“DREAM REAPER” (2006)

Starring: Kevin Strange, Cris Deveroux, Joshitsuo Montoya, Chadwick CockStriker, Matt Ringering, John the Band Guy & Dr. Lippy Longstocking
Written & Directed by Kevin Strange
Hack Movies

Polly Staffle Rating: ***

Kevin Strange is a self proclaimed hack filmmaker. So much so, he named his production company Hack Movies. Strange admittedly has no idea what he is doing. That doesn’t stop his “Dream Reaper” from being one of the funniest movies I’ve seen this year. On the film’s audio commentary, Strange goes as far as calling himself “retarded” and a slacker that not only didn’t go to film school, but hardly ever went to college. He’s just a man with a camera and a brilliant sense of humor.

“Dream Reaper” is in no way a perfect film. This so-called “no-budget horror comedy,” slash Kevin Strange “monstrosity” has its problems. Some things are completely overdone and beat to death. The acting is way too over the top. The camera work is shaky as the camera was passed around to whoever didn’t happen to be busy at the moment and it shows. There are plenty of other issues some might tear into. But I’ve said all I will as far as the film’s downfalls because in a way they kind of give the film some of its charm, much like the movies of Doris Wishman or Herschell Gordon Lewis.

Usually when a film has a very small budget and not much of a script, directors use good looking gore effects and even better looking bare breasts to keep our attention. Strange doesn’t need those things. Some how he has made a funny as hell 75-minute film with a 30-page script on a budget of $200.

The film centers on the epic fantasy metal band Dream Reaper. Willy Nutsack (Strange) is their fearless leader. The bald and tattooed Strange looks the part of a rock star or perhaps a bouncer at a strip club, but his character Willy is more goofball than tough. He churns out song after song about sea monsters and says Dream Reaper is the greatest rock band in the world. But bassist Dick Gibson (Joshitsuo Montoya) doesn’t like the current direction of the band. Dick thinks they are a washed-up joke and wants the band to change its name and style, noting they haven’t had a gig in three months. “Nay, the joke is on them,” Willy responds to Dick. “For we are Dream Reaper, the lullaby to which the sleepy infant that is rock and roll will fall sweetly asleep to.” Fights between the two begin disrupting band practice. I don’t ever see this band having any productive time together anyway. Drummer Wang Johnson (Chadwick CockStriker) is too busy day dreaming about the way of the ninja while his brother, the band’s rhythm guitarist Peter Johnson (John the band Guy), stands around practically in a coma. Lead guitarist Tiffany (Cris Deveroux) is the band’s lone female and the only member without a penis joke for a name, unless her’s is one I’m unaware of. She tries to keep the band together by making peace. Little does she know, Dream Reaper has bigger things to worry about.

One day while watching “In Search of: with Leonard Nimoy,” Willy dozes off and has a nightmare. A menacing hooded being (Matt Ringering) dressed mostly in black appears and tells him to disband Dream Reaper. To show he means business, the man in the cheap Halloween costume says, “We’ll see how well you play your cock rock without your cock” and proceeds to castrate him. Lucky for Willy, it was all just a dream and he wakes up with his penis intact. He ignores the warning, however, and this leads to his band mates being picked off one by one.

The deaths in his band highly upset Willy. It’s not because he is losing friends, it’s because he doesn’t know how Dream Reaper will be able to practice and perform shows without them. Though Dream Reaper never performs music in the film, we are informed they were voted “Most Metal Metal Band.” Of course that honor came from a fourteen-year old’s zine “Bands Are Good.” Regardless, each band member is featured here performing in another way.

Strange’s script uses twists on both “Friday the 13th” and “A Nightmare on Elm Street” as the band is shown masturbating themselves to sleep before entering a dream world where they are murdered. In fact, there are actually more masturbation scenes in this film than deaths. Eight depictions of people playing with themselves are on display with six males (Willy goes twice) and one female. Some of these scenes are quite tedious, but others evoke quite a bit of laughter, especially the two featuring money shots.

Why is everyone playing with themselves? Who wants Dream Reaper dead and why? How can the killer be stopped? Most of these answers are revealed with the arrival of the thinking man in black, Gargamel, played by Dr. Lippy Longstocking. (Do any of these guys use their real names?) I will not give away anything that Gargamel says except the hilarious end of his speech, “Imagine Willy, an entire world without restraint. Imagine a world of pure chaos. Imagine a world where a man does not live in fear of touching another man’s genitalia.” I will spoil no more than I already have and allow you to experience “Dream Reaper” for yourself.

This little movie surprised me quite a bit. I usually like humor mixed in my drama and horror, but I’m not the biggest comedy fan in the world. I hate the crap Hollywood churns out and besides a few Kevin Smith films, spoofs like “Scary Movie” and the Wayans brothers’ features, I don’t usually find myself watching comedies. The “I filmed this in my mom’s backyard” variety usually really suck. People tend to reenact crap they’ve seen in other comedies with references to Saturday Night Live, the catalogs of Adam Sandler, Jim Carrey and crappy movies like “Austin Powers,” “Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure” and “Wayne’s World.” Rehashing stuff that wasn’t funny the first time is never funny.

Thankfully there wasn’t a single fake British accented “Yeah, Baby” throughout its full run time of “Dream Reaper.” Strange doesn’t rely heavy on other films at all. Strange’s character Willy comes off as a mix of both Tenacious D member’s Jack Black and Kyle Gass mixed with Will Sasso of “Mad TV,” but for the most part this film seems more inspired by cartoons and Saturday morning programming than anything else. There are intentional nods to “The Smurfs” and “Power Rangers” and perhaps unintentional ones to “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles,” “Ren & Stempy,” “Saved by the Bell,” “Scooby Doo,” “Masters of the Universe” and “South Park.” Other influences that seem to seep in include professional wrestling, video games, comic books and highly theatrical and horror-influenced musical artists like Gwar, Misfits, Insane Clown Posse and Twiztid. Though he cites Chris Seaver and his Low Budget Pictures as his inspiration for becoming “the crappy filmmaker” that he is, Strange has already passed his hero with “Dream Reaper.” I haven’t seen many of Seaver’s films but after viewing his Tempe Video release “Mulva 2: Kill Teen Ape!” I vowed to never force such torture upon myself again. “Dream Reaper” is everything that movie was not. “Mulva 2” was a spoof of “Kill Bill” starring Debbie Rochon that had potential, but just wasn’t funny.

Strange, on the other hand, was able to make me laugh. It’s not that the writing here is that good as most of the film was obviously improvised. It’s just Strange is a natural at being funny. Never before have I laughed at someone making themselves a bowl of cereal in a movie or real life for that matter. Now I have and you probably will too. Besides Strange, Montoya actually gives a decent performance and the theme song by Android 4K, who cameos long enough to flip the bird, is extremely catchy.

If you are looking to laugh, “Dream Reaper” is highly recommended. The gore effects are extremely amateurish and the humor is very sophomoric, but the results are uniquely a Hack Movie vision. Once you pop this DVD in your player, you’ll enter the wacky world of Strange. Sure you might not want to stay too long, but while you’re there you’ll enjoy your visit.

- CCF, July 2006