‘The Amateur Monster Movie’ Movie Review!

Together, the trio make their way to Cadaverous Island where they join forces with a ragtag group of botanists, a handful of police officers, and the mayor. However, as is usually the case with zombie filled islands, things tend to get a little hairy, especially when there’s a werewolf running loose, and soon it becomes a fight for survival for all involved. Somewhere in between all of this is a little pot smoking, numerous attempts at threesomes and a whole lot of hilarity.

The Amateur Monster Movie is just that: an amateur monster movie that is best described as “a comedic send-up to classic b-horror movies.” Shot in and around Milwaukee, this no-budget zombie/werewolf flick is clearly made by horror fans who have a true love for the genre; however,their fanboyism doesn’t negatively effect the film as is often the case with no-to-low-budget horror movies. Comedy can, quite often, be an extremely tough thing to pull off, but I was quite surprised by just how funny the film is. The dialogue is sharply written, and the humor ranges from sophomoric to anarchic, thankfully completely avoiding the obvious gross-out angle that one would come to expect from a no-budget horror comedy.

It’s ridiculous, it’s stupid, it’s ridiculously stupid, but I’ll be damned if it isn’t hysterical, and these qualities really come from the situations that writer/director Kyle Richards puts his characters in as well as the dialogue that comes out of their mouths. Many if not all of the performances are surprisingly good, and when I say good, I mean good for the types of film that this is. Many (but not all) of the people in The Amateur Monster Movie aren’t actors by trade, but they all seem to “get it.” They know what they’re there for, and this results in some pretty humorous performances, especially from the movies’ lead, Chris Ouchie, who has some good comedic timing.

Of course, this is a micro-budget zombie comedy, but it certainly seems as if the people behind The Amateur Monster Movie actually tried to make as good a movie as they possibly could. For what it is, it’s competently filmed and edited, which is something of a rarity with this type of movie. The lack of budget does little to hinder the film so much as it gives it a certain level of genuine charm, and the filmmakers do everything they can to make this an enjoyable ride, and I most definitely had a blast sitting in the passenger’s seat.

Naturally, this is the type of movie that doesn’t speak to everyone, but if you are even remotely intrigued by The Amateur Monster Movie, you can actually watch it yourself, for FREE, on YouTube (which I have embedded below). Though, I would suggest that if you do enjoy the movie that you show these guys some support and pick up the DVD over at the ‘King’s Tower Productions’ website: http://www.spadeheartclub.com/

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