[Splatter Disco]
Plot:Kent Chubb thinks life couldn't possibly get any worse when the mayor, his sociopath mother (Lynn Lowry), and the city council threaten to close down his nightclub Den O' Iniquity for "acts of perversion." Enlisting the help of his father, Shank Chubb (Ken Foree), Kent and club regulars attempt to educate the town to the community service function of the club: providing a safe and welcoming environment for all the oddball local citizens. Little do they know a serial killer has begun to pick off club employees one by one, and now even Kent's acid-flashback-prone hippie attorney can't help them out of this bloody mess...or keep his eyes off Kent's gorgeous wife (Debbie Rochon).

Cast:Brandon Aponte, Carlos Brum, Robert Jude Buco, Christopher Calcagni, Alexandra Cipolla, Walter Cotter, Timmy DeCoff, William DeCoff, Ashley Eaton, Caleb Emerson, Ken Foree, Trent Haaga, Rachel Knutton, Jason Krangel, Lynn Lowry, Ted Marr, Jason McCormick, Tony Milano, Brian L. Mullen III, Sarah Nicklin, Peter Nulton, Tony Nunes, Marty O'Connor, Ricardo Rebelo, Debbie Rochon, Jennifer Scharf, Thomas Severinghaus, Robin Watkins, Jason Witter.

My Thoughts:I knew what it was trying to do, but it just didn't work.

Review::"Splatter Disco" is one of the more interesting indie horror films to come along in awhile. The film has a fetish club owner named Kent, who caters to pretty much every weirdo, freak, and outside-the-box type in his small New England town. His club, "Den O' Iniquity" however, has drawn the ire of republican, christian fundamentalist types who want it shut down, as they feel it promotes the kind of smut which they feel is bad for their children and their town.

Their campaign to shut down Kent's Den is backed by the town mayor, and his mom. Kent has problems outside the club too, as his father (Ken Foree) is dying, Kent's own marital problems, and the fact that some of his workers seem to be disappearing...which is the work of a serial killer that Kent, nor anyone else is aware of. Can Kent fend off all of these problems to save the club that his father built? "Splatter Disco" tries to be a tongue-in-cheek horror/comedy picture, but it just mostly ends up coming off as a tad bit too silly.

You're always walking a fine line with pictures like this, where you try to mix political humor, social satire, and tongue-in-cheek humor with any genre...horror, drama, action, etc. While the effort in this film is definitely noted by writer/director Richard Griffin...it doesn't exactly come off without a hitch. In fact, the film contains many hitches...such as the comedic parts not being as funny, witty, or sharp as they could've been. And the underlying subplots, none of which are very interesting...are not handled very well either. What's basically going on in this film is a business man is trying to make alot of people happy with his club.

His father, who built the club...and then left it to his son Kent after he fell ill...his wife (Debbie Rochon), who doesn't like what the club has to offer, and then of course the city council which thinks the club is anti-christian and smut-filled. In the middle of all of this, a serial killer is striking. But with all of this going on, none of it strikes a chord as interesting, intriguing, or fun to watch. The serial killer is quite lame, only bumping off about three people in some very uncreative ways, and being that this is a horror/comedy...it's not a good thing that they failed to deliver on the horror part.

Ken Foree is really this movies only bright spot, as Shank Chubb...Kent's father. Foree not only gives a good performance, but his comedic parts are on point, and his screne presence is very effective at turning some otherwise boring or droll scenes into much more entertaining pieces of work. I guess you could say that it's the mark of a good actor....which Ken certainly is, but I think in the particular case of "Splatter Disco"...it's just that the story was so weak, and the acting wasn't up to snuff....that Ken was basically left to carry the entire film.

In very intense political times like these, where the culture war rages in america...it's not hard to see the similarities between real life today in 2008 America, and the base story in "Splatter Disco" where the "moral" types are at odds with those who they view as "immoral", and who are instead just different. Had this theme been played on smartly, the movie might've worked. But instead it's taken to the extreme where plenty of other films have gone. The moral christian types are hate-spewing hypocrites, and the liberal types are beyond experimental and far into the realm of just plain weird.

Rather than playing to certain aspects of each camp, both are portrayed as we've seen them portrayed so many times in other films of various genres. The ending of the movie does provide a few laughs and some decent entertainment value with the revelation of who the killer is, and their motives...but everything before that just falls flat. "Splatter Disco" is a film which had an oportunity to be alot smarter and more clever than other horror comedies, but because it takes the easy way out, it doesn't succeed.

Positives:Ken Foree's performance.

Negatives:Wasted potential with the story, not very good acting by most of the other cast members, and not enough Debbie Rochon.

Overall:One and a half out of four stars.





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