Coroner’s Report: Midnight Movie

Posted by Robert Fure (robert@filmschoolrejects.com) on January 22, 2009

Recently released on DVD, Midnight Movie is a self-aware horror flick that looks to introduce a skull faced killer into the pantheon of slashers. Sporting overalls and a sort of cork-screw knife, this baddie slips in and out of an old horror film, stabbing his way through cops, doctors, and teens alike.

The film follows a group of soon to be bloodied teenagers, along side some bikers and a pair investigating a five year old massacre, as they settle in to watch The Dark Beneath, a horror film tied to the disappearance and suspected deaths of the entire staff of a mental hospital. Soon, the killer is off the screen and in the hallways, out to increase his kill count before the credits roll.

Kills

The film begins with some implied kills and then adds a few here and there before kicking it up a notch and tallying up right around a dozen kills.

Ills

Most of the people who die meet their end at the point of that cork-screw knife thing, which on more than one occasion pulls a sweet plug of flesh out of the victim. Someone bites their own wrist, there’s a decent amount of blood, a ton of stabbings, a slit throat, some crushed fingers, someone gets stabbed right through (cool), some toes get clipped, an eye meets the business end of a blade and someone gets more than just a jolt of electricity.

Lust

There are a couple of cute girls in the film, notably new Heroes cast member Brea Grant. We do get two very short glances at some boobs, but unfortunately most of the ladies keep their clothes on. There is an in theater blowjob played for laughs though.

Learning

Rare prints of films are generally best left unwatched, partly because they’re going to suck and partly because they’re going to unleash some sort of ultimate evil.

Review

There is something honest and endearing about this horror flick that I liked. The film definitely could have used more blood and boobs, but hey, not every film is meant to be full of that much delicious awesome. I mentioned that the film was self-aware, which is probably obvious when you consider that the plot is about a horror film basically coming to life. There are some in-jokes that are appreciated as well as fart jokes which are always welcome. The acting is mostly passable throughout and as a first time directorial effort from Jack Messitt shows he knows how to position a camera – and he should, as he has a long career as a camera operator.

The film looks professional (it won an award for its cinematography) and the DVD is well put together with extras and some nice hard rock over the menu. The film never takes itself too seriously, but nor does it ever fully engage you. This is some fairly light horror that you can pop in and enjoy for 90 minutes without much thought. It definitely has a place in the horror world and is better than a fair share of what comes out straight to DVD and assuredly more enjoyable than the crap (like Vacancy 2) that tries to take itself way seriously and just falls flat.

For a light horror flick with a decent number of people all meeting the bad end of some sort of cork-screw knife and an interesting concept, this is for you. The film also has a decent set of balls when it comes to the ending, though for a moment I was prepared for a cop out. There is something about this film to love, but it does fall short of entering the pantheon of horror or of becoming a staple of the genre. Good effort with good execution.

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