Chillerama
Written and Directed by: Adam Green, Joe Lynch, Adam Rifkin and Tim Sullivan
Starring: Adam Rifkin, Kane Hodder, Richard Riehle, Eric Roberts, Joel David Moore, Sean Paul Lockhart, Corey Jones, Kaili Thorne

Over the past few years we’ve seen a major resurgence in anthology films (ie. movies that consist of multiple segments, usually each one by a different filmmaker). The format has always lent itself well to the horror genre in particular, perhaps thanks to its roots in short form radio serials, pulp magazines and comics. For many, the horror anthology trend peaked in the ’80s with such classics as Creepshow, Twilight Zone: The Movie, and the Tales from the Crypt TV series, but now a handful of established horror directors have combined their forces to pay tribute to these films (along with the drive-in culture of the ’50s, ’60s and the ’70s) with a new collection called Chillerama.

While it’s probably true that Adam Green, Joe Lynch, Adam Rifkin and Tim Sullivan are not quite household names, they are at least well-known among genre fans. Rifkin has come the closest to mainstream success with his 1999 KISS-themed comedy Detroit Rock City, while Green directed some decent indie hits with the Hatchet movies and also the ski lift thriller Frozen. Sullivan and Lynch both have a few less films under their belts; they are best known for 2001 Maniacs and Wrong Turn 2 respectively. In theory, these directors have the perfect level of notoriety and experience to create some modern b-movies that are appropriately edgy, fun and irreverent. Unfortunately, as with many anthology films, the actual results are somewhat hit or miss.

Chillerama opens with a framing narrative that revolves around a few different groups of horror movie fans attending a quadruple feature at the closing night of America’s last drive-in. The first three films in the anthology are the actual movies that they are paying to see, with the various characters briefly comment on each one as they start and end. Before we even get to the drive-in, however, we meet a drive-in employee who is looking to get some, uh, “lip service” from a corpse, only to have a zombie chow down on his manhood instead. Yep, that pretty much sets the tone for the kind of depravity that is about to ensue.

The first film, “Wadzilla”, is written, directed by, and stars Adam Rifkin. It continues the theme of being raunchy and perverse but somehow ends up being the most entertaining one of the bunch. As the title implies, the story is about a man whose sperm begins to increase in size due to an experimental medication. It is a send-up of ’60s monster movies and it is quite well-shot with a bright technicolor look and some Grindhouse-style film scratches for added effect. The humour is definitely more than a bit juvenile at times (Eric Roberts has a brief cameo as General Bukkake), but it still manages to be relatively clever and charming as well.

Unfortunately, the next short is a bit of a dud. “I Was a Teenage Werebear” is Tim Sullivan’s contribution to Chillerama, and it’s essentially The Lost Boys and Teen Wolf by way of Grease and Rebel Without a Cause… only a lot more gay. Sullivan himself is openly gay and the movie is very clearly about a young man who is a closeted homosexual struggling with his inner urges and being bullied for it. It stars gay porn star Sean Paul Lockhart and features a number of musical interludes that are both awkward and painful to watch. While it’s impressive that they wrote a handful of original songs just for this short film, the segment lacks any sort of subtlety and really just isn’t funny.

Next up, Adam Green plumbs the depths of poor taste with a chapter entitled “The Diary of Anne Frankenstein.” Like most of these shorts, it feels like the funny title was chosen first and everything else was mostly made up on the fly. The basic idea is that Adolf Hitler is a mad scientist trying to build the perfect killing machine out of body parts from dead Jews. Jason Voorhees himself, Kane Hodder, plays the monster Meshugannah, but the novelty of parodying old black-and-white German films with fake German dialogue wears off pretty quickly. This one also ends up overstaying its welcome.

For the film’s conclusion, there’s a slight red herring as the fourth film is introduced as a disgusting little piece called “Deathication,” but thankfully that is interrupted as the framing story suddenly takes center stage. In Joe Lynch’s “Zom B Movie,” all hell breaks loose as a zombie outbreak suddenly hits the drive-in. It’s hard not to be won over by the idea of a horror flick that takes place at a drive-in, and the acting in this segment is definitely the best of the bunch. Character actor Richard Riehle plays the owner of the drive-in and it is a lot of fun to see him kick ass and take names while spitting out classic one-liners.

While I can definitely appreciate the spirit behind Chillerama, the films themselves are a mixed bag. At times they seem to be trying too hard to shock and offend, and other times they are not particularly well-made. This anthology might have benefited from a few more segments with shorter running times to help balance everything out. That being said, there is definitely an audience out there that will appreciate the gratuitous gore, gags and general mayhem found within this film. In fact, you probably already know if you’re interested or not, just be warned: there aren’t a lot of genuine chills to be had. — Sean

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