VOD from the Dead - The Legend of Fall Creek (2021)
I’m not old enough to know what it was like in the “heyday” of 42nd street, and my awareness of grindhouse films is derived entirely from scouring video stores and reading books on what films make up the broad genre. While everyone has their own preference on what is and is not grindhouse filmmaking, one cannot argue that a hallmark staple of the genre is an abundance of exploitative elements. For films like “Last House on the Left”, the emphasis is on the exploitation of rape, violence, and retribution. Other films such as “Two Thousand Maniacs” take a more comical approach by exploiting Southern stereotypes, white supremacy, and of course, heaps of gore. For simplicity’s sake, I’m of the belief that in order for a film to be considered a “grindhouse” style film it must, at the very least, consider an exploitative element. This brings me to 2021’s THE LEGEND OF FALL CREEK, a self-proclaimed grindhouse style film that unfortunately fails to deliver on the minimum requirement for a grindhouse film, exploitation.
WHAT’S IT ABOUT?
On a chilly Halloween night in 1988, Fall Creek Valley turned upside down when Robert "Bobby" Maxwell disappeared from a party. On the 20 Year Anniversary, BLOODY BOBBY seeks revenge on his tormentors who sealed his fate with a blood pact.
This is likely the most blood you will find in The Legend of Fall Creek
HOW IS IT?
Full disclosure; I have not seen “BLACK PUMPKIN” the film which “THE LEGEND OF FALL CREEK” is the prequel to. I’m not sure if that would have improved this viewing, but I suspect that is not the case.
You might be wondering why I started this review off ranting about the definition of grindhouse films. This was not an accident, as THE LEGEND OF FALL CREEK lets you know quite bluntly that this in fact a grindhouse film to remove any confusion. The attempts to make this feel like a grindhouse film are not subtle, consistent, or effective. One example is the dialogue in the first 15 or so minutes. I have no qualms with harsh language, just so long as it doesn’t feel forced at gunpoint and downright silly. The good news is that at some point near the middle of the film the edgelord dialogue just kinda dissipates into some bland character interactions. It’s the same with the grindhouse film filter. It is laid on thick to start, and then it just kind of falls off for 30 minutes to reappear in the last act. It’s that level of inconsistency and unnecessary distraction that makes THE LEGEND OF FALL CREEK a really hard film to root for.
Still, I must hold myself accountable to my own definition. Does THE LEGEND OF FALL CREEK deliver on the exploitation? The answer, unfortunately, is a hard no. This film is by all measures pretty tame, save for the last 20 minutes. Even those don’t really deliver the expected level of sleaze, gore, or excitement that one would expect to see in a grindhouse film or a slasher. There are a few scenes early on where the camera just pulls aways right before the kill. This happens frequently, and while I’m a firm believer in holding something back THE LEGEND OF FALL CREEK does so to a fault. Some of this is down to odd editing choices like blurring key actions or characters on the screen for seemingly no reason at all. It doesn’t help that this kind of slasher origin story is a carbon copy of other ‘80s slashers like SLAUGHTER HIGH or TERROR TRAIN, without any kind of novelty to bring this trope to a new generation of horror fans. I know a lot of work and effort goes into making movies, and I don’t think anyone tries to make a bad one, but THE LEGEND OF FALL CREEK feels hobbled together in almost every way. It’s a shame too, as “Bloody Billy” is a catchy name for a slasher.
Being a clown is rough in Fall Creek
LAST RITES
THE LEGEND OF FALL CREEK doesn’t have much to offer horror fans and often frustrates more than entertains by trying too hard to be something it is not. What could have been a decent slasher paying homage to a time long ago falls flat due to forced aesthetic and a bland (and mostly bloodless) premise.
THE GORY DETAILS
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Where can you watch it?
ON DEMAND, DVD, AND DIGITAL including iTunes, Amazon, Google Play, Xbox, Vudu, Dish Network, and all major cable providers February 9, 2021
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