Director – Joe Lynch (Chillerama, Wrong Turn 2: Dead End)
Starring – Ryan Kwanten (True Blood), Peter Dinlage (Game of Thrones), and Steve Zahn (Joy Ride)
Release Date – 2014
Rating – 4/5
Tagline – ‘Tis about to get medieval up in here.”
The first year I was with my wife we started watching the HBO show True Blood. Season 4 was about to premier and we quickly watched the previous three seasons to get caught up. It was at this time that my wife told me that Jason Stackhouse, portrayed by Ryan Kwanten, was going to be in a film directed by Joe Lynch. Joe directed my favorite installment of the Wrong Turn series.
I was very interested in the film and waited for what seemed like forever for it to be released and over time it slipped my mind. That was until recently when I was at Wal-Mart and found the film on DVD (because they were sold out of blus). I grabbed the film and ran home where I just looked at it in fear of it sucking hairy balls. Curiosity got the best of me and I had to give it a go.
**Spoiler Alert**The film follows Joe (Kwanten). Joe is a mechanic and lead singer for a doom metal band who was recently dumped by his super sexy girlfriend. His two roommates, Hung (Dinlage) and Eric (Zahn), try to take his mind off his heartbreak and get him fucked up. While he is passed out they dress him in armor and take him with them to a live action role playing event. Hung and Eric is able to convince Joe to stay once he wakes up and they all set out for a day of adventure but things are not as they seem.
Eric ordered an old book from online and plans on using it to increase his in game XP. This works but at a price. He places Joe at the center of a pentagram and reads from the book and this unleashes an evil succubus that looks like Joe’s ex that feeds on sexual energy and blood. Joe, Hung, Eric, a beautiful warrior and her musclebound cousin must fight the beast before the entire legion of LARPERS become succubus shit.**Spoiler Alert**
I love brutal horror flicks that are story driven and not just blood and gore for the sake of it. I also love horror comedies and black comedies. These films make light of horrific situations and while making the viewer laugh while the blood sprays. Perfect examples of this is Peter Jackson’s Bad Taste and Dead Alive along with the classic Evil Dead II, and the more recent hits like Jack Brooks: Monster Slayer and Tucker and Dale vs Evil. These films are heavy on blood and humor while making the horrible stories comical and funny.
That is why I liked Knights of Badassdom so much. The film was funny and entertaining from beginning to end. However, this film should come with a warning just like the film Dead and Breakfast. This is the kind of film that combines horror elements with comedy that everyone can enjoy not just the die hard horror fans. In fact, I can see a majority of the horror community shunning this movie because it is not a straight forward horror flick and that is a damn shame because it really is a fun.
The acting in this one is fucking amazing and the film has a rather impressive cast. Everyone did a great job and I think the film would have not been as effective if the film did not have the cast it did. The story for this one is one told before but with a more modern (and entertaining) twist. It is this kind of stories that I find refreshing in a sea of modern horror flicks that take pride in filming crude sexual acts and torture without real story lines.
Finally, the film has a slew of practical effects that should really be praised. A lot of films with this kind of budget rely heavily on CGI and visual effects but this film gives the fans of 80s horror exactly what they want. The kills are fun and bloody while the succubus looks fucking great. This also makes me wish that more modern horror flicks were creature features because this film shows there is a market for them out there. Overall, Knights of Badassdom is a funny horror flick that has beautiful women, a great cast, and plenty of blood. If you like horror with your comedies then this film is for you. Just remember that this film is not a straight forward horror flick and you will be able to really enjoy it.
