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John Ary's Aint It Scary Reviews #16 Of 31!! CHILLERAMA!!

Published at: Oct. 16, 2012, 8:07 a.m. CST



John Ary here with another installment of Ain’t It Scary Reviews.  Today, a group of directors come together to create an over-the-top love letter to classic horror films.

Chillerama is a love letter to horror movies from several very like-minded directors, each with their own vision and humor.  Individually they bring something distinct this anthology of gore and giggles.  These distinct voices meld together into a twisted, sometimes funny, overtly sexual, piece of b-movie nostalgia.  Your enjoyment of this ode to classic horror will truly depend on your level of perversion.  If zombies that hump people into oblivion sound like an interesting twist on George Romero’s legacy, you’ll be fine.  If a musical about werewolves that rape a high school wrestling team to death sounds like a turn off, beware.

 

Our film tells the story of a classic drive-in that sadly is set to close.  On its final night, the owner shows a series of rare 35 millimeter prints.  Each one of these movies is directed by a different auteur.  The first is a throwback to the 1950’s about a man given a radioactive pill to help with his low sperm count.  This pill turns his cum into a giant slithering monster that devours the city.  Our next story is a Beach Blanket Bingo knock-off involving gay werewolves and a closeted teen.  Do yourself a favor and skip this one.  The multiple music numbers are painful to watch and the central joke of a kid coming to terms with his sexuality is driven into the ground.  Then there is my favorite of the group, a Young Frankenstein/ Producers mash-up entitled The Diary of Anne Frankenstein.  I would love to know Mel Brooks’ opinion of this one.  It’s all in German with subtitles, and features a totally over the top performance by Joel David Moore as Hitler and Kane Hodder as a jewish Frankenstein monster.  And finally we have a short called Deathication.  It unfortunately turns into a 5-minute montage of people shitting... so... yeah...  While the shorts that play at the drive-in are interesting in their own right... at least some of them are interesting, the central story of the people watching the films had the most resonance for me.  This turns into a zombie survival story... a very UNIQUE zombie survival story, one that plays out with its tongue firmly planted in cheek.  
 

Chillerama pushes the bounds of decency and comedy.  It’s made for horror fans by horror fans.  It feels authentic.  Even when one of the directors totally whiffs, there is no question as to why they are making this movie.  It’s not about money or creating a new brand.  Its four guys saying to their audience, we get you.  We love fucked up, perverted, gory flicks with boobs and blood just like you.  Let’s hangout.  While I didn’t like all of Chillerama, it had its heart in the right place with some big hits and some awful, terrible misses.  

 

Chillerama is currently streaming on Netflix.  It’s also available on Blu-ray here.

Check back in tomorrow for another Ain’t It Scary Review as a werewolf botanist terrorizes the streets of London.

Here’s a look back at the Ain’t It Scary Review installments that you might have missed:

The Ground Rules to the Project
#1 Son of Frankenstein
#2 Scream, Blacula, Scream!
#3 Black Sabbath
#4 Maniac
#5 Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon
#6 Invisible Invaders
#7 The Mummy’s Curse
#8 Lord of Illusions
#9 Night of the Demons
#10 Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde
#11 The House of the Devil
#12 Dr. Phibes Rises Again!
#13 Audition
#14 The Catman of Paris
#15 Kuroneko

For more video news, reviews and interviews subscribe to the AICN Youtube channel and follow me on Twitter.
 


Readers Talkback

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  • Oct. 16, 2012, 9:01 a.m. CST

    I liked "I Was a Teenage Werebear" best!

    by the_knightfall

    Reply to Talkback

  • Oct. 16, 2012, 9:07 a.m. CST

    I felt like I was watching a softcore porn during this movie.

    by Chris

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  • Oct. 16, 2012, 9:14 a.m. CST

    @the_real_christopher_nolan: Can't see what would be wrong with that...

    by the_knightfall

    Reply to Talkback

  • Oct. 16, 2012, 10:06 a.m. CST

    No...

    by Sigmar25

    This is garbage. Leads me to wonder if John Ary is just posting whatever random movie he watched the night before his next review.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Oct. 16, 2012, 11:12 a.m. CST

    by Jason

    Has no one noticed that he says "Dane" Hodder? It's Kane. Also, Diary of Ann Frankenstein is by far the best of the four!

    Reply to Talkback

  • Oct. 16, 2012, 12:23 p.m. CST

    Jason91887

    by John Ary

    Good catch! You win today's No-Prize.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Oct. 16, 2012, 1:06 p.m. CST

    Chillerama is just painfully, painfully bad

    by scott callison

    If today’s column is a recommendation for what to avoid, you are performing a valuable public service.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Oct. 16, 2012, 1:10 p.m. CST

    My Unsolicited creepy movie recommendation of the day:

    by scott callison

    Lake Mungo

    Reply to Talkback

  • Oct. 16, 2012, 1:11 p.m. CST

    mindboggling

    by vermicelliknid

    lord almighty. Two thirds of these films are just garbage. Why have a rule that they've to be good if you're just going to review any old nonsense? it's pretty obvious from who's involved in most of these films that they're rotten. There are so many great films that could really do with your spotlight! http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x87y7o_murders-in-the-rue-morgue-1-6_webcam http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=co19BaR963o http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UYKQldsZWqA http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7V40FT_NWCw http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BRtlEEL4sp8 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RxQs9nyxXa0 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=En6lZGv-CMs http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KeoQtdy0XwY http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VmBkK7N3Hhc http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J-e_9UphE88 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nPawzzL3ASo http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ygd98YUEmrw http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yBaNzi7uS3c http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NkJTz7vjssE (well, maybe without the hilarious russian overdub)

    Reply to Talkback

  • Oct. 16, 2012, 1:31 p.m. CST

    @lovinthrope in re Lake Mungo

    by Ryusei

    Saw that on Netflix. I've seen it a couple of times. Very creepy and very well done. No big budget scares, and no gotcha moments, but just thinking about that film makes me shiver. It's sad that this column isn't reviewing films like Lake Mungo, which is a great film to show to a girlfriend, whether or not she's into horror. Chillerama looks like a Troma movie, which can be entertaining,but really isn't horror or scary. It's an acquired taste which definitely isn't for everyone. Please start reviewing lesser known gems. Review Inside, Them, Martyrs and Frontiers. Give back to the community. Or, in the alternative, keep reveiwing crap nobody wants to see.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Oct. 16, 2012, 4:21 p.m. CST

    I'll second (or third) LAKE MUNGO

    by I am not a number

    I don't find many movies creepy, but this one got to me. Particularly effective when they show what the girl saw/recorded at the Lake.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Oct. 16, 2012, 6:37 p.m. CST

    A love letter to horror? More like a suicide note.

    by Cobb05

    Don't waste your time with this movie, it's horrible. The acting is on par with Troma movies, which is sad, considering they are using actors who have been in other things. The only watchable part is the drive in segmets, minus the shit movie. Wadzilla is just unfunny and badly acted. Werebear feels like a troma movie, complete with horrible acting. The Diary of Anne Frankenstein is hands down the worst of the three. I expected so much more from horror fans. Skip this one.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Oct. 16, 2012, 7:15 p.m. CST

    as we're talking about Mungo

    by ScaryJim

    Yeah, I'm in too. Best Spoof doc ever.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Oct. 16, 2012, 9:43 p.m. CST

    Not terrible.

    by adeceasedfan

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