Director – Jonathan Straiton (The Two Plates, Big Fish in Middlesex)
Starring – Trey Harrison (Hi-8, She Kills), Rebecca C. Kasek (The Vampire, Half Dead), and Wayne W. Johnson (Tales of Dracula, Battledogs)
Release Date – 2016
Rating – 4/5
Tagline – “Don’t forget your rubbers…and bazooka”
I love horror comedies. Growing up it was a blessing. Most of my friends would watch movies like Friday the 13th and A Nightmare on Elm St, which are good movies, but I would normally be checking out the campy horror comedies like Killer Klowns from Outer Space, Once Bitten, The ‘Burbs, and so on. Growing up in the late 80s and 90s was the perfect time for horror comedies. They were amazing and unforgettable but times have changed. Now, we get dozens of horror comedies released weekly with a majority of them missing the point. They tend to be generic and easily forgettable with most being zombie comedies due to the recent fascination with The Walking Dead. I call these generic horror comedies Wal-Mart Horror.
With that being said, there is still some great horror comedies being released that stand out from the rest and deliver a hell of a time. One such film is Jonathan Straiton’s Night of Something Strange which is a companion piece to Ron Bonk’s She Kills. The film was recently completed and Jonathan reached out to me to check it out. Thanks for allowing Horror Society and myself to check out your film.
**Spoiler Alert**The film follows a group of teenagers who are heading out for spring break when they stop to spend the night in a seedy motel. What they don’t know is that a small town necrophiliac just raped a corpse with an un-diagnosed STD and is now making his way to that very motel. Anyone he comes in contact with becomes a sex fueled member of the undead. Now these teens must keep it in their pants and fight to survive or join the ranks of the fucking dead…there is also a cannibal family who eat the guests at the motel.**Spoiler Alert**
She Kills is one of the greatest horror comedies to be released in the last 5 years. I sincerely mean that. The film had me laughing my ass off. I loved how horrible the characters were written and knowing it was done on purpose made it even better. When I heard that Night of Something Strangewas fashioned, or could be paired, with She Kills I was instantly excited. After watching it I can safely say that it doesn’t have the humor that She Killshas but god damn was it a great fucking film.
The acting in this one is fantastic. The cast brings to life some pretty entertaining characters. My favorite performance comes from Michael Merchant who portrays the butt-fucking Freddy. He brought some laughs to the film. Without him the film would have been a very serious horror film. It would have worked either way but his character made the film funny. I don’t see how he could deliver his lines with a serious look on his face. I also really enjoyed Wayne W. Johnson’s performance. He portrayed one hell of a villain and really brought the horror in the film. I could see his character becoming a tattoo one day if I still have enough visible skin. The remainder of the cast did a great job and deserve serious recognition but these two performances really shined above the rest. We also get a pretty fun role from veteran indie horror actor Billy Garberina. If this film gets a sequel we need to see more of his character.
The story for this one reminded me a lot of the horror comedy Buck Wildbut with a lot of sexual puns and toothy vaginas. The film is basically a teenage sex comedy set in the middle of an ongoing zombie epidemic where the zombies want to screw the living and turn them into horny zombies which is similar to the Chillerama segment Zom-B-Movie. This gives the viewer a new take on the zombie movie while giving the South Park generation something to laugh at. The film has a pretty steady flow with very few slow spots to lose the viewer in. Most horror comedies become stale after time when the story has no room to grow but NoSS did not. It was consistent throughout.
Finally, those of you looking for blood and gore will find it here. The film has several on screen kills that were very impressive. Also, the effects are top notch. We get some great practical effects and a little CGI that only helps the practical effects out. Overall, Night of Something Strange is a fantastic horror comedy that is raunchy and entertaining. If you grew up listening to Howard Stern and watching South Park then this is a must watch.
