge more-brawn-than-brain escaped con with anger issues named Stone (ex-Football player Michael Willig). It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to realize at some point Crenshaw and the much taller Stone are going to go mano-a-mano. But that doesn’t mean Crenshaw isn’t going to have a few licks in beforehand, actually even before his class group even get to the campground (but no details about that, so no worries).

Tiffany Brouwer's Streets of Fire moment

However, the leader of the horde is fellow escapee Cylus (Australian actor Costas Mandylor, known for playing Lt. Hoffman in the Saw series), and Earl, the literal butcher, who makes fresh tongue sandwiches (on white bread) is none other than fellow Aussie Vernon Wells (arguably best known as Wes, the mohawk’d villain in the only Mel Gibson film I can still watch without wanting to puke, 1981’s Road Warrior/Mad Max 2); he has a great nearly-whispered monolog just past the halfway point. You can see that there are some heavy duty heavies in this film. Plus, Bill Moseley (Otis in House of 1000 Corpses and The Devil’s Rejects) and Don “The Dragon” Wilson have a bit of cameos, as well.

There are no huge surprises along the way, as Logan stealthily makes his way through the horde camp, killing without a second thought from his training background; “I’ve done a lot of things for my country I’m proud of, and some I’m not proud of,” he tells Riley at some point early on, an exposition to show he’s a trained military assassin (though I wonder what he does for a living since retiring from service). Actually, it’s easy to cheer for each kill, and it’s nice to root for the good hunter rather than the bad ones (e.g., Freddy, Jason and Michael). While abound in clichés and genre tropes, such as rising out of the water similarly to Rambo, this is still a fun watch. Truthfully, I’m not that much into pure action films with a hero rescuing his lady (in a tied-up situation reminiscent of 1984’s excellent Streets of Fire) by killing and beating everyone up, but this falls big on the plus side because the body count is high, the film looks good, and the action is definitely enjoyable. Logan makes for a formidable and likeable hero (who, of course, is shirtless as much as possible – including the scene that introduces his character – to show off his pack).

One of the mutants

The gore here is impressive, extensive and beautifully handled by a top-notch SFX team. Limbs are often separated, heads are smashed or snapped, and yes, an arm is broken a la Steven Seagal style. Also, the cinematography by Laura Beth Love is worth noting; there is lots of fog lighting giving us Logan in crouching silhouette, ready for the next move.

There are some double crosses along the way that you’re bound to see coming from a mile away, but again, so what. All things considered, part of what makes this film, along with the action of punching, chopping and hacking, is the direction. Jared Cohn is known for some heavy duty B-films, such as Hold Your Breath (2012), 12/12/12 (2012) and a bunch of the Sharknado sequels, so he knows how to frame the film into a positive mode for a genre fan. The lighting may be cliché at times (e.g., the smoky back lighting), but it’s never too dark to see what’s happening (for which I’m always grateful), the sound is solid, and the acting in commendable if sometimes a tad overdone (Riley’s pissy moments, for example).

The extras are kind of short, but shweeet. First up is a 2:28 b-roll (over music) of some of the CK VFX work done in the digital world, most of which look pretty good. That being said, there are a couple of fire tricks that are a bit weak as they look more like fire overlays than whatever it is aflame. Some of the splatter is obviously digi, but that is true for most films these days. Overall, the rest is pretty good. I enjoyed seeing how the effects were built.

Along with the trailer and chapter breaks, next up is the 16:36 “Making Of” (listed as “The EPK” – E-Press Kit – on the Extras page). Including on-set interviews with much of the cast and crew, this was one of the fun behind-the-scenes featurettes I’ve seen in a while. There’s no areas where it lags, but rather it keeps the viewers’ (well, this one, anyway) interest straight through. Somewhere in there Willig says, “It’s a fun ride.” And he’s right.

Review: Creature from the Hillbilly Lagoon

Text © Richard Gary / Indie Horror Films, 2016

Images from the Internet

Creature from the Hillbilly Lagoon (aka Seepage!)

Directed and edited by Richard Griffin

Scorpio Films Releasing

90 minutes / 2005

The film can be seen HERE. 

There are so many genres and subgenres that it is interesting to look at them over time. For example, there was and is plenty of Hillbilly stuff, especially in the 1970s. Hell, even Opie (aka Ron Howard) started by directing in that field (for Roger Corman) with Grand Theft Auto (1977); and Burt Reynold’s whole beginning oeuvre was steeped in it.

Redneck horror is also a sub-subgenre, with the likes of Redneck Zombies (1989), Bloodsucking Redneck Vampires (2004), I Spit Chew on Your Grave (2008), The Legend of the Hillbilly Butcher, and the short-film compilation The Hillbilly Horror Show, Vol. 1 (2014), to name just a small amount.

But there is also a horny human-like fish-monster subgenre as well, with the likes of Creature from the Black Lagoon (1954, for which this film is named), The Horror of Party Beach (1964), and Humanoids from the Deep (1980; remade in 1996). Yes, I’ve seen nearly every one of those I’ve mentioned in the last two paragraphs, I’m proud to say.

                                                                                          

Most of the films I’ve cited, with rare exceptions, are either comedies or unintentionally funny in a campy way (e.g., Humanoids…). But beyond humorous, they tend to be outrageously so, because if you mock someone’s culture, such as the white Deep South, you better make it obvious that it is poking an elbow rather than pointing a finger, if you want to keep your audience (commented on, somewhat, in the 2014 Bigfoot film, Stomping Ground). This is in the same way that films like Car Wash (1976) or Beauty Shop (2005) are presented, with over-the-top stereotypical characters that are broad enough that many can identify with and mock, rather than are being mocked directly (again, socially commented on in Spike Lee’s 2000 social commentary, Bamboozled).

But I suppose that I should start talking about the film at hand, shouldn’t I? Despite it being filmed in Connecticut (except for a coda scene in Rhode Island), director Richard Griffin tackles the Redneck/Horny Man-Fish genres by wisely combining them into an outrageous and profane comedy Seth Rogan would probably kill to be able to do adequately (he would fail, though still attract an audience for some reason). The acting is wooden, as usually is in backwoods low-comedy style, but nowhere near as forceful and purposefully as it is in his last film, Seven Dorms of Death (2016). Considering the decade-plus time difference of release, it’s interesting to compare them, but I’m jumping ahead of myself.

Hillbillies gone huntin'

In a bayou area of the Deep South, the trope of spilling toxic chemicals (e.g., 2007’s Wasting Away [aka Ahh!! Zombies!] and 2011’s Exit 101) into the water is used to produce a hybrid human-fish (that is, man-into-fish, not fish-into-man, or in today’s terminology, perhaps M2F[ish]). This brings four factions contentiously colliding together: (a) a group of young science students who are doing tests on the water (yet still skinny-dip in it); (b) a gaggle of rednecks (two are named Bubba and Cooter) out huntin’, (c) the hitmen from a pharma company responsible for the dumping who are trying to keep it all contained by trying to kill everyone involved (as a reference point, there is The Crazies, both in 1973 and 2010); and (d) the mutant/mutating fish people who have a hunger for human flesh, of course.

There is certainly a – er – certain level a cheesiness present, such as there always seems to be some fog around as people are skulking about, even in a basement. Also, a hillneck (redbilly?) gal in classic daisy dukes and a red checkered Italian restaurant tablecloth design top tied in front falls for a mutant-to-be, a student ends up being an escapee from the evil corporation, and there are hair curlers, beers, and white hazmat suits, along with nudity and lots of decent gore, giving an overall nice scaly shine.

The creatures are definitely a guy(s) in rubber suits – and considering you never see more than one of the monsters at a time, I guessing the same suit – but actually it looks pretty decent for its budget, and I was impressed by them. Truthfully, it looks better than many I’ve seen on shoots with a much larger financial backing.

If you’re not used to these kinds of films, the dialogue may sound a bit, well, stupid, but if you listen carefully with heavy dose of humor, it’s hysterical. For example, when one character sees the dead body of someone he knows, he yells, “Fuck me sideways! Noooooo!” There are also a lot of racial and ethnic comments, and including pointed towards the LGBTQQ+ demographic. This is, however, meant more to shine on the fallibilities of those who are homophobic rather than promoting it.

It’s interesting to see one of Richard Griffin’s earliest releases (which I haven’t seen many) and compare them with his latest (of which I have viewed a few). In this one, it was before he had his revolving company of actors and crew that show up in many/most of the later works. No Michael Thurber, no Sarah Nicklin or Michael Reed, and especially no cinematography by Jill Poisson. His later works have a “look” that this one does not. That’s not to say this film doesn’t look great, because it does, it’s just… different. Good different.

Over the years, there is more confidence built into a final product, and this one is definitely a growth work. What I mean by that is as one learns a craft, one gets better at it (one would hope), and not just in directorial skill, but in fashioning one’s own style and look. On one hand, I think I would say that this looks like a beginning film (it was his fourth) that one learns what’s possible and how to do things more efficiently and effectively. That being said, even with that, it’s actually above most early works of some bigger names (so far). I mean, compare Tarantino’s Reservoir Dogs (1993) with The H8ful Eight (2016), or Cronenberg’s Rabid (1977) with Eastern Promises (2007). The viewer can see the skill set growth comparing them. The spark is definitely there, as it is here, but the early films have a certain clunkiness to them compared to their more advanced counterparts. There is certainly a clunky, amateurishness to this one, but it definitely has that umph that would make Griffin so good at what he does.

Review: Catch of the Day

Text © Richard Gary / Indie Horror Films, 2015
Images from the Internet

Catch of the Day

Written, produced, edited and directed by James Balsamo
Acid Bath Productions
137 minutes / 2014
www.acidbathproductions.com
www.mvdvisual.com

James Balsamo is a smart cookie for someone from out on the Island (Lowng’Giland, of course). You see, he knows his budget is smaller than a Republican’s heart (or penis), so what he does is he goes to horror conventions to hawk his previous, fun films (reviewed HERE) and gets to meet varied and numerous genre performers, and gets them to do a bit here and there, and then figures out how to work it into the story.

A good example is the opening of this film, which is a close-up of Jason Mewes (Kevin Smith’s “hetero life partner”) ranting about the lead character, which essentially is a fun albeit pointless moment. Still, getting him to do this was – er – cool as hell. It also explains why the cast list goes on for miles, and there are some amazing cameos throughout. Brilliant move, as far as I’m concerned, and more about that later.

Rod (as in rod and reel?) Davis, played by our intrepid director, is a cop who is a rebel, ready to shoot and then ask question, and, well, a bit of a dumb douche. Mocking the older cops, not caring about anyone but himself, and way too fond of donuts and dames, he is – for the lack of a better term – not having a good steam of luck. After screwing up an extensive police sting with the help of his partner Harry Chu (Jeff Kim), among other things, he is suspended from the police force. On top of that, he’s just been kick to the curb by his girlfriend, Buffy Flenderhawk (Jennifer Banko).

Yet despite all his woes in the first act, this film is actually quite funny, and not just because of Balsamo’s self-referential I Spill Your Guts tee, which is doubly funny because it’s a cop wearing a slasher film shirt.

To me, one of the funniest person in here and in most of Balsamo’s flicks is Frank Mullen, who plays the villainous golden-handed mobster, who makes puns that would make Egghead and Catwoman from the 1966 Batman groan. Essentially every character he plays in a Balsamo release is the same person: the hot-headed guy who fuckin’ curses like a fuckin’ horse, ya fuckin’ mook! He makes me smile.

Which is a nice segway that brings me to the next point, namely that this film is stuffed full of racial slurs (especially towards Asians and directed at Chu, mostly by Davis, e.g., referring to themselves as “the gook and the mook”), boobs, dicks (full frontal), rubbery guts and gore, just as rubbery fish masks and hands, and those previously mentioned cameos up the culo. Y’got your Johnny Legend, Nick Principe (whose performance was so strong in Collar), an absolutely hysterical turn by the amazing Ms. Debbie Rochon, Carmine Capobianco (who was also great in The Sins of Dracula), facially tattooed fighter Tim Dax (who’s moment is very funny), John Link, Jake “The Snake” Roberts, pornstar/wrestler/journalist Jasmine St. Claire, many metal musicians, and even the Candyman himself, Tony Todd. Most of these short stints are close-ups of the person telling about how bad a cop Davis is, and what he did to them.

Kara Hankard (Donna) and James Balsamo (Rod)

The story is a bit of a hodgepodge: you have your mad scientist named Ben Jackal (Edward X. Young, overacting to the nth degree in a Dr. Strangelove kind of homage, and who was also fun in Mold!) making cocaine and also turning people into murderous fish mutants, a group of mobsters (led by Mullens’ “Man with the Golden Hand” – as opposed to arm, of course) who seeks revenge against anyone associated with Davis’ murdered cop dad (a hilarious turn by Irwin Keyes), a possible upcoming marriage between Chu and Davis’ sister, Roxanne (the fun to watch Shannon Mann), and the budding relationship between Davis and Roxanne’s bestie (also the assistant for Jackal), Donna (the lovely and wide-eyed Kara Hankard).

You may think with all these goings-on, it may get a bit muddled. Well, yeah, but honestly that’s part of the fun. This film had me laughing more than some mainstream comedies, and definitely beyond anything Seth Rogan or Adam Sandler have put out in the last…well…ever. It’s crude, it’s rude, it’s juvenile and it doesn’t really start or go anywhere; but considering the relatively low budget we’re talking about here, it’s a joyride all the way through its 2-hour-plus running time. Normally, I would whine about the length, but this piece of purposeful stupidity (there is even a nod to the kings of physical clowns, the Three Stooges) just keeps going like that battery rabbit, and kept my attention all the way through.

Just when you think it can’t get any weirder, suddenly there’s a Bollywood musical scene (in my mind I heard Anna Kendricks saying “What?!”, if you get the reference). Then there is an inserted part of the New York PRIDE parade, for no other reason than Balsamo was there with his camera; oh, and I suppose so he could also say that he had then-Mayor Bloomberg in his film. And a Stanley Weiner shot while the soundtrack played a gay song about wieners? Priceless.

Speaking of the small budget, I’m a bit baffled by one thing. I’m pretty sure a lot of this is guerilla filmmaking around New York and Long Island locales, but there is also a large presence of real cops interacting with Balsamo, including a SWAT team and harbor patrol. That was super impressive!

So, with some rough edits, some questionable acting, additional dialogue that feels ad-libbed at the moment, and an interesting mostly-metal soundtrack, this silly-silly-silly film is a laugh riot of childishness that had me looking forward to Balsamo’s next release, the vampire/mafia mash-up Bite School.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PKHGgo5288w