DVD Review: HACK JOB (2011)

HACK JOB
Written and Directed by:  James Balsamo
Produced by:  Acid Bath Productions

Well, I can say one thing about this film right off the bat...it was named appropriately!   HA!  Ok, so maybe the film is a HACK JOB.......yet, for some strange reason, I couldn't help but kinda enjoy it....kinda.  Ok, before I go any further with the review, here is the basic plot courtesy of imdb.com:

James and Mike are tired of art films taking away the credit that horror films deserve. So, they get a script from the devil to make the best horror film ever. The script has three stories in it. The first is about Nazis that awaken a mummy's curse. The second tale is about an alien that crashes a battle of the bands and then starts eating the contestants, and the last story is about a man who gets possessed to kill televangelists.

Well, I'm glad there is a printed plot synopsis, because that is the only way I would have ever known what was going on in this film.  I have to be honest, this film is a mess from many aspects.  The film is shot on what looks to be an old VHS camcorder based on the picture quality at some point.  The picture can be fine one scene and then grainy and blurry the next.  The sound is not good either, with some lines barely audible over the background noise (I assume they just used the external mic on the camera).  And most the time in this movie, I had no clue what was going on or who the characters were.  And what's up with the commercial for a popular horror t-shirt company right in the middle of the film?  Hack Job? More like Sell Out!

The acting is pretty bad as well, and the actors spewing out some horrible dialog doesn't help matters any.

So..why don't I totally hate this movie?  Well, with all the bad does come some good.....first off, the movie is full of cool metal music and it has a great original theme song.   There is also some great gore in this film.  Now, keep in mind this is a very low budget film, so the effects are cheap and practical, but I like that in a horror film...gives more of a sense of realism to a film.  You will see  a lot of blood in this film which is always a good thing, along with lots of guts being spilled on the floor, an amazing hatchet to the head scene, a clown getting his head sawed in half,  and, most incredible of all, a man getting his spinal cord pulled out through his eye socket.  Yes, you read that right.  A guy pulls another guys spinal cord out of him through his eye socket.  Oh, and then he stabs him in the stomach with it, as if pulling out a mans spinal column wasn't enough damage already.

The filmmakers have obviously been influenced by the Troma movies and even got Lloyd Kaufman to make a cameo in the film.  I wouldn't recommend this film to most horror fans, but fans of low budget films like the Troma films will probably have a good time with this one.


CLICK HERE to visit the film's official website and watch the trailer
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