This was a film that caught my attention. It kicked off day three at Nightmares Film Festival. What pulled me was the creative title and that Lorraine Bracco starred. Since I tend to not read synopsis and try to come into everything that I see blind, that's what I limited myself to know.
Synopsis: hopelessly stuck in a dead-end job and forced to move in with his disapproving mother-in-law, Eddie Mathews (James Austin Kerr) sets out to make his Hollywood dream come true - urged on by his imaginary villainous companion, who wants to be brought to life.
Now that synopsis does well in setting the stage. Eddie and his best friend, Joe Adcock (Alfonso Caballero), have been making movies since they were children. Their current project stems from an incident from back in the day where a 'Karen' called the police on Joe for having a baseball bat. Someone hit her mailbox so she assumed it was him. It is the inspiration for their pilot horror show, Killing Karens. The villain who is a vigilante hero is The Menacer (voiced by Steve Plaushin).
Life isn't going their way though. Eddie is married to Anna (Christine Spang) and they're moving in with her mother, Nancy (Bracco). She had high hopes for Anna to marry a local injury attorney, but a one night stand left Anna pregnant. This led to them getting married. They have a lovely son, Billy (Kellan Tetlow), and another child on the way. Also living with Nancy is her son, Kevin Koslofski (Brian Tichnell). He continues to try out for a local hockey team while never having left home.
Eddie continues to plug away at getting his pilot done while working as an online salesman for president bobbleheads. Things look up when he gets into a film festival. The grand prize is a development deal. He is in a rush to get the film ready, but there are curve balls coming his way. Whether it is the actor who plays the Menacer getting arrested, needing more money or finding the right props, it becomes a heartfelt tale of figuring out what is most important to you.
That is where I'll leave my recap and introduction to the characters. Where I'm going to start is by saying that this isn't a traditional horror film. It is a quirky, coming-of-age comedy where our lead character is a horror fan and making a horror television show pilot. There is a major film from a few years ago that feels in a similar vein. I won't spoil it though, since it breaks the amazing façade of that film if I do. I'm still going to include this since I did the other one.
With that set up, this one hit me in the feelings. It could be due to sleep deprivation or just being in the right mood, but it made me tear up. My wife, Jaime, inquired why and the big thing for me is that Eddie and I have similarities. We both are in our thirties; we have two children and love horror films. I had dreams of being a full-time writer where he wants to be a director. He has an amazing, supportive wife who is allowing him to chase his dreams. Even Nancy comes around as well. Now I personally gave up my dreams a decade ago, writing reviews and the podcast took that place for me. Getting to come to Nightmares Film Festival each year falls into that as well.
Now this film wouldn't work if not for the acting. Kerr (Eddie) and Spang, as the couple, were great; their rude, on-again-off-again dynamic, marked by bluntness and sarcasm, was highly relatable. Tetlow was excellent as their worried son, and Bracco was wonderful as the hard-on-Eddie but worried mother-in-law. The development was fantastic. Caballero, Tichnell, Bhatnager, and the rest of the cast, including a funny Leah Remini cameo, were good. The acting was top-notch.
All that is left then talk about would be the filmmaking. I thought that it was good with the cinematography and framing to capture the small town it was set in. When we're seeing them work on the horror project, that captures the essence you need. I'm also a fan of seeing the filming process having been on small sets like this. There is good blood and guts but again, we're seeing it from the production side. There's charm there. I love the masks and props as well. Other than that, the soundtrack fits what was needed. This is just well made overall.
In conclusion, this is a surprisingly heartfelt and well-crafted film that uses the backdrop of horror filmmaking to tell a relatable story about chasing dreams, navigating family dynamics, and figuring out life's priorities. While not a traditional horror movie, its quirky comedy and strong character development-elevated by excellent performances, especially from Kerr, Spang, and Bracco-make it a deeply engaging and touching watch. The technical aspects, from cinematography to the fitting soundtrack and charm of the film-within-a-film, support a genuinely feel-good experience. Its emotional resonance and well-executed blend of comedy and drama.
My Rating: 8 out of 10.
