Dan Mintz's low-budget 2001 horror flick is better than 90% of the b-movie crap that Hollywood churns out each year, and you've probably never heard of it. Set entirely in a shoddy abandoned house in the woods, and featuring only three characters (two meth lab cooks/addicts, and their accomplice), the tiny budget hardly matters. There aren't many special effects--though when they do show up they're understandably a little amateurish--and the low lighting in the decrepit house works in favor to the lack of high-budget sheen. Not to mention the acting is stellar by all three cast members; most movies of this size have to sacrifice good performances, amongst other things, in order to get made at all.
While the story is about meth addicts, and has all the emotional gut-wrenching punches that that entails, it also stays true to its genre: horror. There are a couple of truly creepy moments, with shadows and reflections used sparingly, and some are mounted entirely through dialogue alone. I'm not sure how much was adlibbed (the acting was so great, I wouldn't put it past them), but either way Cookers is as well-written as any great movie, and moreso than most great horror movies--as we all know how easily they can become riddled with cheesy lines and vapid personas. Support this little movie and check it out next time you're at the video store!
Done & done. Did you ever see "Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon"? I probably like slashers more than you; it's high on *my* low budget/high entertainment list.
ReplyDeleteNo, I haven't, but I'll look for it! I think slasher works better with a low budget--how hard is it to splatter some ketchup around? It's the few "ghostly" effects here that really show the lack of funding. But still, a good little movie!
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