Punk Rock Holocaust

Rating:
Summary: Gore Galore
Review: Here we have it folks, a movie with more kills than the entire Friday the 13th series combined and most them are chock full o' gore. If Herschell Gordon Lewis made a musical it would probably look something like "Punk Rock Holocaust". This movie is guaranteed to satify fans of the bands, in that they get to see bands they like die comically horrific deaths. It should also satisfy those who hate these bands by giving them an opportunity to see the bands die comically horrific deaths.

Additionally, if you are a fan of the master thespian and co-founder of Troma Lloyd Kaufman, then you won't be disappointed by his funny as hell itself performance as the evil Belial.

"Punk Rock Holocaust" is funny, bloody, musicy, check it out.

Rating:
Summary: A Brilliant Idea That Works
Review: What a great idea for a movie about the Warped Tour. They could have made a another documentary style film about this tour with short clips of the bands performing, and maybe a little bit of them talking, but not saying anything their fans didn't already know. A lot of people would probably rent it, watch the few minutes of the bands they like, fast forward through the bands they didn't like, and quickly forget about it altogether. Fortunately, "Punk Rock Holocaust" isn't that type of movie.

It's a story about a killer in a black and white checkered bandana stalking and killing band members, fans, and staff on the 2003 Warped Tour. The reason it's such a great idea is because it's got a story you can follow, which makes you want to watch it, even after your favorite band is dead. It's also fun because if you love these bands, you get to see them doing something you don't usually see in a concert video--dying hilariously horrific deaths. And of course, if you hate any of these bands, you will love to watch them die for other reasons entirely.

It should be noted that this film is like an over-long infomercial for The Warped Tour, as we are repeatedly reminded why, "The Warped Tour is such a great value for only $25." But since there are almost no actors in the film at all, and they basically used all the real people involved in the tour, it's interesting. I learned a few things about the Warped Tour I wouldn't have known otherwise, and probably wouldn't have paid attention to, had I seen it in a documentary style tour film.

As the body count rises, it becomes increasingly obvious that this guy graduated from the Troma school of filmmaking. These are gory and violent, but cheap and goofy looking deaths. If you like Troma style blood and gore, you'll like this. If you don't, you're gonna hate it. Simple as that. Troma guru Lloyd Kaufmann even makes an appearance as one of the few actors in the film, playing evil record executive, Belial.

There is lots of amusing dialog, ("I don't know who you hired for security, but they're killing people! It's like Hot Topic meets Altamont out there!") and some of the dead people even come back as zombies, who also cover their faces in black and white checkered bandanas and kill people. With zombies, it's such a fine line...how do you know when the victims come back to life as zombies, and when they just die? But this movie gives a convincing explanation that isn't too convoluted or stupid. As the story progresses, the motive for the murders is more involved than we think, and the movie even makes a point about corporate rock vs. indie rock that rings true.

As a resident of Minneapolis, I must deduct one star for cutting out Atmosphere's performance, not only because they were one one the bands I wanted to see, but because it took out a pretty significant plot point. In the movie, Slug from Atmosphere lets the masked killer onto his tour bus and greets him as if he's someone he knows. Then, he's surprised when he gets killed. I was thinking to myself, "Wait a minute, here, were Atmosphere and the killer working together? And if not, why would ANYONE let a stranger with a checkered bandana over his face onto their tour bus in the middle of the night when they're hanging out alone with two girls?" On the audio commentary, I learned that there was a deleted scene in which Atmosphere was performing, and the killer somehow managed to make friends with Slug. Now that's more interesting, and makes a lot more sense, and more importantly, I could have seen Atmosphere play. The director also mentioned that out of all the bands in this movie, there is only one he is not a fan of. If I had to wager, I'd put my money on Atmosphere, cuz why else would he have cut that scene?

This DVD is full of fun extras, including audio commentary and a blooper reel, and loaded with easter eggs. Punk Rock Holocaust is not for everyone, but if you were interested enough in this title to look it up here, I'd recommend it. It's the second most fun I've ever had on my sofa.