VOD from the Dead Review: BEAST MODE (2020)
Maybe he’s born with it, maybe it’s BEAST MODE.
Sometimes I wonder what precisely it was about horror movies from the ‘80s that made them so different, so fun. I often come to the conclusion that it’s their tone. Something about them feels more playful than horrific, even if they are dealing with morbidity and gruesome demises. There’s an attitude about them that is carefree and almost blissfully ignorant to being tethered to any sort of reality. While there are plenty of examples of serious horror films from this time, there is likely double as many that are equally as goofy (here’s looking at you SLUMBER PARTY MASSACRE 2). While the horror output of the 2000s has been full of some truly outstanding works, we have lost some of the playfulness of the ‘80s films along the way. So if you’ve been reading this nodding your head in agreement with my yearning for a simpler and more playful horror film, then BEAST MODE is one you’re not going to want to miss!
What’s it about?
BEAST MODE tells the story of down-and-almost-out Hollywood producer Breen Nash (C. THOMAS HOWELL) who is on his last favor it seems with his next feature film. The only saving grace it seems is that Breen has gotten young and so-hot-right-now actor Huckle Saxton (JAMES DUVAL) to take the lead role. Problem is, Breen accidentally kills Huckle with his car so Breen puts his faith in a magical herbal elixir as a last resort effort to save the production and his career. Turns out that herbal elixir isn’t exactly what it seems as it turns those who use it into bloodthirsty demons!
Breen Nash (C. THOMAS HOWELL) is having a horrific day
How is it?
Clearly the filmmakers CHRIS W. FREEMAN and SPAIN WILLINGHAM feel the same way I do about playful horror films because BEAST MODE feels as if it was ripped right out of 1987 and placed into a DeLorean going 88mph to get to us today in 2020, for better and worse. What works so well about BEAST MODE is that it doesn’t have aspirations of being anything more than a good time. I’m not saying that all movies should aspire to that, but when it comes to horror in the past 10 years particularly it is nice to see a film that isn’t dunked, fried, and served with dread. The humor here doesn’t always land, and that’s okay. It’s apparent from the very start that this is not meant to be taken as either realistic or serious, and while it dances around being a little corny at times the jokes about LA life and Hollywood are pretty great and worth a giggle.
You may notice from the casting that there is a veritable who’s who of actors you have seen in many movies and TV shows. This is again a great thing, as the acting on display here is the work of actors who have been busting their chops on so many parts their IMDB pages could write volumes. While I will excuse myself for a bit of hyperbole there, I don’t want to diminish how much fun the actors seem to be having with this. Particularly C. THOMAS HOWELL and JAMES DUVAL who have great chemistry together and sell their respective parts quite well. In addition to the cast, Academy Award winner BRIAN WADE (Aquaman, Blade, Nightmare on Elm Stree 4 & 5) did a bang-up job of the creature and gore effects. While there is some use of CGI, I appreciate the heavy use of prosthetics as a more subtle homage to the era BEAST MODE is so clearly kindred spirits with.
While the tone and SFX speak to a simpler time, so does the script in many ways. For starters, the horror bits don’t really kick in until around the 50-minute mark. While there are some scenes sprinkled throughout before, and a super kick-ass opening scene, I found myself starting to get impatient waiting for the story to kick it up a few notches. What keeps things moving is the jam-packed script and whacky joke tone, but even that wasn’t enough to make this viewer forget that this is supposed to be a horror movie. At one point I found myself wondering if I had been wrong and this was in fact not a horror movie, but rather a kind of “Weekend at Bernie’s in Hollywood”. While things do start to pick up in the last act, and the blood and gore start to pile up, BEAST MODE never really regains the footing it looses about midway. The ending does a decent job of trying to salvage the film by layering on heaping doses of violence and insanity, so it’s hard to hold the droopy middle bits against it too much.
Huckle Saxton (JAMES DUVAL) is having one hell of a hangover.
The Last Rites
If you are hankering for a bit of a throwback to the playful horror films of the late-80s you can’t do much better than BEAST MODE these days. Despite a slightly saggy 2nd act, BEAST MODE delivers all the goods that fans of movies like “Night of the Demons” and “Demon Wind” have been yearning for with a solid cast and directing!
The Gory Details
Directed by:
Written by:
Produced by:
Starring
C. THOMAS HOWELL (Breen Nash)
JAMES HONG (Pish Rudabaker)
RAY WISE (Trammel Steadfast)
LESLIE EASTERBROOK (Zelda Zine)
JAMES DUVAL (Huckle Saxton)
Runtime
Approx. 87 minutes
Trailer
When and where can you watch it?
BEAST MODE will be available on DVD and Digital on December 1 from DEVILWORKS PICTURES in the U.S and Canada.
