A motley group of college students embark on a field trip to the remote island estate of charming filmmaker Vincent King (solid Sean Kanan) and his flaky wife Mary Shelley (a delightfully dotty portrayal by Juliet Landau). Of course, a vicious killer starts picking the kids off left and right in assorted gruesome ways inspired by both classic and contemporary horror movies alike. Writer/director Matt Flynn delivers an entertainingly campy body count romp that displays a positively infectious love and affection for horror cinema; he sprinkles the picture with numerous witty and knowing references to such bona-fide classics as "The Birds," "Jaws," "The Texas Chain Saw Massacre," and "The Shining," cheerfully parodies all the tried'n'true clichés ("They always make us separate in these movies"), and pulls out all the stops for a hilariously ridiculous over-the-top conclusion while also pouring on the nice'n'nasty graphic gore with rip-roaring aplomb and even tossing in a decent smattering of tasty gratuitous female nudity for good measure. The enthusiastic cast have a ball with their colorful roles: the adorable Danica McKellar contributes an endearingly spunky performance as the sweetly geeky Emily, Jay Kenneth Johnson is likewise engaging as affable hunk Johnny, William Forsythe gleefully hams it up and sports a broad Scottish brogue as scraggly fisherman Willy, plus there are lively turns by Adrienne Frantz as the snarky, foul-mouthed Maddy, the ravishing Gabrielle Richens as sultry vamp Sylvia, and Justin Chon as sarcastic and effeminate smartaleck Ricky. Popping up in cool small roles are Tony Burton as the amiable Sheriff Stoker, Burt Young as crusty old sea salt skipper J.T. Bates, and Kane Hodder as the first victim who gets decapitated at the start of the film. Roger Chingirian's slick cinematography, Scott Glasgow's spirited shuddery score, and the bouncy rock soundtrack all further add to the considerable nutty fun. An extremely enjoyable slice'n'dice outing.
Review of Hack!
