“BLACK HOLLER” (2021) WILL MAKE YOU SCREAM WITH TERROR & LAUGHTER
The ’80s is an era that we all enjoy. It had it all. It had great style, great music, amazing toys, and some of the best movies available. This is even more so when it comes to 80’s horror movies. Looking back on all the classics the 80’s horror genre brought to the big screen reminds us of the iconic horror movie villains we still love today. Jason, Michael Myers, and Leatherface all had some great films in the ’80s. The birth of Freddy Krueger on the big screen was by far one of the most iconic things in horror that came from the ’80s. 80’s movies alone have their own cinematic cult following. There are many great movies out there today that use the “80’s movie horror troupes” in horror movies as an homage to the films the filmmakers themselves loved in their younger days.
“Cabin in the Woods” by far must be the one that uses this the most. It has it all and has easily become a cult classic to us horror fans as soon as we watched it. It used the iconic “Evil Dead” like cabin in the woods to cause terror for the films main characters, as well as seeing all the horror villains they had in their arsenal. Granted many films have been using the things we all love from 80’s movies all the time. Some do it to get more attention to the film, while others do it as a love letter to the great 80’s horror films that changed their lives. The 80’s horror movies that have brought us endless hours of joy still are ones we all re-watch when we are in the mood for just a classic thrill. There are many people out there who are now sharing these 80’s horror classics with their kids, creating a whole new generation of horror movie fans. I grew up loving all the classic 80’s horror movies (Freddy Krueger by far has always been my favorite but don’t get me wrong, I still love all the other greats) and still re-watch them to this day.
Recently, I got the opportunity to watch the horror-comedy “Black Holler” from Wide Eye Releasing. This movie stars Tamiko Robinson Steele, Vivi Vendetta, Rachel Ward Heggen, Sarah VainArsda, Heidi Ervin, J.R. Robles, Brad Edwards, Jesse Perry, Nicholas Hadden, Brian Russell, Katie Grant, Bruce Ervin, Betty Williams, and Lee McCure. The movie is directed by Jason Berg (who also helped write it) and was also written by Heidi Ervin & Rachel Ward Heggen. The film is based in 1989 and focuses on LaQuinta Johnson (Tamiko Robinson Steele) being transferred to a new college after a series of events has landed her here. From there she is introduced to the Dean named Dean Dean (Brad Edwards) and getting her set up with her new college experience. She is then sent to her anthropology class where she is introduced to Professor Thompson (Jesse Perry), as well as her classmates Megan (Rachel Ward Heggen), Marty (Sarah VainArsda), Rebecca (Heidi Ervin), Daphne (Betty Williams), Ben (Bruce Ervin), Walter (Nicholas Hadden), Gus (Brian Russell), and a few others as she feels out of place in a new environment.
Things start to take a turn towards feeling more out of place when Professor Thompson announces a class trip to the mysterious woods of Black Holler for an anthropological study. Everyone is onboard seeing it as their way to have a college experience with a drunken and sex-fueled time. Unfortunately, her classmates and her chaperones Professor Thompson and his wife Sher (Katie Grant), which they are completely absent-minded about what is really happening with the student’s plans. Things get really crazy when LaQuinta’s classmates start disappearing. The deaths in this movie are quite the homage to the great 80’s horror movies that inspired this movie. I will say that this movie has some of the best 80’s horror movie spoof songs I have ever heard. They are catchy and add a nice touch to each scene they are in.
The friendship with LaQuinta and Walter (Nicholas Hadden) is great as well as they seem to be the only ones who are aware of what really might be happening in the woods. Their banter is great and not to mention Walter’s aspirations to be a game show host come up in the most random ways. He is probably the closest thing to a friend she has besides her cousin D’Angelique (Lee McCure). There is also a hilarious gag where they keep changing the actor for Brett (Jon D. Bumpus), which is a nice reference to a joke that Walter refers to a classic horror movie troupe earlier in the movie. This movie has a feel of what it would be like if you mixed “Saved By The Bell” with “Sleepaway Camp”. There are a few nods to other horror films like “Child’s Play”, “Evil Dead” and other films that you will have to pay attention to when you watch it.
The reveal of the villain is done is quite done well in the classic 80’s camp horror movie way and I love it. The killer, his motives, and even the supernatural element to his intentions are great. You even see the development leading up to the villain reveal with LaQuinta becoming a bit of a hero after losing her eye in a fight with a crazy gas station owner. After losing her eye she dons an eye patch and finds her footing as the movie’s true badass final girl. Even the end credits of this film are a hilarious delight with a very funny 80’s rap spinoff being spot on.
My final opinion of this movie was positive. I went into the movie thinking it would be another horror spoof (which I enjoy) and it had much more comedic elements to it than I thought it would. The timing of the comedic elements and the way the horror/gore is played off in this movie so well that I enjoyed every minute of the movie. Granted there were some jokes that didn’t fully land but being a person that looks at the whole picture and what I enjoyed; the movie was a very enjoyable watch. The cast, the writing, the crew, and everyone onboard brought their best to each part they played in this. I highly recommend everyone check this movie out for at least a good laugh and an awesome storyline.
“Black Holler” from Wild Eye Releasing is now available to enjoy on VOD.
