Somewhere between "Scream" and "Scary Movie" lies "Club Dread." A parody of 1980s slasher flicks, the film was written by Broken Lizard, a 5-man sketch comedy group founded at Colgate University and responsible for the sleeper hit "Super Troopers." In their sophomore attempt at a wide-release feature film, Broken Lizard succeeds, but only marginally.
The movie takes place on "Pleasure Island," a spring break resort owned by burnt-out '70s rocker Coconut Pete (Bill Paxton). Everyone is enjoying themselves until staff members begin to die at the hands of a mysterious machete-wielding killer.
The staff consists of about 10 people, but this is quickly whittled down to the more memorable and likeable characters: the British tennis instructor Putnam (director Jay Chandrasekhar), the drugged out DJ Dave (Paul Soter), the captain of the "fun police" Sam (Erik Stolhanske), the sexy aerobics instructor Jenny (Brittany Daniel), the South American dive master Juan (Steve Lemme) and Lars (Kevin Heffernan), the masseur with the magic touch.
"Club Dread" is at its best with its stereotypical comic characters. Putnam is an effeminate proper Brit, while DJ Dave can be quieted simply by sticking a pacifier in his mouth. Paxton is great as Coconut Pete, who is crass but likeable. Juan's accent is ridiculous and constantly played for laughs.
Be sure to watch for a funny cameo by two typical frat boys as island guests. Also, some of the set pieces are genius, such as the life sized Pac-man game or the tequila squirt gun.
The comedy plateaus, however, when some of the jokes meant to ridicule are overused and lose their efficacy. Club Dread uses the "pop-up scare" tactic in almost every scene. Funny the first time, the bit gets old quickly. Also, some lame wordplay (a staff member is named "Yu") doesn't help. Groping for material, the film relies too heavily on mimicking the camera techniques of the slasher films it seeks to mock.
"Club Dread" should be commended for having an original style. Even when scripts making fun of slasher movies have almost become a genre by themselves, Broken Lizard is able to maintain the parody without pop culture or self-references.
The movie has multiple examples of absurd horror movie logic, such as a couple having sex in the woods and then going to "find a quieter place" -- the middle of a cemetery. And of course they'd decide the absolute best place to be in the cemetery is the creepy old mausoleum. The inexplicable nigh-invulnerability of the killer is another horror movie clich that finds its way into "Club Dread". Broken Lizard almost challenges the audience to find the plot holes and gaps of logic that purposefully permeate the film.
So, if the film has all this comedy going for it, why the middle of the road rating? While funny, "Club Dread" isn't usually laugh-out-loud hilarious. It lacks the quotable lines that made "Super Troopers" a cult hit. Finally, the contrasting elements of comedy and horror don't mix perfectly; some scenes are distinctly horror-based while others rely on jokes. Although the film has some great moments, as a whole, it's not that great.
Go see this movie if you liked "Super Troopers" or want to kill some time with a mindlessly fun comedy. If you are looking for an uproariously funny movie or something deeper than a superficial genre parody, don't bother.
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