Director – Paul Ragsdale (The Can-Cannibals)
Starring – Lindsay Amaral (Johan Jello: Attack of the Killer UFOs), Christopher Beatty, and Anthony lava To’omata
Release Date – 2013
Rating – 3/5
Tagline(s) – “Stand and Deliver meets Halloween!” and “Who can contain his Aztec Bloodlust?”
I love when a director reaches out to me to review his or her film. It is exciting to know that a select few want to know my honest opinion on their film. It is also exciting because they are usually films I have never heard of before. Watching new or unknown films is exciting because you know absolutely nothing about them.
One day I randomly received an email from indie director Paul Ragsdale requesting I review his 80’s style slasher flick Cinco De Mayo. Any horror buff would not decline a holiday themed slasher and neither did I. Paul was nice enough to send me a screener and for that I thank you very much.
**Spoiler Alert** The film follows a college professor nicknamed El Maestro (To’omata). El Maestro is proud of his Mexican heritage and tries to inspire his students to stand up for Mexican rights during a time when Mexican citizens in his local community are being harassed by racist assholes.
His words of inspiration backfire and he is asked to be psychologically evaluated by the school shrink where he is diagnosed with Aztec Bloodlust. He is eventually fired forcing him to finally make a stand to those that have persecuted him. He then slaughters all those that have treated the Hispanic population unjustly.**Spoiler Alert**
This movie actually fooled me. A majority of the films I randomly receive to review are typically not the best I have seen. Some are just downright horrible and painful to watch, however, this film was actually very good…aside from the artwork. I have seen a lot of artwork that I thought was bad for indie flicks but this one takes the cake. Look up Tony Goggles on Facebook and have him craft you up something a little better.
The acting is surprisingly well done and To’mata does a great job as lead. Honestly, he did a phenomenal job and it will be a travesty if he does not go on to star in more films. The story is your typical holiday themed slasher. The professor was wronged and then slaughters those that wronged him. Nothing new but it is slightly original with the entire Mexican angle.
Finally, the film does not offer great special effects but does deliver a great deal of on screen kills. Though the kills are nothing new they are standard slasher stock kills which are still entertaining. Overall, this is a great indie slasher with a new take on the standard slasher formula. I highly recommend it.
