Phantom Of The Grindhouse (2013) (DVD Review)
Directed By: Chris Seaver
Starring: Jason McCall, Kate Lewis, Desiree Saetia
Rated: UR/Region: 0/Widescreen/Number of disc: 1
Available from INDEPENDENT ENTERTAINMENT
Blood, ska and fun flow in this over-the-top, goofy re-imagining of the classic tale. When the Sleepy Hollow Heights Horror Club learns their local grindhouse will be shut down, they plan a 24-hour horror-movie-marathon as a last-ditch effort to save the theater. Unbeknownst to them, The Phantom, a derelict who has been hiding out at the theater for years, will stop at nothing to keep the meddling kids from ruining his sanctuary. But when The Phantom gets a load of their leader Christine, things turn from bad to worse as he falls head over heels for the girl of his dark dreams.
If you are annoyed like most normal people by the dreadful sounds of Ska music, then you might want to avoid all Chris Seaver films. The stuff isn’t that bad if perhaps used once, but everyone of his films are riddled with the stuff and it really makes everything seem the same as before. Not that Seaver might even be looking to change things up. He has clearly made a fan base for his style of film and this latest one is no different. We have goofy characters, some blood, a lead that randomly sings, and other random things that pop up that never make sense. This being a Warlock film I wasn’t expecting anything less, but sometimes Seaver manages to make a movie that stays oddly watchable and half way enjoyable. I don’t think I’ll be tossing Phantom Of The Grindhouse into that category.
Don’t get me wrong here, I do have a sense of humor. A grindhouse phantom who is cross between Prince, Michael Jackson, and Fat Albert sounds like a good idea for a laugh to me. I just think there needs to be some lines in a horror comedy that shouldn’t be crossed. These types of movies always seem to cross them, the key is to just not cross them too much. I think Phantom Of The Grindhouse not only crosses the line, it blows the line up, chops the remains up, then sets what is left on fire. The movie is a glorified short film that packs some fake trailers before it officially gets started. I think I enjoyed the trailers more. Perhaps Seaver should work on a film of nothing but fake trailers. I think that might be a step in a better direction.
– Audio Commentary
– Bloopers
– Trailers
