Jack Brooks: Monster Slayer Review
Written by: Venomous Nightshade
Genius. That is the first word I feel can define the entire movie.
Having watched it for the second time since buying it I started to think half way through that a review was in order for such a blazing trail of mayhem and fun and what better way to start than review a movie that speaks deeply to me.
*Spoilers (if you have yet to see the movie)*
The plot is simple which adds a simplicity to the whole film without trying to patronise you.
Jack Brooks (played by Trevor Matthews) witnesses as a child the brutal murder of his entire family at the hands of something he cannot bring himself to comprehend. Now years on he is dealing with a girlfriend who drives him up the wall, a load of therapy sessions that ironically do little to help and night classes that do nothing for him.
One night after helping Professor Gordon Crowley (played by the delectable Robert Englund) at his new home, Jack inadvertently releases an ancient curse which finds its portal in the professor who through the course of the movie changes into something not of this world.
To begin with Jack is more than reluctant to get involved but it’s only during a small revelation that he realises he can no longer hide from his destiny but confront it including demons of the past as well as some new ones. The night is about to get messy.
Firstly what makes this movie work so well in my terms is that you have got a plot that sticks to a ready-made formula and allows the viewers to understand without trying to talk down to them, derived in the same fashion as Evil Dead and Brain Dead aka Dead Alive, it doesn’t take itself seriously and as fun doing so.
Trevor Matthews as Jack is excellent in his role and truly makes it his own. He manages to create a complex character who is both cynical and accepting, that we can relate with. We understand his frustration and anger whilst longing for him to break out and show the world what he is truly made of.
Robert Englund as Professor Crowley, seriously what’s to be said? The man is genius and in this role he has found his greatest niche since the days of Krueger. He is beautifully laughable in his role as he changes from an understanding professor to a gruesome, repellent creature and he never loses his audience throughout the movie.
The lighting of the film is dark and depressive reminding us very quickly that we have entered Jack’s world but it works well in a movie that is already destined to be dark. The music is brilliant, sorry but it is! And when it kicks up a gear as Jack realises his destiny you are cheering him on, your heart pumping with his as you realise the fun about to ensue.
Director Jon Knautz was smart in his conviction of this movie. He knew off the bat that if he had tried the serious route it might have failed and instead gives us a movie steeped in 80’s horror lore. His direction of the characters and the development of the story are wonderfully done and the guy ought to be applauded for his intellect in making the movie work so wonderfully.
A riot from beginning to end, a cast that sparkle under the overhead lights, a cracking plot and a dark sub context make this such a wonder that if you haven’t seen it please do.
This is, quite simply, absolute brilliance.