This film is fantastic. It is inventive, hilarious, and surprisingly heartfelt. It is ostensibly a horror comedy, but it is so much more.
The story follows Max a teenager whose mother was an actress with one major film on her resume the 80’s slasher film Camp Bloodbath. Three years after her mother tragically died, Max is talked into attending a screening of Camp Bloodbath. Through the magic of the film her and her friends end up inside Camp Bloodbath. They have to figure out how to survive this 80’s horror film.
The movie is incredibly inventive in the way it makes fun of the slasher movie genre. It makes jokes about the cliched characters, and the bad writing in these movies, but it goes further and plays with the mechanics of filmmaking. The characters can see the credits in the night sky, they are aware that they are in slow motion, and they can use flashbacks in order to escape danger by changing the time period and setting around them. It’s fun and funny and surprising throughout.
The characters all begin as fairly one dimensional 80’s cliches, but the film gives each character time to grow and change and reveal more of themselves. They are all deeper and more than they appear.
The best part of the movie is the story of Max and her mom. Max has never let go of her mother’s death and is now faced with her mothers identical copy who has no idea who she is. As Max tries to save her “mom” the two of them discover things about each other and themselves they never imagined. It’s truly emotional and heartfelt and the performances by Taissa Farmiga as Max and Malin Ackerman are completely perfect. These characters and this relationship make the movie.
Personally I love this movie. It makes me laugh, and brings a tear to the eye every time I watch it. I can’t recommend this movie highly enough. It is wonderfully creative, beautifully shot, and really touching. As far as horror comedies go it’s pretty near perfect for me.
Totally my cup of tea. A+
Cup of Tea Reviews 