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Released by: Echo Bridge
Released on: September 13, 2011.
Directed by: William Butler
Cast: Peter Stickles, Robin Sydney, Jacqui Holland
Year: 2011
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The Movie:
Initially I was worried coming into this film: Would my lack of familiarity with the previous entries in this series leave me confused as to the well-established characters and the ongoing saga? How could I hope to just jump in and be expected to be up to speed as not to distract from the compelling narrative?
Then I noticed the film is a product of Charles Band's Full Moon Entertainment and I knew I'd be just fine.
Thanks to a gratuitous heaping of references to other films, an intentional mash-up meant entirely as filler to string together sequences of CGI-laced gore, the movie is yet another staple of Band's productions of late. The story begins with a Silence of the Lambs sequence with a vengeance-filled “Clarissa†finds the imprisoned maniacal titular character in a prison for evil food-stuffs. Naturally, then, hippies break in to rescue the “abused†inmates and Gingerdead Man hops into a time machine that's supposed to transmit food through the space-time continuum.
He ends up at a roller disco in 1976, on what may be its final night of operation. The mother-daughter dynamic of Carrie is carried over, replaced here by the past-her-prime roller disco owner and her telepathic, introverted niece. Gambling debts are apparently to blame for the impending closure of said roller disco so everyone decides to go out on a high note. Drug use, sex, bikini car washes, Porky's and Carrie references all ensue, giving the main character a chance to creatively slaughter nearly everyone involved. And by “creative†I mean “oddly convenient.†Of course the bikini car wash is located right next to drums of acid. Of course he finds a nail gun that shoots out rounds faster than a .30-cal. Of course he finds the cleaver of the title. More time travel follows that defies not only the laws of quantum mechanics but also the basic operating principle established when the device is introduced in this movie, allowing restoration and justice at the hands of plucky tweens and Hitler (and Dahmer, Manson and Borden).
I can give producer Charles Band and his protege writer-director William Butler credit for combining their efforts, balancing a complete lack of care for the coherent narrative with a sophmoric glee of bad joke-fueled, CGI-rendered gore. It takes a certain level of commitment to make stuff like this over and over again while not getting any better at it. It's truly remarkable.
Video/Audio/Extras:
For some weird reason, the disc comes with a very solid Dolby 5.1 Digital soundtrack so you don't miss a lick of Gingerdead Man's witty reparte. The image quality on this DVD is also incredibly clean, with good color balance and saturation which is helpful when your film's main character looks like a walking dog turd.
Summary:
It's a Full Moon Entertainment film, through and through. Honestly, there's not much else to say about it. At all. Ever again.
