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[tab title="Movie Review"]
What has the world come to when the director of Sasquatch at the Mall can't get a gig? That's what horror auteur Harry Penderecki is wondering. Once considered a horror legend, with a string of hits like Bowel Movement, People Pesticide and I'll Take the Ring Back and the Finger Too, he now finds himself on the outside looking in at Hollywood. Determined to make his comeback, Penderecki returns to direct what he believes will be his ultimate masterpiece, Brutal Massacre. Follow along with the documentary crew to discover whether Harry will reassert his genius, or remain a relic of the '80s.
Blood, out of focus boobs, and bimbos reign supreme in the horror genre’s answer to This is Spinal Tap!
Written and directed by Steven Mena (The Malevolence Trilogy), Brutal Massacre: A Comedy is exactly that: a wickedly brutal take-down of Hollyweird’s process of making movies as a washed up B-movie director - whose last film was BIG in Japan - finds himself in the hot seat again. There’s much to make you laugh if you are at all into filmmaking, but your patience will be tested because timing is not always a prime consideration in this mockumentary.
Harry Penderecki (David Naughton, An American Werewolf in London), a horror director on the outs with the rest of Hollywood, is back in the director’s chair again. He wants to make a new horror film, expanding the genre to allow for character development, and call it Brutal Massacre. From the very beginning, this movie is damned to be yet another one of his flops.
This mockumentary, entitled Blood Massacre: A Comedy, is the resulting mishap as moviemaking goes to the dogs - especially when the backers actually want to read the script and then demand that there be more and more “TITTIES!” - and Penderecki’s past “hits” come back to haunt him. The guy just can’t help himself from repeating the same mistakes again and again and again.
The gang's all back, too. Penderecki’s crew features A.D. Jay (Brian O'Halleran, Clerks), his go-to Director of Photography Hanu (Gerry Bednob, The 40 Year Old Virgin), Production Manager Natalie (Ellen Sandweiss, Evil Dead), and grip Carl (Ken Foree, The Devil's Rejects), alongside Texas Chainsaw Massacre's Gunnar Hansen, who plays a crazed local offering them a location he has no control over, this script is loaded with unforgettable moments that would probably drive anybody crazy.
From the casting to the location scouting, things just go wrong while filming this horror film and it is all documented here in this spoof.
Brutal Massacre: A Comedy is, at times, very funny. It needs to be tightened, though, because there are too many lingering moments that would be improved if the edits were tighter and the running time shortened. It probably was a blast to film. You can tell that the cast is having fun here, but too much of that fun dies in the translation from shoot to film.
Brutal Massacre: A Comedy has a certain type of audience in mind . . . and they are really, really into horror films, asses, and boobs. The comedy is now on blu-ray courtesy of The MVD Group and Mena Films.
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[tab title="Blu-ray Review"]
Blu-ray Details:
Home Video Distributor: The MVD Group and Mena Films
Available on Blu-ray - July 7, 2020
Screen Formats: 1.85:1
Subtitles: None
Audio: Dolby Digital 5.1
Discs: Blu-ray Disc; Two-disc set; DVD copy
Region Encoding: Locked to Region A
Harry Penderecki, a once heralded horror auteur, finds himself on the outside looking in at Hollywood. He hasn't had a hit film in years, and most in the industry, including his close friends, think he's washed up. Harry is given one last chance to redeem himself with what could be his best or last picture. Brutal Massacre: A Comedy becomes just that, as the cast and crew find themselves battling one mishap after another as Harry struggles to keep his sanity against overwhelming resistance to finish the picture and finds himself at the top once again.
From director Stevan Mena (Malevolence) comes this hilarious send up of horror films and horror filmmakers featuring an all-star cast that includes David Naughton (American Werewolf in London), Brian O'Halloran (Clerks), Gunnar Hansen (The Texas Chainsaw Massacre), Gerry Bednob (The 40 Year Old Virgin), Ken Foree (Dawn of the Dead) and Ellen Sandweiss (The Evil Dead). Brutal Massacre: A Comedy is now on blu-ray courtesy of The MVD Group and Mena Films.
Video:
With an aspect ratio of 1.85:1, Brutal Massacre: A Comedy arrives on blu-ray with a strong 1080p encode. With strong reds and blacks, the footage is richly detailed. The proof is in the amount of dust mites swirling around in the backgrounds throughout the performances. Contrast is strong and black levels are inky. Due to some sharp lighting, there’s an accurate-looking saturation to most of the colors, especially when the film goes indoors.
Audio:
A basic Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack provides the audio for this dialogue-heavy movie.
Supplements:
Commentary:
- None
Special Features:
This release comes with a LIMITED RUN SLIPCOVER with BRAND NEW artwork created exclusively for this release. It also has a DVD of the movie and lots of fun supplemental materials that fans of the comedy will want to check out.
- Behind the Scenes featurette
- Deleted Scenes
- On the Set featurette
- Photo Gallery
- LMB Poster Gallery
- 'What Happened Was True' - Director's Commentary
- Weekend of Horrors Brutal Massacre Cast Panel
- Theatrical Trailers
Blu-ray Rating:
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[tab title="Film Details"]
MPAA Rating: PG-13 on appeal for crude sexual content and language.
Runtime: 94 mins
Director: Stevan Mena
Writer: Stevan Mena
Cast: David Naughton, Brian O'Halloran, Gerry Bednob
Genre: Comedy
Tagline: So Funny ... It Hurts!
Memorable Movie Quote: "Would you consider allowing the production crew to film here? I guarantee that we will make safe all use of the premises."
Distributor: The MVD Group and Mena Films
Official Site:
Release Date: July 13, 2007
DVD/Blu-ray Release Date: July 7, 2020.
Synopsis:
Harry Penderecki, a once heralded horror auteur, finds himself on the outside looking in at Hollywood. He hasn’t had a hit film in years, and most in the industry, including his close friends, think he’s washed up. Harry is given one last chance to redeem himself with what could be his best or last picture. Brutal Massacre becomes just that, as the cast and crew find themselves battling one mishap after another as Harry struggles to keep his sanity against overwhelming resistance to finish the picture and find himself at the top once again.
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