Bloody Nightmares #36: 13 (aka City in Panic) (1987)

A Toronto-lensed slasher film with a twist, City in Panic has some misguided morality (and an awfully dated view on homosexuality) but at least tries to do something unique in what was already a tired genre by the late 80s. While it rarely succeeds, and becomes rather ponderous before a final reveal that - while predictable - proves to be somewhat satisfying, there are a few interesting ideas (and tributes to other, better films) that prevent the film from being a complete waste. However, perhaps a low-budget slasher film isn't necessarily the best way to approach controversial issues regarding homosexuality and AIDS, and even forgiving viewers may be left with a bad taste in their mouth.

The film opens - just like Blood Cult - with another tired tribute to Psycho's famous shower scene, except a) this is filmed much more professionally and accurately and b) this time the victim is a male. In fact, one of the things that separates City in Panic from the many, many similar slasher films of the period is that the victims are almost exclusively male. More specifically, the victims are almost all homosexual males who happen to have AIDS - and the portrayal of homosexuals avoids many of the limp-wristed flamboyant stereotypes common at the time. Alas, the victims are still hanging out at steam baths and gyms, or trolling public washrooms for sex so it's unfortunately not as progressive as you might hope. This shower scene also gives us a brief look at our killer who, wearing black gloves and trench-coat and carrying a huge blade, looks to have stepped directly out of a 70s Italian Giallo film.

Not only is the killer targeting AIDS-infected men, but is also cutting the letter M into the flesh of each victim - the immortal Fritz Lang film M is actually referred to by name - though the reason for this isn't revealed until the end. We are quickly introduced to Dave Miller (a wooden David Adamson), a radio talk-show host who spends most of his time condemning conservative newspaper columnist Alex Ramsey for demanding that the police reveal all of the information they have about the recent killings. Miller's ratings are low - and his bills are mounting - and it's not hard to understand why since the long scenes of his talk show make it seem awfully dull. Even worse, we're forced to spend way too much time on these scenes, which never really get across the supposed mounting hysteria the murders have created. Eventually the killer calls in to the radio show and Miller is asked to act as bait, but that possibly interesting plot strand goes nowhere and the actual killer ends up being someone (not surprisingly) close to home.

It's a bit difficult to figure out what director Robert Bouvier is actually trying to do with his film. Is he trying to turn the conventions of the slasher genre on its head by making the victims mostly men? Is he making a comment on the fear and confusion regarding the AIDS virus in the late 80s? Is he making a statement on yellow journalism and fear-mongering in the media? I admire the attempt to add depth to an often banal genre, but frankly whatever point is being made is swallowed by stiff acting and endless talk radio sequences.  Even more damaging, the stalk-and-slash sequences are generally tensionless and, aside from a memorable scene where a security guard gets his dick sliced off after an unfortunate glory-hole session, quite unimaginative. Bouvier is obviously a competent director, and the final chase scene through a factory full of mannequins is quite effective, but there is very little here for a horror fan to grip on to.

City in Panic has been senselessly (and confusingly) re-titled 13 for this release, but aside from an obviously modern title card, and the removal of any and all credits, it seems to be intact. It's presented in a particularly shoddy full-screen transfer quite obviously taken from a VHS tape, and features all of the expected glitches and visual problems you would associate with that format. But even with that in mind this is a particularly flat and murky looking film, looking a lot like another 80s Canadian export: Rock 'n' Roll Nightmare (which just happened to share this film's cinematographer). Sound fares better, though there is some minor crackling on the soundtrack during the opening narration. There's a competent synth soundtrack from Dave Shaw that underscores the action nicely, but is forgettable.

This is a part of the Bloody Nightmares collection, so you don't get chapter stops. You don't get extras. You don't even get the original title.

The film ends with a call for tolerance and understanding, which is a nice sentiment but rings a bit hollow after the gay slaughter that has occurred for the previous 90 minutes. Indeed, the whole film feels a bit like a missed opportunity, as the idea of comparing the AIDS panic - and the fear promoted by the media of the time - with the hysteria created by a series of killings has some real potential. Unfortunately, this potential is snuffed out by lifeless acting, bland writing and dull direction. It's all competent (for the most part), but there's so little of interest here that watching it from start to finish - along with writing about it - can be a frustrating experience. City in Panic obviously wants to be more than it is, but doesn't bring enough to the table to rise above an already overstuffed genre.

Bloody Nightmares #33: Slasher (aka Blood Cult) (1985)

Blood Cult (renamed Slasher for this collection, despite its general notoriety and the existence of a sequel) was the very first straight-to-video film ever released, which affords it a rather unique place in movie history. Not surprisingly, it's also a cheapo slasher film, and - critically - is also shot on video, giving it that unique early 80s porno look. Utilizing a nine day shooting schedule, director Christopher Lewis tells a by-the-number stalk and slash tale with requisite nods to Halloween and Psycho, but with some gore thrown in for good measure. I've actually seen another of Lewis' shot-on-video epics, Ripper (1985) (which features a small appearance by Tom Savini), and he's a bland if capable director who gets some reasonable mileage out of his slasher scenes, but pads out his running time interminably with scenes of characters sitting around and talking.

But here's the good news for me. I can't give this film a proper review, as the fine folks at Pendulum Pictures managed to botch the transfer of Blood Cult quite spectacularly for its appearance in the Bloody Nightmares collection. What starts out dark and glitchy becomes totally unwatchable, as the final 30 minutes of the movie are totally without sound! Indeed, at a critical moment in the film the soundtrack goes completely mute and it doesn't return for the entirety of the rest of the movie. That said, here are a few thoughts on the plot, since I'd hate to not give the film its due.

"Have you ever had an Egyptian feast?" Oh, sorry. Wrong movie. Anyway, a masked killer is slashing his way through a group of sorority girls, baffling local Sheriff Ron Wilbois (Charles Ellis) who seems rather overwhelmed by a serial killer terrifying his small town. Oddly, the killer also leaves a medallion featuring the image of a dog's head the scene of his crimes, and takes pieces of his victim's bodies for an apparent ritual. How do we know this? Well, thankfully the Sheriff's daughter works at the college library, and manages to track down an occult book which explains that the killings might have to do with some sort of ancient ceremony. Under pressure from the Dean, Wilbois tracks down a complaint from a local farmer regarding apparent poachers making a lot of noise and lighting fires in the nearby woods - which just might be caused by the titular blood cult. While checking out the nighttime ritual - along with his daughters boyfriend for reasons I can't begin to comprehend - the.. whole movie goes totally silent. I did scan ahead to find out who the killer was - spoiler: it's ridiculous - but the exact details of how and why the whole thing pans out isn't something I'm prepared to guess at.

The film opens with a well-staged ten minute murder scene ripped wholesale from Halloween, but at least proves that Lewis can be a capable director when inspired. Even better is the immediately following murder scene where the killer sits in a rocking chair, having decapitated a sorority girl before beating her room-mate unconscious with her severed head. Unfortunately things go rapidly downhill from here, slowing to a crawl as we get a voice-over from the aged Sheriff and his encounters with his daughter and deputy. Lewis tries to spice these scenes up with a few interesting angles, but a nine day shoot doesn't allow for much inventiveness and most scenes are just extended padding to try and get this mess to 90 minutes.

Acting is about what you would expect, though at least the cast seem to know their lines fairly well and only a few flubs are left in the final film. Charles Ellis as Ron Wilbois does a serviceable job, and it's sort of nice to have a protagonist thats a bit older, but he looks as baffled by the plot as anyone else. The less said about James Vance's odd looking Joel Hogan the better, and I'm guessing the biggest acting test for Juli Andelman (as Wilbois' daughter) came after the film went silent. Oh well.

Gore is strictly of the sliced limbs and fake blood variety, though there's a slow gag at the school cafeteria featuring some severed fingers if you're into that sort of thing. You'll never actually care about anyone who is in danger in these scenes, but that's sort of par for the course with these nothing slasher films. It does have a better than average soundtrack by Rod Slane, which at least occasionally makes the proceedings feel like an actual movie, but it really only stands out because of the averageness that surrounds it.

Blood Cult is presented in a murky, dark presentation likely sourced from a VHS tape - this re-edit of the film occurred in 1997, so it's a little hard to say, but there are digital glitches regularly throughout. Lots of digital artifacting, particularly in the darker scenes, but aside from some shaky moments during the second murder scene it's fairly standard VHS quality. Lots of noise on the soundtrack forced me to crank the volume to be able to make out some of the dialogue, and even then it was a little messy, but that could have as much to do with the transfer as with the original recording.

It's hardly worth mentioning that, this being a Bloody Nightmares release, we don't get any special features or even chapter stops. However, allowing me to get away with not watching the final 30 minutes is like a bonus feature in an of itself. Thanks, Pendulum Pictures!

I don't feel comfortable giving a solid opinion on a film that I missed thirty minutes of, but I can safely say that while there are a smattering of interesting moments in the initial hour, this is generally an uninspired slasher that does nothing to rise above the hundred others that were pouring out in the mid-1980s. It's certainly more polished that most of the efforts in this collection - featuring a fine musical score and competent direction - but it's more memorable for its place in the history of straight-to-video productions than for anything original it brings to the table. Followed by Revenge: Blood Cult 2 in 1986.

Bloody Nightmares #17: Invitation (2003)

We all know the impact that John Carpenter's Halloween had upon filmmakers (particularly genre directors) in the late 70s and 80s. The slasher film dominated the horror box office in the 80s, and the postmodern horror boom of the mid to late 90s, as irritating as it sometimes was, generally developed as fans of these films came of age. In the last few years revisionist slasher films, as well as a near constant slate of remakes, have kept the stalk and slash genre clearly in the public's consciousness. Even smaller efforts like Hatchet and Behind The Mask: The Rise Of Leslie Vernon have managed to find small but devoted cult audiences, and it stands to reason that ultra low budget filmmakers would continue to return to a genre that has spawned both continual success and has proven to be kind to smaller budgets. Invitiation's twist on the genre is that there really is no twist – the film follows the slasher formula to a tee – which ends up being both its greatest strength and biggest weakness.

Embracing many of the cliches established in Friday The 13th and (many) others, Invitation centres upon a group of friends who witnessed a childhood accident – the death of an unpopular kid via truck during a game of baseball – coming together after a number of years apart to spend a few days in a spooky cabin in the woods. Do they start to get picked off one by one? You bet they do! Do they all have flat, easy to categorize personalities? Uh-huh. There's the guilty good guy with the newly pregnant girlfriend, the goofy jackass, the hunky musician, the eye candy, and the bitch – though to director/writer Jeff Burton's credit there is some effort to give a few of the characters slightly more depth.

The ending takes things in a supernatural, and not very satisfying, direction. While the Ten Little Indians style of most slasher films almost inevitably leads to a disappointing reveal, here they just seem to give up in favor of some colorful imagery which brings to mind Italian horror – particularly Fulci's The Beyond – more than the slashers referenced by the rest of the film. On the bright side, there are a few interesting deaths, though gore is kept to a minimum, and unlike most of the efforts in this collection the director was able to convince a few members of his cast to get topless. You take what you can get in situations like this. Genre legitimacy is also helped by a small role for Bill Vincent , who worked as a fake Shemp on a couple of the Evil Dead films (and co-wrote Burton's later film The Final Curtain). That this was lensed in Michigan should not be a surprise.

Acting is actually quite solid across the board, particularly for a low budget effort like this, though nobody really distinguishes themselves. Where the film really falters is in its direction. It's not that Burton doesn't have any skill - he obviously knows a few tricks - but he seems to be compelled to throw them into every scene whether they are appropriate or not. This becomes particularly egregious in the final twenty minutes, as the supernatural elements are more pronounced and out come the colored filters and camera effects. I actually generally appreciate these visual pyrotechnics, since most of the efforts in this collection are so visually bland, but here it's quite distracting.

The film was shot on video, but the quality is quite good compared to similar entries on the DVD set - though you should take into account that the previous film I watched was Hip Hop Locos. There are a couple of digital glitches throughout, but despite a plethora of night scenes there isn't a lot of noise in the image. Jeff Burton did the music for the film, but I honestly don't recall it besides the main theme which - shockingly - brings to mind Halloween.

No special features at all. Not even chapters. We're through the looking glass here, people.

It's hard to give Invitation too much grief It's not scary in the least, but it's competently made and would fit in perfectly with some of the lesser 80s slasher films it tries to emulates. Burton has potential as a genre filmmaker as long as he can reign in some of his flashier impulses, and he obviously knows how to work on a low budget. He's put together an attractive cast, decent special effects, and enough creepy moments to warrant a rental. Average, though exceptional compared to its immediate competition.

Jason Goes to Hell: The Final Friday (1993)

In a recent Onion AV Club article dealing with the Friday The 13th re-imagining/re-make, the author - who was an unabashed fan of the series despite clearly recognizing its shortcomings - stated that the joy in re-visting the 11(!) official films in the series comes from a very psychoglogically interesting place that I found myself immediately relating to. As a child, even the idea of watching "entertainment" focusing on a psychopath in a hockey mask butchering teenagers was something beyond my grasp. I was legitimately scared to watch such films (I remember the video box for The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2 really freaking me out). That I can now recognize the cobbled together, exploitive nature of the series as a whole, and laugh at the ridiculous gore effects and plot contrivances which comprise most of the entries, represents something psychologically very satisfying. I not only have conquered a fear of my youth, but I have actively turned it into something I can enjoy in laughter. The films are predictable, repetitive, and - strangely - comforting.

That is, until the ninth film in the Friday The 13th series: Jason Goes To Hell: The Final Friday. Having newly acquired the Friday brand, New Line Cinema decided to try something a bit different with their first entry in the series, while also attempting to set up the inevitable crossover with their homegrown Nightmare on Elm Street series (which managed to take another eight years to hit the screens). Sean S. Cunningham, the director of the first film, was brought back as producer and he promptly settled on the young Adam Marcus as director. Marcus, along with screenwriter Dean Lorey, crafted a very different sort of tale - obviously strongly influenced by the body swapping sci-fi film The Hidden - with which they hoped to reinvigorate the series. The choice proved to be a controversial one for those who were comfortable with the series' predictable pattern, and the entry remains strictly in the "love it or hate it" category.

We begin as expected, with a young woman stopping at Camp Crystal Lake, and eventually disrobing before the lights go out unexpectedly. She goes to check it out and is confronted by Jason Vorhees; who proceeds to chase her through the woods, seemingly always able to pop out from any corner. The two reach a clearing and then.. Flood lights reveal a SWAT team in position, who proceed to blow the living hell out of Jason until he is literally left in pieces on the ground. A rather shocking and original opening scene, and one that lets on immediately that this will be a different sort of horror film. A gooey autopsy leads to the coroner being hypnotized into eating Jason's heart and, filled with the spirit of Jason, he then proceeds to hop from body to body in an attempt to find a Voorhees woman through which to be reborn. Meanwhile he is being pursued by bounty hunter Creighton Duke, as well as the geeky Steven Freeman (John D. LeMay from the Friday The 13th TV series) who thinks Jason is after his estranged girlfriend. Eventually all roads lead to the Voorhees' home, where he gets his just desserts.

Making a case for a Friday The 13th film is a bit of a difficult proposition. Even at its best the series never provided the special-effects assisted skill of the Nightmare On Elm Street series, or even the erratic boogeyman tension of the Halloween films. Even the best Friday entry (likely the fourth, which saw the return of Tom Savini's make-up effects as well as starring Crispin Glover and a young Corey Feldman) is really only an average, artless slasher film with a particularly attractive and appealling killer. But WHAT a killer. Jason is essentially a silent, brutal frankenstein's monster with a mommy complex, and the audiences enjoyment comes simply from watching him do what he does best. The series formula has been hugely profitable, and has inspired some devoted fandom.

So I suppose that fans of the series can be excused for getting a little upset that Jason is all but missing from the ninth entry. After the rather postmodern opening scene Jason appears only in reflections until the film's finale where he's reborn before being finally (temporarily) dispatched. Since the previous appeal has been almost strictly because of the incredible look of the killer - the big twist of a previous entry is that the killer is merely dressing as Jason - things really do take a hit with him out of the picture. Of course, his body-hopping spirit is plenty violent in its own right. In fact, this might very well be the most bloody entry in the entire series, particularly in the unrated version thanks to the always impressive FX work from KNB. But this is cold comfort for those expecting an epic send-off for their favorite horror antagonist.

Also controversial was the decision to add a more overt supernatural element to the series, though there had always been something otherwordly about Jason's ability to return from the grave. The rules for killing Jason that are presented by Creighton Duke - that only a Voorhees can kill a Voorhees, and that Jason can be reborn through one of his female family members - are new to the series and can feel like a bit of a cheat to longtime fans. Even the filmmakers joke at these new rules in the special features, but their motivations to give Jason a more elaborate mythology are worthwhile even if they are not totally successful.

One welcome addition to the series was an element of light satire which preceded the jokey Scream series by several years. The local greasy spoon making hockey mask-shaped burgers; a television news show (think Inside Edition) planting a body in the Voorhees house for ratings; and just the general noteriety of Crystal Lake because of Jason's killing spree which leads to the SWAT team opening. While many thought it sacrilige to add laughs to the series, there has always been an element of black humor to the Friday films, and Marcus keeps things from getting too silly. Appearances by the Evil Dead Necromicon, the crate from Creepshow and other horror movie references add to the kitchen sink approach.

Perhaps i'm giving the director too much credit for simply trying to stir up the formula a bit, but even the requisite camper slaughter scene, forced upon Marcus during re-shoots, feels a little more fresh and ends in one of the most memorable kills in the entire series. Marcus doesn't get many chances to build actual suspense, but shows himself to be capable in a few early scenes. Unfortunately, the Harry Manfredini score is particularly intrusive and is distractingly bad throughout - particularly compared to some of his other work in the series.

While the Friday series has suffered rough treatment on DVD, New Line has gone above and beyond with their DVD release of Jason Goes To Hell. Including both the R-rated and Unrated cut of the film (which runs about four minutes longer), the image quality is light years better than the dingy VHS release with which I was first introduced to the film. While nothing can help the lame soundtrack, the audio quality is a whole is perfectly fine and the "ki ki ki, ma ma ma" sounds come through loud and clear.

Thankfully we also get some welcome bonus features. First are a number of "television insert" scenes which contain little character development, but are a neat addition. But it's the commentary with Marcus and co-screenwriter Dean Lorey that makes this release particularly worthwhile. Refreshingly honest and entertaining, the two men provide plenty of anecdotes about the production while providing plenty of laughs at the rather obvious shortcomings. They explain their motivations for changing the series' formula, but don't apologize for the film they made. I wish they had gone a little deeper into the rather obvious similarities to The Hidden (which is briefly acknowledged) but this is a superior commentary track in every way. The short theatrical trailer rounds things off nicely.

I'm not sure I would go as far as saying that Jason Goes To Hell is a "good" film, and since it borrows much of its plot elements I can't even call it unique, but it's certainly interesting. Attempting to jump-start the mythology with a lot of supernatural nonsense might have been a mistake, but those involved (including original Friday director Sean S. Cunningham) were obviously passionate about the material and I respect their attempts to try something a little different. Not all of it succeeds, but when it does it makes this a superior entry in the series and one that is unfairly maligned by its fans.

Bloody Nightmares #14: When Heaven Comes Down (2002)

There's something to be said for filmmakers who have loftier goals than simply churning out an exploitation film. Sometimes an audience simply wants a little bit more substance, even when that substance comes housed in a no-budget slasher film. Gary M. Lumpp's When Heaven Comes Down deals with the issue of abuse against women, and there is obviously supposed to be an empowering element to these women revealing their abuse and fending off attackers, but whatever message was supposed to come out of this is drowned by shoddy production values, cardboard cut-out characters, and a script that limps to its final act. A slasher film about a killer targeting abusers of women, with perhaps a hint of the 70s genre of Women revenge films (like I Spit On Your Grave or Ms. 45), might have been interesting, but Lumpp does little to distinguish his film from the plethora of crappy slasher films in this collection.

Samantha 'Sam' Eckhart (Emily Albright) is a bartender with a secret. A few years back she was attacked by a serial killer calling himself The Savior (Joe Gordon) and barely escaped with her life. Today she runs a therapy group for battered women, but often has flashbacks to the traumatic incident and finds herself having trouble being intimate with her (ridiculously nice and supportive) new boyfriend, Josh (Cory Schiffern). Soon, the abused women from her therapy group start turning up dead, sometimes along with their abusers, and Sam begins seeing signs that The Savior may be killing once again. Or, could it be someone a bit closer to her? (It is. Try and guess who it could be. It's fun!)

A feminist Slasher film sounds like a terrific idea to me. So often the genre has presented women as weak, slutty or expendable, and combining a modern edge with the awful reality of spousal abuse could have led to an interesting, original spin on the material. Instead, Lumpp's film still presents its female characters as constant victims, only letting the protagonist show some grit at the very end. Most of them are easily dispatched of by the killer, and the male characters are almost all abusive, hateful pricks that show almost no redeemable qualities. This two dimensional approach to characterization means that only Sam ends up being the least bit sympathetic or interesting.

Lumpp's direction doesn't add much to the proceedings, though at least there are a few camera swivels to remind us that we're not just watching a play. Unfortunately the biggest technical limitation, and it's one that pops up again and again in this collection, is the sound. While dialogue can usually be made out, there's an audible hum in almost every talky scene, and this makes camera angle changes jarring. It's a constant irritant, though hardly the only technical issue with the film.

Giant chinned B-movie legend Robert Z'Dar (Maniac Cop) actually had a hand in producing the picture, and shows up in a totally disposable scene having a heart to heart with the boyfriend of an abuse victim (played by Jeff Dylan Graham from Hellbound: Book Of The Dead). I'm not sure why he felt like trading dialogue with a guy who beats up his girlfriend would make a fun appearance, but I don't question the lumpy faced lothario. To his credit, Z'Dar acts circles around everyone else in the film, though that speaks more to the film than to his own particular abilities.

Aside from Z'Dar giving it his all, the acting is really poor. They made the right decision sticking Emily Albright in the lead, as she delivers her lines strongly even while being a bit wooden, but practically every other actor wouldn't even pass muster in community theater. Joe Gordon as The Savior seems to be having some fun, but his overacting is hammy and annoying. Anthony Sabatino as the ridiculously abusive Ozzie (who literally "pops up" in a few scenes randomly) is pitiful, and gets a totally superfluous sex scene with sex-pot Syn DeVil just in case you thought the movie might be trying something a bit different. Ha ha, sucker.

No, that's not Ortiz The Dog Boy from Freaked, that is our killer in one of the few scenes which has anything visually interesting going on. Special effects are generally non-existant, with kills being relegated to stabbings and strangulation, and gunshots taking place off-screen. There are a few instances of the red stuff, but if you're here for some gore you're barking up the wrong tree.

When Heaven Comes Down is shot on DV, and certainly looks the part. Everything is reasonably lit, and it generally seems free of the video glitches common in the Bloody Nightmares collection. Soundtrack music is generally inobtrusive though totally forgettable. Yes, it's all quite a bland experience.

What could have been an interesting spin on a tired genre becomes a wasted opportunity in this predictable slasher film. When Heaven Comes Down could have used a little more ambition, and a lot more talent both in front of, and behind, the camera. The serious topic at hand is occasionally treated with a modicum of respect, particularly in the therapy scenes, but too little effort has been made to escape from the cliched trappings of the genre.

Bloody Nightmares #10: Hell's Highway (2002)

When I started viewing the films in this collection, I was expecting more of them to be like Jeff Leroy's Hell's Highway. High on energy, sex and gore, but low on budget, the movie aims low and hits again and again, providing the goods for those with reasonable expectations going in. Certainly not fine art, but a fun, entertaining slasher film (with some fun effects) that, once it gets going, barely stops to take a breath.

Phoebe Dollar is Lucindia Polonia, a psycho hitchhiker serial killer that targets motorists on the stretch of road in Death Valley known as.. wait for it.. Hell's Highway. Apparently the reborn spirit of a pioneer woman, Lucindia targets a group of young folks on a road trip after they pick her up and and soon starts killing them off in various nasty ways. There's a twist at the end that I honestly didn't see coming, and is actually a bit original in an odd sort of way.

In order for a horror film to have a modicum of suspense, you really need to have a likable or relateable set of protagonists. The biggest flaw (depending on your point of view) of Hell's Highway is that the main characters are almost completely unlikeable. We're introduced to them driving down the highway, smoking pot, drinking and driving and throwing garbage onto the roadside crosses that litter the road. While this is all done with a modicum of humor, it does make it hard to have sympathy for them when they start dropping.

The acting is surprisingly solid all the way through. Phoebe Dollar is hardly intimidating, but she delivers her psycho lines well, and she obviously doesn't mind being coated in fake blood. However, she's less convincing when she has to swing a chainsaw around Leatherface style. Beverly Lynne (from the recent The Bewitching) is a lot more fun here, and shows off the required skin as a dimwitted cheerleader who gets to say "This is the worst trip ever!". But it's Kiren David as Sarah who has to do most of the emoting, and she's the only one who truly comes off worth caring about. Also, she gets sexually assaulted by a slimy demon in a dream sqeuence.

Ron Jeremy pops up in a fun cameo as a sleazy low-budget director who finds his famous member on the recieving end of Lucinda's knife. Also, he gets blown up.

The violence in the film is quite impressive for what was obviously a low budget, and the director doesn't hold back when it comes to death and dismemberment. Shovels, chainsaws and a car are all used to inflict varying amounts of carnage, and things are appropriately gooey and messy. Leroy is obviously inspired by the horror comedies of the 80s like Re-Animator and Evil Dead II, and manages to occasionally inspire that level of zany violence quite well. While the effects are inconsistent, they are generally well done (by fellow low budget director Joe Castro) and even feature a few scenes with miniatures. They are unconvincing, but I certainly appreciate the attempt.

Leroy isn't overly flashy as a director, and he sometimes wears his influences a little too obviously on his sleeve, but he keeps things feeling quite cinematic despite the Z-grade origins. This would never be mistaken for a Hollywood blockbuster, but would sit perfectly nicely on the shelf of your local Blockbuster.

An entertainingly silly and gory slasher flick, Hell's Highway raises almost no suspense and is a far cry from scary, but delivers plenty of gore and a few laughs for low budget conniseurs. A fun cast, decent effects and a fast pace makes this a winner and worth checking out.