REVIEW: Midnight Movie (2008) - ViolentLeigh

Cast: Rebekah Brandes, Daniel Bonjour, Stan Ellsworth, Mandell Maughan, Jon Briddell, Justin Baric, Lee Main
Director: Jack Messitt
Writers: Mark Garbett and Jack Messitt
Company: Bigfoot Entertainment

Rating: NR
Running Time: 1 h, 24m

I’m going to just come right out and say it…I liked this movie. There, it feels like a huge Harley-sized (you’ll get this later) weight has been lifted from my shoulders. This movie delightfully presents all the B-Movie cheese one can stomach without being bound up for days after indulging. It has ridiculous dialogue, cardboard characters, and a gimp-footed killer. But most importantly, it has an original premise. Are there parts that are ooze with too much Velveeta? Sure, but overall it kept me entertained.



The movie begins with a silver-haired mental patient named Ted Radford and his doctor, who apparently got his degree from the back of a cereal box, preparing to watch a horror movie that decades earlier Radford wrote, directed, produced, starred in and was the best boy grip for. This is Dr. Quack’s idea of therapy for the institutionalized and clearly off his rocker Radford. As one expects, things go awry. Radford (who apparently would rather eat flesh than popcorn while watching a film) chews his wrist off pretty much before the beginning credits are done rolling. Cue the blood splattered walls, off-screen carnage and missing dead bodies.

Fast forward five years to the present day.

We are introduced to the main heroine character, Bridget. She is running a very large and looming theatre (that no doubt has a singing phantom living in the basement). This theatre specializes in showing obscure horror movies to so few people they couldn’t even get a good conga line going. Along with the completely indispensible theatre workers Kenny and the blonde girl that was so insignificant I don’t even think she had a name, Bridget is opening the theatre for a midnight screening of Radford’s film.

Enter the rest of the cast, a group of unknown actors who aren’t past the daytime soap opera level of acting quite yet (my apologies Ms. Lucci).



The soon-to-be-dead moviegoers include Bridget’s boyfriend Josh; her 10 year old brother Timmy; Mario and his brunette girlfriend; Harley and Babe, the stereotypical bad-ass couple; and an AV nerd that gets the runs from eating too many chocolate covered raisins. These crazy kids poke fun at Radford’s movie while Harley enjoys some fellatio action in the back of the theatre. Meanwhile, a stone-faced cop (who apparently doesn’t think getting a blowjob in a public place is worthy of a ticket) and a doctor who worked at the aforementioned hospital arrive.



It doesn’t take long before Radford’s black and white, Texas Chainsaw Massacre rip-off begins and the killer jumps from the silver screen to the theatre hacking anyone that gets in his way (and anyone who is cowering behind the concession stand).

This group of trapped moviegoers would in no way be accepted in MENSA, but they do pull together and work as a group to try to escape their unfortunate fate. At the beginning, Bridget is pretty whiney and annoying but I found myself pulling for her and poor little Timmy towards the end. I mean, how can you not pull for a kid named Timmy, especially when Lassie isn’t there to save the day.



However, Harley is hands down my favorite character. He is big & tough, sensitive and doesn’t mind getting a little freaky in the back of a theatre.



The killer, with his farmer John overalls, Christmas tree looking weapon and gimp foot wouldn’t be as frightening without the partial-skeleton mask. The mask (which I loved) made me uneasy in the same way that William Shatner makes me uneasy when he’s really pale and his hair is disheveled. It was a welcomed change to see a new mask and a new maniac instead of seeing all the classic killers we’ve grown to love watered down, regurgitated and fed to the masses with crappy storylines and subpar heavy metal soundtracks. (Yeah, big Hollywood studios, I’m talking to you. Stop the remake madness.)



I was impressed with the original storyline of this film. Granted, my counterpart has mentioned some Nickelodeon TV show with the same premise. Alas, I am a few years older than he is and do not recognize this show called “Are You Afraid of the Dark”. My Nickelodeon watching was of the Barth Burger/Green Slime generation.



With an original storyline, albeit not always executed to its fullest extent, this was still an enjoyable movie. It was well filmed and the transition scenes from Radford’s film to the movie theatre reality were aesthetically pleasing. The black and white of Radford’s film starkly contrasted the colorful world of the present day reality. When the killer was dragging his victims into the colorless film, it dramatically symbolized all of the life and color draining out of them. I also thought it was very interesting to see these victims become forever immortalized in the film. Kind of like having a repeated 15 minutes of blood-soaked fame.



If you can get past the average acting and can relish in the cheesy dialog, I think you will enjoy this. Would I fight someone for the last DVD copy at Wal-Mart? Probably not. But, I did watch it twice and in no way regret those 168 minutes.

Naked Factor:
Two hippie boobs.
No biker penis.

Gore factor:
One torture porn scene.
Lots of circular wounds.
A few bloody walls.

Things I learned from Midnight Movie:
1. Dating a big, tough biker in no way guarantees your safety when faced with a masked murderer.
2. Taking acid makes you want to dance with leprechauns.
3. 10 year old boys will face impending doom to catch a glimpse of a set of knockers.
4. Sammy Sosa alleviates people’s fears.
5. Mario Lopez has a long lost twin brother (also named Mario.)
6. Deodorant does not cover the smell of fear.
7. Having your toes cut off does not affect your sense of balance.
8. Don’t ever drive a VW Van on a country road because you will inevitably get a flat tire and die.