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HORROR 101: THE A-LIST OF HORROR FILMS AND MONSTER MOVIES VOL 1
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HOME - INTRO - REVIEWS - FEATURES - MYSPACE - BLOG - STAFF - CONTACT HORROR 101: THE A-LIST OF HORROR FILMS AND MONSTER MOVIES VOL 1
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(2008)
Opening with a voiceover sequence of a medical experiment gone wrong, director Tony Swansey draws the viewer in, building mystery and exercising a goodly amount of restraint. We hear screams on the tape and we learn that whatever it is these scientists are working on, it’s strong, it’s pissed off and it’s…squealing. Like a pig. We then see an obnoxious motorist (John LaFlamboy) picked off the roadside where his car has broken down in the sticks. Again with the furious squeals, and in a trice, our hapless urban interloper is a pile of dismembered limbs on a slaughterhouse table.
Now, I’ll be completely honest: Time and time again I found myself thinking, “This is ridiculous, this is a novelty act, this is Jason Voorhees with a Porky Pig complex,” but darn it if I couldn’t stop watching and grinning and enjoying the heck out of myself. For the gorehounds, there is plenty of spraying, splashing and squishing (courtesy of Vicky Strei), even if much of it does occur just out of the camera frame and even if it isn’t difficult to figure out how the effects were accomplished – the fact is, it works, and works well. There are numerous memorable moments, images and characters, foremost being Mike Masset’s midget pigboy incarnation – Simultaneously amusing and unnerving, Pigboy’s attack on the two groupies is one of the more chilling and offbeat scenes of screen violence in recent memory.
Squeal screens at midnight THIS FRIDAY, May 9th, at the Music Box Theatre, 3733 N. Southport Ave. Chicago, IL 60613. Go for a nice pork chop-and-truffles dinner, then come out and support Chicago independent horror! Review by Aaron “Dr. AC” Christensen |
When we think of horror, the
barnyard is generally not the first place our imagination scampers. Even though
sharp-edged implements are frequently showing up in the oddest of places (I
mean, really, why does one need a pitchfork at Camp Crystal Lake?), it is rare
that we see a fright flick actually set down on the farm. Yet, judging from the
results, the henhouse might just become the new mecca for mayhem. Genre fans
were treated to a couple terrific agro-horror pics last year, with Billy
O’Brien’s superb genetic mutation chiller Isolation and Jonathan King’s
hilariously rambunctious ovines-gone-mad comedy Black Sheep. Now, from our own
Windy City comes yet another “Don’t mess with Mother Nature” cautionary tale set
amongst the corn fields, and despite its low budget, outlandish plot devices,
and oft-derivative material, Squeal succeeds heartily as a terrific slice of
homegrown horror. 
Having gotten our attention,
Swansey introduces his main characters: a grunge rock trio (Kevin Oestenstad,
Stephen Isaac Dean, Joe Burke), their ballbusting vegan manager (Allison Batty)
and the two ditzy groupies (Kelly Jean, Esther Claire) accompanying them on the
next gig’s road trip. Busting out the well-worn horror playbook, our heroes
meet a couple of weird gas station characters, they argue amongst themselves,
they get high, they get lost, their car breaks down, they separate, gratuitous
nudity ensues…it’s all pretty familiar territory. But while Swansey and Dennis
Doornbos’ script provides little in the way of originality and the inter-group
squabbling quickly grows tiresome, there is an assuredness and texture in Dan
Kenji Levin’s cinematography that elevates it above the spate of shot-on-video
dregs so prevalent within the DYI horror community. The viewer feels that
he/she is in the hands of professionals, and the care taken to actually
compose shots is a welcome relief from the shaky-cam stylings oft employed
to camouflage inexperience and/or laziness. Additionally, the acting is
universally strong if not always deep, making the ride that much smoother,
allowing us to actually invest emotionally in the characters.
The cultivating of this
audience goodwill pays off enormously when the big moment arrives and the
homicidal maniacs step out of the shadows for all to see. Not to give anything
away, this is, quite simply, a slasher movie with a curly tail. But while we
may initially laugh at the sight of a bellowing, snout-faced killer in overalls
(the singularly named Rebel) coming after his fresh-faced prey, the fact that
the movie continues to engage is a credit to all involved, both before and
behind the camera. Barreling forward on all four legs and rarely pausing to
take a breath, the fevered pace and energy – along with the committed cast’s
efforts – sell this hogslop hokum admirably.
By taking its bizarre,
barely plausible scenario 100% seriously without ever winking at the audience,
Squeal remains nasty and spirited for its entire 79-minute running time. While
one might have hoped for something a little more inspired than the nihilistic
ending, I came away quite (and quite surprisingly) satisfied – a lot more than I
can say for many recent Hollywood genre efforts. Oh, and be sure to stay
through the credits for the… um, yeah. Just stay so that you can see what I saw
and we can talk about it.