Jack Brooks: Monster Slayer Review

Written by: TiM the Zombie   

"Jack Brooks: Monster Slayer" tells the story of, well, Jack Brooks.  At a young age, Jack witnesses his family being slaughtered by a mysterious monster in the middle of the woods.  Fast forward to adulthood.  Here we have Jack Brooks, a plumber with severe anger issues.  With everything from sporadically visiting a counselor, to dealing with his pesty bitch of a girlfriend, to finding time to squeeze in a late night science class, Jack tries to get through his problem littered life, one step at a time.  That all changes when his corky science professor (wonderfully portrayed by genre vet, Robert Englund) uncovers a mysterious crate in his backyard obtaining a heart to the transformation of... *gasp*... a MONSTER.  Who will save the kids from the wretched being and his minions!?  Let the mayhem begin.

Right off the bat, the acting is terrific.  Trevor Matthews does a great job at reacreating the role of Jack Brooks.  He's got that certain umph to him that any monster movie hero should have.  Bruce Campbell would be proud.  Also worth noting, Robert Englund's role (no, not a cameo) is just what we'd expect from our own Freddy Krueger.  He brings the character of Professor Crowley to life in an utmost goofy and jittery way.  All the supports did a good job too.  No complaint here.

The make-up and gore FX were done like they're supposed to.  None of that CGI bullshit here.  Realistic prosthetics and creature designs, gushes of blood and ooze, and over-the-top violence.  If you like your shit soaked, this one's for you. Jon Knautz did a great job with the script and the direction.  He was able to mix extremely rich and unique characters, an interesting storyline, and monsters to create a fun, over-the-top fright flick.  What more could horror fans want?

The film looked great.  Again, no complaints here. The sound effects and music were appropriately used.  You've got some soft dance music thrown in with a pulse-throbbing score to set the way for Jack's ass-kicking tirade against the evil monsters who dare step in his path.

Overall, this movie is a must see for any fans of the fun, cheesy, over-the-top horror/comedy blend.  Think "Evil Dead" meets "Slither" on the set of "The Thing" and you've got "Jack Brooks: Monster Slayer".