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Film: Club Dread
Year: 2004
Director: Jay Chandrasekhar
Writer: Jay Chandrasekhar, Kevin Herrernan, Steve Lemme, Paul Soter and Erik Stolhanske
Starring: Jay Chandrasekhar, Bill Paxton and Kevin Heffernan
Review:
This was a film I checked out when I was in college, because I was a fan of Broken Lizard’s earlier film Super Troopers. I will admit that the first time, I wasn’t the biggest fan of horror/comedies, but this was one that I had been meaning to revisit. I do know that it would also be on the movie channels so I’d watch parts. I’ve now given it another watch with a critical eye for my Foray through the Fours.
Synopsis: a serial killer interrupts the fun at the swanky Coconut Pete’s (Bill Paxton) Beach Resort – a hedonistic island paradise for swingers – it’s up to the club’s staff to stop the violence…or at least hide it.
We kick this film off with Stacy (Elena Lyons) and Rolo (Dan Montgomery Jr.) going into the woods to hook up. Stacy sees a hooded figure and this makes her uncomfortable. They end up going to an old graveyard. Stacy thinks she hears something and they attack a statue, thinking it is a person. They are then joined by Kellie (Tanja Reichert). The plan is then to go into a mausoleum to hook up. They are then attacked and killed by this hooded figure. Stacy does almost get back to the resort before being decapitated.
The film then informs us we are going back one hour and we see a boat arriving at the island. This island is near Costa Rica and we follow Lars (Kevin Heffernan). He is the new masseur for the island, but no one knows him. He ends up meeting the other workers as he goes. There is Jenny (Brittany Daniel) who is the fitness instructor. Juan (Steve Lemme) who is in charge of diving. Putman (Jay Chandrasekhar) who oversees tennis. There’s an interesting interaction with the nephew, Dave (Paul Soter), of the owner and he handles DJing and drugs. There is also Sam (Erik Stolhanske) who is the fun police and Yu (Lindsay Price). There is of course the owner, Coconut Pete (Bill Paxton), who is a knock off Jimmy Buffet, but he claims to have come out 7 years prior.
Things on the island start off fine, but as we already know, members of the staff are picked off. Once they realize it, they are told to continue to do their work or more will die. They also are told not to tell the guests. Each of the members of the staff has a reason to be the killer and this also includes a guest named Penelope (Jordan Ladd). Who is the killer and why are they doing this?
Now that is where I’ll leave my recap and introduction to the characters. Where I want to start is by saying that I appreciate this much more after these last two viewings. Being more versed in slasher and giallo films, I can fully grasp what they are parodying. I grew up with Halloween, A Nightmare on Elm Street and Friday the 13th films. Had seen one-offs here and there, but diving deeper, you see more of what they’re poking fun at. I include gialli since it is a murder mystery/whodunit film and also being sleazy with the clientele. This is definitely a slasher film though.
With that set up, there were things that I noticed here as it pays homage to Friday the 13th Part 2, Sleepaway Camp and even The Burning but it is adults. The setting is great since they’re isolated and getting away isn’t easy. What is funny though is that the adults act like teenagers from movies in this subgenre. Setting this at an isolated resort in a tropical climate gives them the freedom. It is highly creative and I’d go as far to say this is a better use of it than I Still Know What You Did Last Summer. It is also in line with the early Friday films where this is the older version of counselors.
Building off that, this has a good slasher vibe despite being a comedy first. The killer mostly uses a machete. There’s even a funny backstory as to who it could be with that weapon in the name. There are creative deaths as they fall in line with a Coconut Pete song. They have built in isolation and the cellphones are not working since it is an island that doesn’t have service. There are also beautiful women and nudity to go along with it. The comedy of the film is interesting, because it is part parody film, poking fun at these same films from the past. There are also laughs because the guys of Broken Lizard are great. They know what they’re doing here so it works.
That will take me to filmmaking. A positive here is the cinematography to capture this island. It feels isolated and we have the backdrop of the jungle as well. I’ll then pull in framing as they help to hide the effects. From what I could see, the effects look to be done practically which makes me smile. If they used CGI, my guess was to enhance or it was hidden where it didn’t take me out. Credit to the team there. The soundtrack is fine. I’m not a fan of this music, but Coconut Pete’s songs are funny. It fits what they needed. If there is a gripe, this is a slow burn and it runs too long. That fits this subgenre, I will say that. It never gets boring though as we get deaths at good intervals. Plus, we don’t know who we can trust and I even forgot who the killer was so that is a credit to the movie for not being obvious with multiple watches.
I’ll then end by discussing the acting performances. The guys from Broken Lizard are all great. They are so good at embodying the character they are playing and making them feel real. It is impressive to be honest. I would assume that Lemme was Hispanic, if I hadn’t seen him in other things, or Chandrasekhar had the accent he does in the film. The writing is also good to make everyone a red herring while also worrying when they could be stalked. Paxton is also great in the film as the character he is portraying. I’d bet he had a blast. Soter, Stolhanske, Heffernan and M.C. Gainey are all solid also. It was nice to see Lyons, Reichert, Daniel and Ladd, as well as the rest of the ladies in the film as they are all gorgeous. We see three of them topless as well, which doesn’t hurt. The cast here is solid across the board.
In conclusion, this is a good parody of slasher films while still being a horror film. It is a solid blend of both. What helps here is the writing and the performances of the actors to make their characters seem like the killer. That kept me guessing when I’ve seen this multiple times now. The setting of the island is a perk. I’d say that this is well made with the effects, cinematography and framing leading the way there. It is a slow burn and might run long, but we get deaths at a good interval which helps. If you like the other films these guys did, I’d give this one a viewing. I would also recommend it if you like slasher films as well.
My Rating: 7.5 out of 10