CRUEL SUMMER (Film Review)

 

                             Starring: Ashlyn McCain, Bridgit Linda Froemming, H. Marie

                                                 Directed by: Scott Tepperman

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      Does anyone know of a possible chance that we can hop in that long-overdue time machine and jettison back to the heydays of slasher-dom -  I'm talking about the '80s, ya carnage-freaks! I'd love for nothing more than to abandon this era of whiny, entitled, gluten-free, mocha latte-drinking, safe-space residing snowflakes and live among the summer of the Reagan-era once and for all (not a political statement, by any means). The days of renting my cinematic slaughter on VHS seem so long ago and I'm just really homesick for a little mindless manhandling of the oversexed and chemically altered teen populous, and thanks to the demented minds of Los Bastardz Productions, these days have come back in grand style. Get ready, lovers of retro-slash filmmaking, because even though the calendar may say otherwise, we're still in the middle of a CRUEL SUMMER. 

   Directed by Scott Tepperman (who also wrote AND holds down the role of "Gunnar"), the film tells the tale of a group of college-pals who are setting up a little pre-grad bash, complete with an '80s murder-mystery theme at a remote lake house. We've got the atypical boozers, stoners, and people with a penchant for shedding some pesky clothing all wrapped up in a nice package, just waiting for their chance to get decimated by a crazed-killer who has decided to crash the festivities. You see what I'm flingin' at you all? Simplistic, barbaric and ultimately entertaining for those looking to get back to the glory days of party-time slashing - no muss, no fuss - just grade-A (well, maybe B) bloodshed. 

   Tepperman and his co-producing cohort Jim O'Rear waste no effort in delivering fun performances, and alongside a youthful cast of willingly wanton victims, CRUEL SUMMER is a movie that lets you shut off your brainpans for a spell, and frankly revel in the glory that is throw-back horror, constructed by those who have the same loyalty & respect for the genre that our collective has come to embrace for a long time now. The film is currently on the hunt for a distributor, but I have a good feeling that this little gem won't go unclaimed for long, and we here at Zombies & Toys will surely keep you all in the know as to its progression.

 FILM RATING: 3.5 severed heads out of 5