Directed by: John Sovie II, Kristian Hanson
Written by: Kristian Hanson
Starring: Justin Bowman, Stephanie Tupper, Desiree Holmes, Travis Hanson, Kristian Hanson, Russell Matoes, Tino Faygo, Rachel Cornell
First of all I'd like to thank Kristian Hanson for the opportunity to watch and review his latest film SLEDGE. I had a chance to interview Kristian
late last year before the film was completed and was able to get some insight on what to expect from the film and its villain Adam Lynch. But before I get to the review let me leave you with a bit of trivia: did you know that Adam Lynch's name was taken from Adam Green and Joe Lynch? Well now you do. Now, on to the review!
SLEDGE is a bit of a throwback to the 80s style slasher we all know and love, but with a bit of a difference. First of all it's a kind of film-within-a-film deal as we see a young woman (Cornell) sitting down with popcorn and a glass of wine to watch a movie. Then we see that it's one of those weekly presented-by shows which showcase a late night trashy film every week. Our presenter is a lovable yet foul-mouthed little puppet by the name of Assly and the film we are about to see this week is unsurprisingly SLEDGE. The movie-within-a-movie then begins and we are treated to an all too familiar scenario; a group of friends heading off into the woods for a spot of camping, booze, sex and all that other fun stuff. But as you would expect these unfortunate people have chosen the wrong woods.
Around a campfire the perpetual smart-ass of the group Alex (Bowman) tells the urban legend of Adam Lynch, a psychotic murderer who is reported to roam the area pummelling unsuspecting people with his trusty sledgehammer. But that's just a story right? Of course not, because if it were then there would be no movie. Just a bunch of kids having fun in the woods, and who wants to see that?
Apart from the main story of the deranged backwoods slasher (or perhaps smasher would be a more appropriate term since his weapon of choice is a sledgehammer) there is also some romantic subplot going on. Alex is accompanied by two couples; Shawn (Travis Hanson) & Michelle (Holmes), and Sarah (Tupper) & Nash (Matoes) essentially making him the fifth wheel. But he has a history with Sarah and doesn't get along with her new boyfriend Nash. In fact he spends most of his time making fun of and harassing Nash. Apart from this however there isn't really much character development but then again who watches a slasher flick for character development in the first place?
One thing you need to know about Adam Lynch (played by director Kristian Hanson) is that he isn't your regular silent, hulking masked killer like Jason or Michael Myers. Adam Lynch has a voice. And he uses it to inject some welcomed humor into the film, cracking jokes as he dispatches his victims, much in the same way as the killer in NAIL GUN MASSACRE except here the jokes are actually funny. In fact the humor actually caught me off guard and I had a few genuine laugh out loud moments from Assly's off the cuff remarks to Adam Lynch's disappointment when an accidental death robs him of a kill. But perhaps my favorite was when Alex inexplicably whittles a chunk of wood into an intricately carved (not to mention painted) bird statue.There are also various horror and pop culture references peppered throughout the movie which shows the filmmakers' appreciation for genre cinema.
The gore effects are all practical and Adam Lynch is indiscriminate as he picks off his victims, stabbing, smashing and ripping out the intestines of anybody who happens to get in his way. There is some really nice camera work on show as well and the forest location looks great. Generally for a film with a budget of only $2000 SLEDGE looks really good.
SLEDGE is a horror movie made by horror fans and although it doesn't present anything truly groundbreaking it does change up the slasher formula in some interesting ways. One thing I really enjoyed is that the killer isn't some wronged person with a convoluted backstory looking for revenge, he's just a nutcase. Sometimes it's the simple things that work the best.
Of course with any movie SLEDGE does have its negative points and in this case I found the scenes that cut from the film to the girl watching the film perhaps detracted from my immersion in the movie. But that's only one criticism and all of the positives far outweigh the negatives. SLEDGE is a fun and funny homage to slashers that adds its own twist and has plenty of blood, and is a fine addition to the independent horror scene.
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