A Most Atrocious Thing

One look at the trailer tells you exactly what kind of movie this is - a low-budget horror comedy made with love by people who love horror and comedy. The budget is lower-than-Troma-movie low - something like $5,000 - and the actors and directors and writers are the same people. This can be a recipe for disaster, yet somehow in this movie, there's a lot to love. Landing someplace between Evil Dead, Shaun of the Dead and Dude Where's My Car for stoner shlockiness, the film offers goofy fun for the kind of people who can enjoy Troma movies. (It's no surprise that Lloyd Kaufman has a cameo in this.)

It's not for everyone - the characters are clueless Gen-Z stoners who probably shouldn't be allowed near a car, let alone a gun, and the deer-monster is gloriously fake. But the movie lampshades its failings, turning them into a shared joke. And the dopey characters are fun to cheer for - and easy to mourn when things go south as they inevitably will. If this sounds like the kind of thing you'd enjoy, smoke up, laugh along with it and enjoy the ride.

Stumbling upon the 2024 horror comedy "A Most Atrocious Thing" by random chance here in 2024, of course I opted to sit down and watch it. In fact, it being a horror comedy that I hadn't already seen was sufficient to make me sit down and watch it. But I have to say that I was definitely also lured in by the movie's cover.

Sure, I had zero expectations to what writers Christian Hurley, Ben Oliphint, Dylan DeVol and Max Shepardson had to offer. So you could say that they had every opportunity to entertain me here.

The storyline was actually good, because it was a mixture between "Evil Dead" and "Cabin Fever". I have to say that I actually enjoyed the script and the narrative in the movie. Sure, it felt like a homage to "Evil Dead", but it worked out nicely.

I am usually skeptic about movie that also star the writers and/or directors. But it played out well enough in this movie. Why? Well, because "A Most Atrocious Thing" was made with a lot of spirit and love of the horror comedy genre. It was very obvious that the writers and directors were fans of the genre and brought their own spin on the horror comedy to the screen in an entertaining manner.

Needless to say that I wasn't familiar with the cast ensemble in the movie. But the actors did put on good performances throughout the course of the 75 minutes that the movie ran for.

The deer in the movie looked so fake that it was hilarious to look at. It actually worked out well enough in favor of the movie, since it was so fake that it added to the overall enjoyment of the movie, provided you don't mind questionable creature effects. It should be noted, though, that the special effects in the movie were otherwise actually good for a movie of this caliber.

My rating of directors Christian Hurley and Ben Oliphint's 2024 movie "A Most Atrocious Thing" lands on a six out of ten stars.

At first I thought this was just a bad movie. Sure, the acting isn't entirely professional and the deer costume isn't realistic whatsoever, but the movie recognizes that. While watching the first few minutes of the movie I felt lost and uninterested as the comedy aspect seemed forced. Once it gets past the beginning, I believe that's where the movie becomes funny.

There was a 'the shining' reference in the movie too, which I audibly laughed about.

The movie recognizes that it's bad, playing into the stupidity of the lines, acting and visual effects. I believe this movie is comedic genius, and probably the perfect movie to watch with friends.

Had so much fun watching this movie with my husband. It's a horror comedy movie and reminded me of my kids and their favorite horror movies. Highly recommend for a cheesy movie night. You can tell the young men that made this movie made it with a lot of fun and also a big love for the genre. You can tell by the way they carried out each scene - but the movie is not too long. You can get this on Apple TV+ or you can check Amazon.

If blood makes you queasy you might skip, but I would still give it a try. Set in Colorado - so another reason to give it a try - for the beautiful scenery and the rustic cabin.