AMERICAN SCREAM KING (2010)

Streaming on Tubi!
Directed by Joel Paul Reisig
Written by Joel Paul Reisig
Starring Joel Paul Reisig, Jordon Hodges, Kaitlyn Wightman, Erica Blair, Stephanie Grote, Laura Henderson, Megan Marie Wilson, Aranzazu Diez, Darla Linnley

I sift through a lot of muck, but little surprises like this film make the whole ordeal worthwhile. AMERICAN SCREAM KING is as low budget as they come, but with some clever dialog and smart writing, it makes it easy to look past all of that.

Two jerk-offs decide to make a horror movie, but the catch is that they really want to kill their cast. Though the acting leaves a lot to be desired, the words falling from their faces are clever and often downright hilarious. Writer/director/star Joel Paul Reisig does a fantastic job of mixing elements of SCREAM’s self-referentialism with a CLERKS bare bones production mentality and self awareness. As Reisig and his partner in crime Jordon Hodges conduct casting calls for beautiful stars for their film, they call it like it is, citing BOOBS, BEAST, BLOOD = MONEY. Gratuitous boobage ensues throughout the entire film as the cast are blatantly asked and ordered to take off their tops, but it’s done in such a ludicrous manner that the subtle mix of masochism/chauvinism/ignorance turns out to be charming.

My favorite part of the movie is about an hour in when the two main characters note that they’ve only recorded about an hour of footage and need more to be a complete film. It’s that kind of wink and nod and full on donkey-punch to the audience that makes this film shine.

Equal parts IT’S ALWAYS SUNNY IN PHILIDELPHIA (with its crass humor and unlikable yet likable characters), JERSEY SHORE (with the obvious douchebaggery permeating the two main characters), with heaping dollops of SAW as the killer filmmakers often barter for the survival by playing games with the victims, AMERICAN SCREAM KING is an indie surprise worth seeing.

Don’t expect stellar acting. Don’t expect epic storytelling. Don’t expect high profile gore. But AMERICAN SCREAM KING is filled with enough witty dialog and clever takes on the horror industry (and moviemaking in general) to make you laugh at the situations these two idiots have created for themselves in search of an easy buck and instant stardom.

Check out the trailer here!!