Shock-O-Rama (2005) (V)

User Rating:

5.8/10   

Director:

Brett Piper

Writer:

Brett Piper (writer)

Release Date:

27 October 2005 (USA)

Genre:

Fantasy | Horror

Tagline:

Face Your Fears!

Plot:

Three horror comic tales connected to a wrap-around story involving a B-movie actress stalked by a blood-thirsty zombie.

Plot Keywords:

Zombie | Actress | Alien | Gore | Low Budget Film

Cast

Misty Mundae	...	Rebecca Raven - Zombie This
Duane Polcou	...	The Zombie - Zombie This
Michael R. Thomas	...	Frank / The Brain - Zombie This / Lonely Are the Brain (as Michael Thomas)
David Fine	...	Gaylord / 1st Paramedic - Zombie This / Mecharachnia
Erika Smith	...	Sarah - Zombie This
Mike Schuster	...	Editor - Zombie This
Rob Bellamy	...	Leo Kish - Zombie This
Justin Wingenfeld	...	Office Worker / 2nd Paramedic - Zombie This / Mecharachnia
Kelly Moylan	...	Misty's Double
Rob Monkiewicz	...	Jedd Callahan - Mecharachnia
Caitlin Ross	...	Linda - Mecharachnia
Paige Davis	...	Mecharachnia (voice)
Jeffrey Faoro	...	Phone Voice - Mecharachnia (voice)
A.J. Khan	...	Naomi - Lonely Are The Brain
Julian Wells	...	Dr. Carruthers - Lonely Are The Brain

MPAA:

Rated R for sexuality, nudity, language and some violence.

Runtime:

88 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.78 : 1

Certification:

USA:R

Filming Locations:

New Jersey, USA

Company:

E.I. Independent Cinema

badly acted padded talkathon

Brett Piper is always at his best with FX sequences and not as his best with actors or story. This film being a series of short stories, the script never really polishes any idea before moving on to the next half backed story and most of the time it's up to the actors to fill the time until we reach feature length. Bulk of the characters are the type you fear you'll be stuck next to on a long flight somewhere. FX are few and far between.

Yes they shot on film but it has a flat Saturday morning TV series, and not a good one, for kids in the 1970's look.

The performers all try to overact and the words are just padding here. It looks like every first take was printed and the only direction was make it more over the top. When you have actors who don't really have over the top to give what you get is shrill non actor yelling at each other or mugging like they are funny. They aren't.

Talk talk talk, oh here's a cute special FX shot, talk talk talk talk.

That's pretty much the way the movie goes. It seems a lazy effort from Piper who may well be exhausted from doing all those FX on most of his films himself. There just aren't enough of his charming hand made retro FX to forgive the flat talky nature of the rest of the movie. And the way the script is written, so talk heavy, that seems to have been the intention all along.

There are films of Pipers that are worth watching, I just can't put this one in that pile. Main title music by Jon Greathouse is great fun but then there is almost no score to the rest of the film. Another Piper decision? A function of no post production time? More music please especially in a drag-a-thon like this one.