Club Dread (2004)
Also known as "Broken Lizard's Club Dread, Club Dread Uncut Version"
A vacation to die for.
Starring: Brittany Daniel, Kevin Heffernan, Jay Chandrasekhar, Bill Paxton, Jordan Ladd, Steve Lemme, Paul Soter, Erik Stolhanske, Samm Levine, Julio Bekhor, Lindsay Price, Michael Weaver, Dan Montgomery Jr., Tanja Reichert, Elena Lyons
Director: Jay Chandrasekhar
Running Time: 114 minutes
US MPAA rating: 18UK BBFC rating: R
Comedy, Horror, Thriller
On DVD If there's one thing that's been done to death more than teen slasher movies, it's spoof teen slasher movies. Seriously, it's long-since reached the point where actually making a serious horror flick about youngsters being terrorized in some unlikely setting or other would seem a far more original idea than producing a tongue-in-cheek version.
But "Broken Lizard" - the bunch who wrote, directed, and performed most of the main parts in 'Club Dread' - are a self-proclaimed "comedy troupe", so it's no great surprise that their first delve into the world of horror joins the ranks of the many, many, send-ups of the genre.
Set on the swinger's island paradise of the title, it tells the tale of resort staff terrorized by a masked machete-wielding mentalist, while the visitors to this 18-30-style cretin-fest party on oblivious. It's barrel-scraping stuff, with boobs and blood the order of the day as our terrified Club Reps are picked off one by one, each suspecting one of the others of being the guilty party. The setting might be something new, but the subject matter is nothing you won't have seen before.
Director Jay Chandrasekhar and his co-writers ham up their parts for all they're worth, but these guys aren't actors and, based on most of their material, they're no comic geniuses either. When a comedy troupe aim as low as this yet still fail to produce any laughs, you really have to start wondering if they're in the right business. Of the whole cast, only 'Sweet Valley High' graduate Brittany Daniel is any good at what she does, and even that's probably because her job involves little other than running around in skimpy tops looking pretty. As for the horror side of things - the only frightening part is just how amateurish the whole production is.
DVD Extras: A choice of audio commentaries from different halves of the Broken Lizard gang, deleted scenes and - bizarrely - a featurette focussing on the creature effects used in 'Alien vs Predator'.
It's Got: Bill Paxton, on wooden form as always.
It Needs: Someone to sit the Broken Lizard team down and quietly explain to them that what they're doing really isn't particularly original.
Alternatives: Super Troopers, Puddle Cruiser, Scary Movie, Scream
Summary: Unlike the shedding of blood and clothes, laughs are pretty scarce in this lacklustre slasher skit.
Review by Gary Panton
Review Date: 13th December 2004
External Links
Official Web Site
Club Dread at the IMDB
