Club Dread (2004)

Released in 2004, "Club Dread" is a horror/comedy/spoof about a mad slasher who's systematically slaying the staff at Coconut Pete's Coconut Beach Resort, an island paradise whose clientèle consists mostly of hedonists and swingers. The story's a whodunit and I was trying to figure out who the killer was, but failed.This is a competently made slasher parody that's fairly amusing (and sometimes almost scary), but only sporadically laugh-out-loud funny. The actors are good, highlighted by Bill Paxton as Coconut Pete and Kevin Heffernan as a masseur, but the two main female cast members aren't that interesting, to me at least (Brittany Daniel and Jordan Ladd). However, there are some interesting peripheral women.Another reviewer effectively summed it up: "Club Dread is one of those in-between films. It wasn't bad, although it has bad parts. But it wasn't really good, although it has good parts." The film runs 104 minutes with a longer unrated cut; it was shot in El Tamarindo, Jalisco, Mexico.GRADE: C+

Slasher parody with all the ingredients fans of the genre know and love..babes, boobs, blood, and blonds. Bill Paxton is a hilarious Jimmy Buffet wannabe, Coconut Pete, who has an island paradise which caters to partying college kids who adore him and his vulgar music(which was mostly popular in the 70s!). This island is like Cancun where the hot girls and handsome guys come to celebrate liberty away from the pressures of life(or to celebrate the fact that they can party on daddy's allowance)where they can drink, smoke grass, and have sex. But for Coconut Pete's staff on the island, the fun comes to a crashing halt when a serial killer, wielding a machete, begins to hunt them down one at a time, the end result not in their favor. The murders follow an "acid trip" song from a 70s Coconut Pete record and the staff attempting to stay alive begin to question each other. Kevin Heffernan is the new guy on the island, Lars, hired as a masseuse, with an uncanny ability to touch certain spots on the body providing orgasmic pleasure. His weight is often poked fun at and since he is new, the others figure he's the psychopath slicing and dicing. Brittany Daniel(more than reason enough to recommend this movie to anyone who can appreciate the athletic female form), often scantily clad for our benefit, is a fitness guru, Jenny, and Lars' love interest. Steve Lemme is Juan, a Spanish Lothario who has a way with the ladies. Jordan Ladd is very into Juan and seems to be one of those clinging obsessive stalker types..for our viewing pleasure, Ladd shows her tits, for quite a long time which is paradise enough for yours truly. The director of the film, Jay Chandrasekhar, is Putman, who looks like a Jamaiican yet carries a British accent..in my opinion, he has some of the best scenes in the movie. Lindsay Price, yet another babe, is in it far too short for my liking, another member of the staff(her name is Yu which is toyed with in the dialogue).I really can not complain here because the Broken Lizard team gave me exactly what I desire when watching a slasher film. They are able to lampoon the genre while, at the same time, include what we, the target audience, demand when we watch a slasher movie. The movie isn't subtle in it's comedy, and the cast play to the material. There's plenty of eye candy on display, and the filmmakers deliver enough ultra-violence to keep fans happy, I believe. CLUB DREAD also features humor on how a killer is able to sustain a lot of punishment and still come after our protagonists. The identity of the killer and his reasons for committing the crimes are also a loving jab at the often silly twists we often see in slasher movies. Also included is the campfire horror story involving "Machette Phil", not to mention, some funny sequences poking fun at both hiding places and attempted getaways(and the always easy target, splitting up when it's better to stay together).

I see a lot of Super Trooper fans that hate this movie. Personally I enjoyed this movie far more than Super Troopers. I don't understand why anyone would try to compare the two movies though. They are two totally different style movies. Kevin Heffernan as Lars & Brittany Daniel as Jenny were both hilarious together. I personally thought it quite hilarious that a spoof of slasher flicks was actually a better slasher flick than most serious slasher flicks while being hilarious at the same time. It seems to me that the reason most of the critical people don't like this movie is that they took it seriously. That is the problem.

This movie seems very cheap and easy..with lots of young beautiful girls with little clothes on them. But all in all, if you watch the whole thing and actually pay attention it's very well made and very funny. It took a while before it sunk it that it had intelligence..it's well hidden behind the typical high school type of cheapness, but it's intelligent and funny. Not everything works, but it takes chances and comes out very well all in all. If someone bashes this movie it's simply because they don't get the subtle humor within the in-your-face-humor..it's a laid back movie which doesn't take itself seriously and I think it shines through with quality..I have never seen any movies by these writers before, but I will look for more from them. Well done! This is not something I have seen in many years...and especially not from the U.S.A.