SYNOPSIS: William Brown is a neurotic, self-absorbed musician determined to finish his prog-rock magnum opus while working as an engineer at a recording studio. He currently faces a creative roadblock, a noisy and grotesque neighbor named Vlad. Finally working up the nerve to confront Vlad to keep it down, William inadvertently decapitates him. But, while attempting to cover up one murder, William’s accidental reign of terror causes victims to pile up and become undead corpses who torment and create more bloody detours on his road to prog-rock Valhalla. In addition, it is causing havoc on his relationship with his girlfriend.
REVIEW: Filmmaker Josh Forbes takes his skills as a director of music videos to serve up an old school horror film with one of the legendary special effects makeup designers, Gabe Bartalos (Basket Case 2/Frankenhooker/Leprechaun). DESTROY ALL NEIGHBORS is a wicked goopy comedy overflowing with practical effects and buckets of blood.
The plot is your basic tale of a stress filled and frustrated aspiring musician who is on his last nerve. A series of events culminates with his new bizarre neighbor moving in and pushing him over the edge. Confronting his neighbor Vlad is the first in a series of unfortunate events that is filled with death and mayhem. There is a quality to the narrative that feels reminiscent of 1985’s “Return of the Living Dead.” The story nicely focuses on William and his spiral out of control. To some degree it feels like a journey to an insane Oz.
The narrative is magically brought to life by a fantastic cast. Jonah Ray Rodrigues’ William is a blend of Joel from “Mystery Science Theater 3000” as he channels a bit of Bruce Campbell. He brings a lot of energy to the performance and seamlessly switches between mental states that showcases a classic mastery of slapstick. Adding his dynamic energy to the film is actor Alex Winter as Vlad. Best known for his role in “The Lost Boys” and the “Bill & Ted” film franchise, the great prosthetic makeup design permits him to create a unique performance. The rest of the cast is an amalgamation of talented actors that deliver unique performances that add to the horror and comedy.
DESTROY ALL NEIGHBORS has a classic look and feel, largely due to the practical effects and special effects makeup. The cinematography, framing, editing and lighting all harken back to the best of the 80’s franchise genre films.There were numerous moments where I found myself nodding my head and uttering “nice” at sequences and gags. Clearly they went through buckets of blood on this shoot. Ryan Kattner & Brett Morris’ score and music for the film nicely adds atmosphere, accentuates the mayhem and gore, and adds this fun take on Wliiam’s musical dreams. FYI, the official motion picture soundtrack will be available digitally worldwide on all digital platforms January 12th, including Spotify, Apple, Amazon, Bandcamp and SubPop.com.
Start 2024 the fright way with an instant genre classic, DESTROY ALL NEIGHBORS. It's a dandy of a gorefest thanks to esteemed special effects artist Gabe Bartalos. Jonah Ray Rodrigues and Alex Winter are among the noteworthy cast members, along with a monstrous score that make this an exceptional viewing experience. The film also makes for a wicked introduction to the bloody era of horror for younger viewers. An excellent reason to subscribe to Shudder this month, among many other reasons.
CAST: Jonah Ray Rodrigues, Alex Winter, Kiran Deol, Christian Calloway, Randee Heller, DeMorge Brown, Jon Daly, Phil Hendrie, Ryan Kattner, and Thomas Lennon.
CREW: Director - Josh Forbes; Screenplay - Charles Pieper & Jared Logan; Producers - Russell Sanzgiri, Alex Winter, & Jonah Ray Rodrigues; Cinematographer - Will Stone; Score - Ryan Kattner & Brett Morris; Editor - Hank Friedmann; Production Designer - Kati Simon; Wardrobe Supervisor - Aoife Baker; Special Effects Supervisor - Ben Gojer; Special Effects - Atlantic West Effects; Special Make-Up Effects & Sculpture - Gabe Bartalos; Visual Effects Supervisor - Casey Price.
OFFICIAL: www.watchdestroy.com
FACEBOOK: N.A.
TWITTER: N.A.
TRAILER: https://youtu.be/ru1OuYNQDtY?si=yvtiKEj4sz3aMAiM
RELEASE DATE: Streaming on Shudder January 12th, 2024
**Until we can all head back into the theaters our “COVID Reel Value” will be similar to how you rate a film on digital platforms - 👍 (Like), 👌 (It’s just okay), or 👎 (Dislike)
Slaughter of the Innocents will be released on special edition Blu-ray on June 11 via Synapse Films. The 1993 horror-thriller is written and directed by James Glickenhaus (The Exterminator, The Protector).
Scott Glenn, Jesse Cameron-Glickenhaus, Sheila Tousey, Zitto Kazann, and Darlanne Fluegel star, with Kevin Sorbo and Armin Shimerman in supporting roles and a then-unknown Aaron Eckhart in a bit part.
Special features are listed below.
Special features:
Audio commentary with writer-director James Glickenhaus
Interview with make-up effects designer Gabe Bartalos (new)
Interview with director of photography Mark Irwin (new)
Archival interviews with with writer-director James Glickenhaus and actors Scott Glenn and Jesse Cameron-Glickenhaus
Electronic press kit featurette
Deleted scenes
Alternate assault sequence
US & international theatrical trailers
Scott Glenn stars as FBI Agent Stephen Broderick, a man who has attained legendary status within the Bureau for his crime-solving abilities. There is only one other person whose abilities rival his own… his young computer genius son, Jesse (Jesse Cameron-Glickenhaus). Working together, they are an unbeatable team but they may have just met their match in a deranged religious fanatic who preys upon children. Eager to close the case, the police irresponsibly push for the execution of the wrong man, leaving the real serial killer at large. Jesse and his father piece together clues from past murders and recent events, leading to a desperate race against time as Agent Broderick finds his very own son in the hands of the deranged psychopath. Time is running out, and Broderick is the only one who can stop the slaughter of the innocents!
