Search - Shock-O-Rama on DVD

An Alien, a Zombie and an Evil Brain. And a Weedwhacker!

Foggy Tewsday | 04/09/2007

(4 out of 5 stars)

"This is director Brett Piper's third movie for the Shock-O-Rama studio, and once again he employs the wonderful Misty Mundae in a prominent role. Here, she plays B-movie actress Rebecca Raven. Tired of the movie-spoof-nudie- fests that her films are, she craves something more from her acting career and decides to leave the studio. Meanwhile the studio executives are equally tired of Rebecca's tantrums and have decided to trade her in for a younger model. Unfortunately for them, this (unseen) hottie has got herself into some rather intimate trouble with the police. With production about to start on the studio's next lowbrow production, the search is on for a new actress to take Rebecca's place.



This is the glue that holds this three-story slice of comedy/sci-fi/horror in place. The studio executives (David Fine and Michael Thomas) watch a couple of videos looking for their new talent and we watch along with them.



First up is `Mecharachnia' in which a bickering couple (Rob Monkiewicz and Caitlin Ross) are holed up in their junkyard while a Gremlin-like space alien tries to kill them. The level of special effects in this segment is displayed at the outset with a space chase that wouldn't look out of place in `The Clangers'. The story itself is a little plodding because of its single location, and the constant arguing between the lead characters is more grating than humorous. This is a story that needs to be fleshed out. Our studio execs think so too, because this video contains no nudity.



Of the three stories on display here, the most interesting, both visually and in terms of inventiveness is `Lonely Are the Brain' which features Seduction Cinema regulars A.J. Khan and Julian Wells. In this segment, the inmates at a sleep therapy clinic are treated to dreams full of sex and violence. The dream sequences are superbly realized and would not look out of place in a more upmarket movie. Strangely, Brett Piper, in his director's commentary, says that this story is his least satisfying part of the movie. For me, it's the most accomplished segment.



And what of Rebecca Raven? Having been turfed out of the studio, she decides to have some quality alone time in a creepy house in the middle of nowhere. After a bath time shaving accident (her legs in case you were getting too excited), the rickety plumbing allows the bloodied water to seep into the ground and, lo and behold: zombie! After her years in lowbrow horror, Rebecca is able to deal with the situation. Hiding in the woodshed, she sees a chainsaw . . .



Talk about life imitating art. At one point, a studio executive mentions that they own the name Rebecca Raven and that she wouldn't be able to use it. After Misty's departure from the Seduction Cinema fold, her subsequent films (`Sick Girl' and `Shadow: Dead Riot') have her billed as Erin Brown. Misty's segment here is great fun. She sends up her own career, B-movies in general and her fans ("Pathetic pimple-faced virgins sitting in their mummy's basement in front of the t.v., remote in one hand . . . ", well I think we can guess the rest!).



So, `Shock-O-Rama' is certainly a must-have for Misty Mundae fans. If you enjoyed Brett Piper's other films on this label (`Bite Me!', another comedy horror, or the slightly darker `Screaming Dead'), you'll probably enjoy this. You'll also want this if you follow Julian Wells and A.J. Khan who both turn in excellent performances.

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