Plot: When Ben (Joel Moore), his friend Marcus (Deon Richmond) and assorted strangers embark on a creepy nighttime boat trip into the bayou, their journey takes them into the lair of Victor Crowley (Kane Hodder), a freak of nature whose deformity has turned him into a bloodthirsty killer. Only Marybeth (Tamara Feldman), one of the travelers, holds the secret that may keep them alive. Horror legend Robert Englund co-stars in this comic gore fest.

My Review: I waited for this movie for quite sometime. I was super excited about it coming out as it was going to be the next best thing compared to Jason Voorhees and Friday The 13th. First reviews on the movie said that it was going to be amazing, then more and more people started saying the acting was horrible and it wasn‘t worth the hype. During production I stayed away from just about every news piece on the film so it wasn’t spoiled for me. I didn’t want super high expectations. I even avoided watching a trailer! I ended up really enjoying it. And now I sit and write this review on probably my 7th or 8th viewing.

The movie starts right off the bat with two cameos. Two men sitting on a boat in the middle of a swamp fishing. Most horror movie fans will notice that the older man is Robert England – Yes, Freddy Krueger himself. And the other one is Joshua Lenoard – From Blair Witch Project. Anyhow, something attacks them, they both get BRUTALLY dismembered..and we are lead into the credits and the next scene.

Mardi Gras, boobs, booze, etc. A group of friends walking down the street, discussing what they’d like to go see next. One of them suggests a haunted swamp tour later that evening. (look for a cameo of writer/director Adam Green holding the huge beer cup & pot necklace) They head off in search of the swamp tour guide, which happens to be Rev. Zombie. Another cameo – Tony Todd! They are sent to another part of town to look for another boat to rent. There they meet up with Misty, Doug, and Jenna, who are shooting a “girls gone wild” sort of film. Everyone boards the bus, where we meet the rest of our cast (a quite girl by herself, and an older couple) and off to the swamp they go.

Once they arrive to the swamp they get on the boat, where a local man out on a smaller boat tries to warn them that the swamp is closed due to Victor Crowley. A few minutes later, we hear Sean, the tour guide, tell the local legend of Victor Crowley and who he is. Giving us the plot of the whole movie. A young man who was unfortunately deformed and killed during a tragic accident. Legend has it that he haunts the swamp and dozens of people have gone missing there, thought to be murdered by the ghost of Crowley. Later we hear about how its actually illegal to be in that part of the swamp.

Of course the boat strands them and they all get lost in the woods arguing and trying to figure out what to do next. That’s when Victor Crowley makes his appearance and brutally kills a couple people. The rest take off into the woods trying to get away. And this is really how the movie continues on, we have the group running around like chickens with their heads cut off trying to figure out how to stay alive and get out of the swamp. Eventually they realize they are fucked and try to take Crowley out, but their plan doesn’t quite work and they end up running from him again.

I really like the mixed group of people. All different types and most likable. There are some great one liners and funny situations. To me, this is a good mix of horror and comedy. But a lot of people don’t like this. So, if you like your films serious, then you might want to stay far away from this.

I do have some problems. The biggest two would be the fact that everyone seems to stop and argue for no good reason, about the silliest things. Mainly is the two “bimbos“ and after a couple watches its kinda funny, but on a first viewing could annoy some. The other problem is that Victor screams out “Daddy” a few times, which to me just sounds silly and not scary. The third not so important problem is that Victor is TOO deformed, so much so it looks like he’s wearing shoulder pads and his skin is rubbery.

Gore/FX: For the most part I really enjoy the gore in this movie. I love creative deaths, and this movie had it. But they were kinda over the top and very unrealistic. On the other hand the latex makeup effects were great. Its how every horror movie should be done! I think overall the kills and extreme gore mixed well with the comedy. Compared to the sequel, the kills in this are really not that over the top.

Sexual Content: Tons of boobs in the beginning, during street shots of Marti Gras. And later the “girls gone wild” chicks keep flashing on demand.

Acting: Tons of cameo’s from old school horror actors and other people. A lot of people thought the acting in this was bad. I thought it worked for the film, it really wasn’t bad. If you want to see bad acting watch low budget filmed in a backyard films…then come back and watch this, you’ll see its not that bad.

Overall: I really enjoyed this movie, and I do recommend it. You just have to go into it knowing right off the bat that its pure comedy/horror. It doesn’t take itself serious, but its not spoofy either. Just sit back and enjoy it for what it is.

[rating:4/5]

View The Trailer