Directors: “Insane” Mike Saunders, Jason Bolinger Assistant: Chris Simmons
Written By: “Insane” Mike Saunders, Chris Simmons
Production Company: Prescribed Films !!FOLLOW THEM HERE!!
Stars: Linnea Quigley, Joseph Roark, Katie Lynn McDowell, Daniel Hampel, Alicia Bricker, Sam Garles, Cassie Heller, Elizabeth Dehne, Nick Zmuda, Rachel Russell
Genre: Horror, Comedy
What It’s About: A group of kids in the 1980s get stuck in a skating rink overnight, and are killed off one by one by demons.
How I Watched It: The movie’s premiere event! In a theater with over 100 people.
Thoughts: Okay. I’m gonna do my best to not be biased, because I personally know the fellas that put this together. Also, let it be known that this movie is much more home-grown than the titles I’ve done so far. Small budget–but lots of heart.
The movie starts in a tavern, sometime in the past. We see splendid performances from Keokuk’s own Nalani Proctor and Dustin Neill. There’s a dark figure in the corner who is wearing an amulet and turns out to be a demon. Nalani is the first to bite the dust in the movie, the first of many. The demon starts attacking everyone and turning them into demon minions, and then in comes a gypsy to save the day!
Then fast forward to the 1980s. Some kids walk into a shop which is owned by an old gypsy played by none other than scream queen Linnea Quigley! Sweet. Always fun to have famous cameos. Then this fella Richard (Joseph Roark) eyeballs this fancy necklace on the counter….OH SHIT!! Is that the demon amulet!!?? Of course it is…and of course he steals it. XD Awesome setup. You already know that shit’s. goin’. down.
Then we shoot over to the skating rink which is just FULL of loopy characters. We see Terri (Leah Morrissey) at the register and Walter Paisley (Justin Beahm) at the skate counter. Hilarious characters. Then there’s John (Daniel Hempel) the lonely janitor. What a scene-stealer. And….let’s not forget the side-story of the two roller derby girls (Cassie Heller and Elizabeth Dehne) that sneak into basement of the rink to try and steal a derby trophy that they wrongfully lost.
Anyway, in walks Richard–turns out this place is owned by his father (Mark Burk). He goes to try and scam his dad out of some booze money, and in turn is forced to stay in and close up the rink because pops is off with his new lady, played by the lovely Jill Emmert. Then Richard calls his over-bearing girlfriend Laura (Katie Lynn McDowell). When she hears that he can’t go to the party they had originally planned, she is not happy. So…Richard comes up with the plan to send the staff home early so him and his friends can party after-hours at the rink. The party-goers consist of Richard, Laura, Laura’s sister Monica (Alicia Bricker), David (Sam Garles), Vicky (Rachel Russell), and Tim (Nick Zmuda).
Okay. Phew! Now, that’s the general setup before shit starts hitting the fan. I don’t wanna get into any spoilers, so yeaaaaaah. Now, performances. I love the acting in this movie. Really well done, and so full of heart. I’ll try not to be too long-winded here and just highlight a few of my favorite characters:
Daniel Hampel’s portrayal of John the janitor is hard to not love. This guys face is just…priceless. He is oh, so animated and entertaining to watch. Some of the best physicality I’ve seen from an actor in a long time. He just steals every scene that he’s in.
Sam Garles plays David, one of the kids who comes to party at the rink. He takes the role of “party animal” and 5th wheel (even though Laura brings Monica along). Such a comedian. Again, much like Daniel, stealer of all the scenes!
Cassie Heller kicks some ass as Sara, one of the roller derby chicks. The banter back and forth between her and Elizabeth Dehne (Wendy) is a lot of fun to watch. “Fuckin’ A, Wendy!”
Big nod to Jill Emmert for her work in the costumes–they looked great! Totally 80s. And another nod to Matthew Clay for composing the music. Sounded great. One of my favorite moments is a slow-motion walk later in the movie, and his music just makes that moment golden. Also a BIG kudos to Steven “Flyboy” Tracy for his work on the effects in this movie. Some really outstanding gore effects in this movie. So much punching through….and biting!…..and…..oh. I can’t tell you. 😉
My rating: Huzzah!
If you’re not a fan of low-budget horror movies, this might not be the flick for you. I, however, love low-budget horror. I adore this film. And getting a behind-the-scenes look into all of the hard work and love that went into it makes me love it even more. Great job ladies and gents.
This one’s not available on DVD just yet, but hopefully you’ll be able to get your hands on it eventually. If you follow the Prescribed Films Blog you can stay up-to-date on that process. I’m sure that I’ll be spreading the word when it happens. 🙂
Terflix 