Fever Night, AKA Band of Satanic Outsiders
Written & Directed by Jordan Harris and Andrew Schrader
Elliot...Peter Tulio
Warren...Philip Marlatt
Terry...Melanie Rose Wilson
Bad People Motion Pictures claims no responsibility for any adverse or long-lasting effects due to the film you are about to see. It is not our intention to physically harm you. Should you slip into a coma or hypnosis, or begin to feel motion sickness or mind-body separation, please eject this videocassette immediately and consult your physician or spiritual adviser.
Elliot, Terry and Warren--a boy-girl-boy trio of weekend satanists--head over the bridge and through the woods to a place that, quote-unquote, "ain't normal." That suits them just fine, though, as they're not headed out there for the normal teenage horror movie shenanigans of rock music, marijuana cigarettes, and unprotected sex. No, they're going out there for a wee bit of Satanic Ritual.
Anton LaVey these three aren't, and so something during the ritual goes South, leaving Terry in a catatonic state. With their piece-of-shit car on the fritz and no help in sight, Elliot and Warren have no choice but to leave their unconscious lady friend unattended in the vehicle while they go out on foot in search of assistance.
What they find instead is an increasingly bizarre series of events that teach them that maybe--just maybe--the dark arts are better left to the professionals.
The budget for this film was approximately 30 thousand, and was made essentially by only two people--with one helping hand during filming--over the course of two painstaking years. Despite a low budget, a nonexistent crew, and high ambitions, Fever Night's production values are well above par for this sort of film. The leads give strong performances and deliver their witty dialogue fairly naturally, which is a rarity in low-budget horror these days.
The special effects were pretty stellar as well, and the musical backing was a tasty melange of dark cinematic scoring, creepy carnival calliope, and grimy garage rock (at times reminiscent of the great Brian Jonestown Massacre) that was right up my twisted little alley.
There were a few slow moments, and the overall pace could have been tightened up a bit with sharper editing. And to be honest, the story itself could have been stronger...but there's almost always something going on onscreen that you won't want to miss--be it blood, boobs, or Beelzebub--and, of course, a few things you'll wish you HAD missed (please see below.)
All of the above elements blended together to form a strange, LSD-tinged trip of a horror flick that I won't soon forget. Imagine the Ray Wise vehicle Dead End as filtered through Actress Apocalypse or Natural Born Killers, and you're about as close as I can get you to the reality of this film.
If you enjoy the seedier side of cinema from behind a thick purple haze,you'll probably dig this hidden trinket. Crack open a beer or spark up your favorite bong, and settle onto the couch for an hour and a half of mondo bizarro fun.
2009
Not Rated
85 Minutes
Color
English
United States
Visit the official site, befriend the film on MySpace, and read more about it at the IMDB. The filmmakers are currently seeking a distributor, so swing on by and show them some love.
"Yeah, dude. Satan's a goat. And your mom's a bitch."
--J/Metro
