I’d been in a slump with my horror movie picks over the last week or two. Everything seemed to suck. Consider the slump over. Shock Value is what low budget horror and exploitation should strive to be.
This flick tells the story of a B movie director (Zak Hudson) who witnesses a real-life murder, then decides to use the killer (Anthony Bravo), who turns out to be a serial killer, to star in his next movie. It sounds goofy, and it is a little bit, but it’s also really fucking good.
The script is clean and the plot flows well. The cinematography is like that of a big budget film, with an artistic flair. And the acting is superb. Bravo and Janelle Christa are especially good. (By the way, in searching for information of the cast, I discovered that Tessa Fowler, who has a small role in the film, has…an interesting website.) I’m actually surprised I haven’t seen Bravo in any other films. He clearly has talent, and has that evil scowl that’s perfect for villains.
And despite being made in 2014, the movie has little if any CGI. You know how I hate CGI, especially when it’s overused. Shock Value sticks to traditional bloody gore, without computer generated splatter. Excellent! The same goes for the sex and nudity–it’s sexy and fun, and not overdone. The final action sequence was probably a little too long and complicated, but that’s really my only complaint.
Shock Value is what you hope to find when you come upon a low budget horror movie you’ve never heard of. Find it on Tubi and Amazon.
(Not to be confused with the book Shock Value by Jason Zinoman, which is equally awesome and a must-read for horror lovers.)