As a child Jack Brooks witnessed the brutal murder of his family. Now a young man he struggles with a pestering girlfriend, therapy sessions that resolve nothing, and night classes that barely hold his interest. After unleashing an ancient curse, Jack's Professor undergoes a transformation into something not-quite- human, and Jack is forced to confront some old demons… along with a few new ones. A troubled young man still mourning the childhood loss of his family now has to deal with his professor being turned into a monster. ~Spoiler~ <br/><br/>Jack Brooks: Monster Slayer is the latest indie feature picked up by Anchor Bay for a limited theatrical run. In the vein of the films that Anchor Bay has released previously, this one is surrounded by positive buzz. The question is are we dealing with another masterpiece like Behind the Mask, or another massive letdown like Hatchet? I'm happy to report that Jack Brooks sits comfortably in the middle. It's solidly acted (even with some hammy dialogue), well directed, and there's not a speck of CGI in the whole thing. What more could you ask for from a new release? The story revolves around the titular hero who saw his family massacred by a troll at a young age. Frustrated by the fact that he ran away and survived, Jack is filled with rage and easily goes off the handle for the smallest reasons. It is that quality, however, that benefits Jack the most when he and Professor Crowley (the great Robert Englund in an actual role, not a cameo) accidentally release a vile demon with which Jack must stop running and do battle. It's a very simple premise and maybe that's what horror needs to get back to. The film reminds this viewer of a more polished version of the early works from Peter Jackson and Sam Raimi. Jack Brooks was definitely cut from the same mold as Ash from Evil Dead 2 or Lionel from Dead Alive. There's even one scene where I swear Jack was going to say "Hail to the king, baby." The film does have some flaws, but I was impressed enough with the overall product to ignore them. Given that Halloween is almost upon us, Jack Brooks: Monster Slayer makes for fun viewing this time of year. Jack Brooks (Trevor Matthews) is a college student with some severe anger issues. His family was brutally murdered when he was a child by a monster, and now he takes out his anger on everything and everyone.<br/><br/>So when his professor (Robert Englund) begins to show signs of monsterism, he learns he has to control his rage and use it for good instead of evil, and fight the creatures that have been haunting his nightmares ever since that fateful night.<br/><br/>Truly earns its B-rated rating, but what was cool about it was that it didn't focus on crappy B-rated CGI graphics. In fact, 0% of the film was CGI. The monsters were actually decently put together, and although the storyline was lacking, it was somewhat watchable…if for only one time. Cheerfully gross, deliberately retro horror picture pays tongue-in-cheek homage to the kind of genre movies Charles Band and Roger Corman's companies turned out in the 1980s.
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295 weeks ago