SCARE PACKAGE: A Hilarious Homage to Classic Horror Films
Lately I have been binging Shudder’s “The Last Drive-In with Joe Bob Briggs” when I came across the 2019 film SCARE PACKAGE. Thanks to the high praises from Joe Bob, I knew I was in for a wild ride. It was also nice that he did his drive-in totals for each individual story, instead of doing one for the entire film.
The film begins with Chad of Rad Chad’s Horror Emporium picking up a hitchhiker who tells him about his screenplay, which involved a young man who is trying to find his place in life and soon finds himself in the perfect horror setting after accidentally killing two babysitters. Chad drops him off before returning to his store where he hires his newest employee, Hawn. While Chad is training Hawn, a shop regular comes in and tells him about the movie ONE TIME IN THE WOODS, that he just watched about a group of campers who not only cross paths with a man infected with a flesh-eating virus but a mask wearing slasher as well.
After talking about that tale, we move into another called M.I.S.T.E.R. which follows a man who is at a low point in his life. He joins a self-help group for men but they are not as they appear to be. In THE NIGHT HE CAME BACK AGAIN: PART IV we follow a final girl that is continuously stalked by a slasher that kills all her friends and preventing her from having sex. The next tale is GIRLS NIGHT OUT OF BODY, that follows a group of ladies having a sleep over that doesn’t go according to plan. On a tape marked “watch me” Hawn watches SO MUCH TO DO, which follows a very busy man that possesses a woman and the two square off on an internal struggle. The final story follows Chad who is then kidnapped and taken to an underground testing facility that is studying slashers and their supernatural abilities.
The acting in this one is very well done. All the segments were very well acted with some amazing performances. We get so many memorable characters and even an appearance from Joe Bob Briggs. I was also happy to see Chase Williamson in this one. He’s one of my favorite indie actors that I wish would be cast more than what he is.
The stories for this one are of varying qualities. Some of the segments really pulled me in but they were over as soon as they started. The wrap around segment is a fantastic meta-slasher that not only parodies the sub-genre I love but builds upon the cliches to create something that we haven’t seen since BEHIND THE MASK. With that being said, there was others like GIRLS NIGHT OUT OF BODY and SO MUCH TO DO that feels like they were just rushed productions that have no real point to the story. Some of the better segments are just too short while the others were just rushed and there to push the film’s running time.
This film holds nothing back when it comes to blood and gore. We get so many amazing kills, amputations, ooze, and so on. The practical effects are near perfect and something that really makes this one stand out among its peers. Overall, SCARE PACKAGE is a loving tribute to 80s horror but some of the segments are not on the same level as others. The acting is phenomenal, and the effects are to be seen to be believed. Give this one a watch. You’ll be glad you did!
Though available to view with your Shudder subscription, SCARE PACKAGE has also been released on Blu-ray. If you are a fan of gory horror, then this is a must have in every collection. To order your own copy, just click on the image of the Blu-ray cover above.
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~David Albaugh
