Distributor: Accent Films Author: Domenico Garzarella Ever wished you could take the Scooby Doo gang, create a real life movie with actual actors (you know, one that wasn’t a huge box office disaster and totally sucked) and inject it with lots more blood? Well, if you, like me have stumbled on Saturday Morning Massacre, then you will delight that this aforementioned fantasy has now become a reality! The good folks at Accent Films have released Saturday Morning Massacre and it sure is a hard film to try and peg down. Sure, the characters are annoying as meowing cats and as watching bat shit slide down a cave wall, but there’s blood and if that’s the only draw card for you in a low budget film, then it won’t disappoint. Viewers seeking more in the way of character development, plot or inventiveness of themes will want their money back. Group of four 20-somethings take it upon themselves to unearth and debunk supposed supernatural activities and disturbances and this is what leads them to a haunted mansion (surprise surprise) and the events that take place from here on in make the bulk of the film. There are a lot of references to other films littered throughout the film and the director Spencer Parsons seems to really wear his influences on his sleeve. It’s interesting to read that he says he was influenced by Basket Case and Re-animator as I didn’t really see much evidence of that but rather saw shades of Texas Chainsaw Massacre and more of that gritty 1970’s vibe. There are also copious references to witchcraft, Satanism and the occult and this really does become tedious real quick but again, it’s there to highlight just how stupid the local townspeople can be in assuming the worst of a family without ever investigating deeper into what actually happened. The obligatory birch twigs, pentagrams and creepy shadows dominate and I guess we have the Blair Witch nonsense to thank for that. Chuck a couple of sticks on the floor and you suddenly have suspense! Whatever. Another point of interest is how the word Massacre was dropped from the title upon later release and instead was changed to Saturday Morning Mystery. I’m going to take a guess here and say that was a ploy to really hone in on the Scooby doo homage and in all honesty, it really does suit this film in more ways. The group are really hell bent on solving these mysteries and often unearth far greater evils than anything Wes Craven or William Friedkin could think up. The opening shot of them trying to figure out where the projection of a phantom image is coming from leads them to an organised child porn/paedophilic ring and this sense of unease is felt throughout the rest of the film. The cover of the Accent DVD release is what pulled me into this film and if you watch it with the knowledge that every annoying character will eventually succumb to some sort of pain or death then believe me, you have a far greater viewing experience. Just keep repeating to yourself....everyone dies by the end, everyone dies by the end, everyone dies by the end...... Video: Nice, clean aspect ratio of 1.78:1 makes for a very clean, crisp print. Audio: Again, audio is fine with a Dolby 5.1 soundtrack. Extras: Sadly no bonus material but plenty of trailers of other great accent releases. BUY DIRECT FROM ACCENT FILMS: BUY
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January 2015
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