Hectic Films is really banging them out! Last week I reviewed Left Alone in the Snow and this week I received an advanced look at The Video Store. Starring Theoden Wuillamey, Kyle Palla, James Duval (Independence Day), Kelli Maroney (Night of the Comet), Chess Maxwell, Thomas Brill, Jake Thoene and DT Carney, The Video Store was shot on location in Bakersfield, California; which UFo enthusiasts will instantly recognize as the site of the purported 1986 UFO crash. Set a decade later, two young men find themselves stuck in the middle of a second alien invasion all while fending off a variety of foes in a local video store. A slightly comedic and thrilling science fiction adventure, this new short film from Hectic Films transports you back to an easier decade filled with a second wind of otherworldly sightings.
Produced by Rickey Bird Jr., Rachel Bird, Jason Sanders, John Blythe and Leonard McCleod with executive producers Jonathan Boda and Jessica M. Boda, The Video Store contains all the excitement of the first three seasons of Stranger Things without dragging on unnecessarily. The vibe is the same, the themes are the same, the nostalgic value is definitely there and so is the primary villain; however, it’s worth noting that writer/director/editor Rickey Bird Jr. pulled this off without copying. More-so, The Video Store is his love letter to the scifi genre and the era that started the alien craze in cinema. And the fact that he uses actual round flying saucers is the icing on the cake… as is Kelli Maroney’s diner waitress outfit. Although I lost my train of thought here, I think I can sum up my final point by saying the continuity and set/costume design was spot on.
Speaking of design, I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention the above standard alien design and puppetry by Nick Reisinger. When we finally get to see an alien, it was well worth the wait and beyond what I expected. I have no complaints in regards to this short film except for the fact that the camera work was too good to “take place in the 90s”. Adam Beck served as cinematographer and it’s perhaps that he is so good at his job that he couldn’t always perfect an underwhelming, low-budget looking picture. I will keep coming back for every new Hectic Films production if they continue to produce high quality stories like this one. Rickey Bird Jr. can tackle literally any genre of horror and science fiction, and The Video Store is a blue-tinged, shining example of that. Get abducted for 20 minutes and feast your eyes on something that Elvira would host on Movie Macabre.
The Video Store is releasing on July 1st 2021 exclusively on Vimeo.
Final Score: 9 out of 10.
