Tweet
Released by: Full Moon Entertainment
Released on: October 2, 2012.
Director: John Lechago
Cast: Trent Haaga, Victoria De Mare, Al Burke
Year: 2012
Purchase From Amazon
The Movie:
The fourth (and at the time of this writing, the latest) installment in Full Moon's Killjoy series finds Trent Haaga once again playing the demonic clown. This time around, when the movie begins he's being accused by Satan himself of not being evil enough, because at the end of his last adventure he let one of the four students he was out to get survive in the form of one Sandie (Jessica Whitaker).
In order to prove to Satan that he is in fact as evil as he claims, he has to rely on some help from his lawyer, Skid Mark (John Karyus), but that doesn't quite work out as planned. Thankfully he's not alone and he winds up begrudgingly teaming up with some of his old pals, namely Freakshow (Tai Chan Ngo) and Punchy (Al Burke) but then there's the matter of Batty Boop (Victoria De Mare), the female demon who made life difficult for him last time. Above ground the cops are grilling Sandie about the murders of her friends, while Killjoy seems to have met his match when he comes up against Hell's prosecuting attorney, Jezabeth (Aqueela Zoll)…
Say what you will about the Killjoy series but this time around Lechago, returning to the franchise after directing Killjoy 3, seems to have found a solid grip on what makes the franchise work. Haaga is more or less allowed to chew through as much scenery as he wants here, taking the character over the top and back again and making the movie all the better for it. He's perfect for the part, playing it just seriously enough to make it work. Additionally, bringing the lovely looking Batty Boop, a demoness clad in body paint and not a whole lot more, was a wise choice as was adding Jezabeth - sex sells, after all, and these two ladies know how to work it.
Though the film was made with a pretty low budget, the set designers have done a good job of making it look like a fancier movie than it probably really was. There's obviously been quite a bit of attention paid to the look of the film and there's great use of color throughout, with the film feeling very much like a comic book come to life at times. The score also feels very appropriate here, complimenting the mix of humor and horror that runs through the movie in pretty equal doses. That's not to say that Killjoy Goes To Hell is a masterpiece, as there are a few slow spots here and there and more than a few plot holes and logic gaps, but if you're willing to let those slide (and if you're interested in this movie in the first place you probably are), it's not in the least bit difficult to have a lot of fun with this one.
Video/Audio/Extras:
Killjoy Goes To Hell looks pretty good on DVD in a 1.78.1 anamorphic widescreen transfer. Shot on digital video, there are no problems with print damage of course while colors look nice and bold and well defined. There are some very minor compression artifacts in a few spots but otherwise, the movie looks just fine.
Also problem free is the English language Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo mix on the disc. Dialogue is clean, clear and easy to follow while the levels remain properly balanced throughout the movie. There are no alternate language options or subtitles provided.
Aside from a batch of trailers for this and a few other Full Moon properties, the only other extra of note is a six minute behind the scenes featurette that relies mostly on footage shot on set during the production. Menus and chapter stops are also included on the disc.
The Final Word:
Killjoy Goes To Hell offers no shortage of off the wall entertainment, with Haaga's insane performance in the lead role really helping to elevate this one above previous entries in the series. Full Moon's presentation is about as solid as the format will allow, though a commentary might have been fun. Aside from that, no complaints - this was a very fun watch.
