Chillerama-review

I have never been too a drive-in theater. I regret this since so many of them are dying out all over the country.  This movie is a fun tongue-in-cheek look back at the days of drive in cinema and the some of the fun people used to have there.  It begins with a mass of people driving to a drive-in which is having its last night of shows.  Then it becomes a comedic horror anthology as we watch the movies unfold before us. Meanwhile, zombies are beginning to attack the unsuspecting drive-in movie patrons.

I guess for a review like this the best thing to do is just review each separate aspect of the anthology. So let’s start with the firstmovie “Wadzilla”.  “Wadzilla” is a story that pays homage to the 50’s monster movie like “The Blob”. Except in this case we have a man whose sperm has grown to massive size and is killing people.  The acting is appropriately over the top. The effects cheesy and fun and it’s a good way to start “Chillerama” off. It’s written well and the actors show a lot of skill in delivery.  Eric Roberts makes a cameo, which is some fun as well.

The second movie is “I was a Teenage Werebear”. I am not a big fan of this segment at all.  This one pays homage to the 50’s surfer musical, “Rebel without a Cause” and “Twilight”.  Now, why the hell is the last one in there? I am not sure.  Still it’s a musical with tons of homosexual overtones. The songs are not particularly clever and it comes off trying way too hard.  This is not exactly “Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog”. This is the segment that you should not feel bad hitting fast forward on. 

The third movie is my favorite:  “The Diary of Anne Frankenstein”.  A black and white movie where the Frank family discovers their relatives were none other than Dr. Frankenstein. Adolf Hilter arrives and kills them himself to get their blue prints to build a monster.  He builds one and it’s played by Kane Hodder of Friday the 13^th fame, naming him Meshugana.  This movie is really cheesy and really fun.  It was filmed in four days. They speak gibberish German with subtitles. All in all it’s a very fun look at a serious part of history.  Much like “Inglorious Basterds” was.

The forth segment is really just touched in brief. It is the movie folks are watching as they are being attacked by the zombies during that plot which I will get to in a moment. It’s called “Deathication.” It seems like it was just clips of people crapping while disco music plays.  The intro though is what makes this really funny. The director talks about his film warning the audience about how awful it is all the while adult film star Sunny Lane stands nearby trying not to throw up. “In other words, this film will rape you with your own feces.” That line itself can describe so many of the bad movies I have seen. 

The “Zom B Movie” is so-so at best.  It’s the movie that contains the others but it’s really just a run of the mill zombie movie that is a throwback the zombie moves of the 70’s and 80’s.  The most annoying part of this section is the script for this is feels like about 60% quotes from other movies.  Now I love movie quotes in general but I think it’s really stupid if you have to tell people what it’s from after every single line. If I am a watching a movie called “Chillerama” I am going to know you quoted “Robocop”, and “Gremlins” without you having to shout out the name of the movie after the quote.  Still it is a decent enough way to encompass the whole movie and it does its job at least. 

In the end it’s all just the directors watching this in a multiplex.  Remembering the days of the drive-in and THAT is what this movie is all about.  It’s a tale of people’s nostalgia for movie magic.  In that way it works on a whole new level.  I recommend this movie if you are a fan of cheesy, dark humor. If you want something wildly different to watch this will be right up your alley. If you were lucky enough to have experienced a drive-in maybe you will feel the same connection these directors do.