After working another day at the last videostore in town and already having wrote one article today on a flick I figured I would just go home, eat, watch another flick, go to bed, and do it all over again tomorrow but thanks to a recommendation by some regulars telling me to watch a movie they just returned to the shop that has changed. I took their advice and was more than happy with what I just finished viewing with my whiskey in hand the entire time. So much so that I just refilled that drink to do a little typing here because I wanted to tell you guys all about it. The movie just came into the shop last week but I have immediately ordered more copies due to the fact that I know you guys are gonna laugh as much as I did watching this gem. A movie called GHOST KILLERS VS. BLOODY MARY!
All the way from Brazil and directed by Fabricio Bittar the film borrows a lot and pays tribute to some great cinema over the years that we as genre fans will be able to appreciate. Take a little bit of Deathgasm, Evil Dead, add a taste of Grave Encounters, and then mix them with some juvenile humour and fun practical FX and you get this ridiculous film.
The film opens up quite serious at a high school with a boy tempting fate with the old urban legend of Bloody Mary in the bathroom. But this has it’s own spin on it as it’s a girl named Catarina instead. Knock on the stall door three times, flush the toilet three times, and ofcourse say her name in the mirror three times and the spirit will see you and fuck you up into seizure town.
Now we meet a group of wanna be youtube ghost hunters who have named themselves the Ghostbusters or Ghoulbusters depending which one of them says it. The fact that this movie just runs with Ghostbusters is hilarious. Ofcourse they just want the fame and their previous episodes online are simple terrible. They keep losing followers and viewers and are going broke. The three main members of the group are Jackson, he’s the ghost weapon tech guy who basically just ducktapes laser pointers on shitty looking weapons to “zap” the ghosts. Then there is Fred, he’s the so called leader and the man with the plan who just begs for internet fame and more followers. But then there is Carolina who is the psychic and you know what? She is the one legit person who actually is what she says she is. Backing the team and doing the filming along with usually being stuck pretending to be the ghost on the previous episodes is Tulio. Things are so bad for the guys that their headquaters are in the back of Tulio’s uncle’s butcher shop and they owe him rent…big time.
But there might be hope and a chance to make some much needed money. Turns out one of the students at the school is a fan of their show, their only fan, and gets the school to call them in to reassure the students that there is no Bloody Mary or atleast tell them the ghost has been dealt with so school can go on as normal and put the kid’s minds at ease.
After agreeing to terms the team will set up shop for the night inside, have a few of the teachers stay along as witnesses for their internet show, and rig things up so it looks like they have stopped the haunting. They even have Tulio dress as the 13 year old girl ghost by wearing a dress and telling him to shave his beard because “13 year old girls do not have beards”. Ofcourse it’s the kind of film where Tulio replies “Do 13 year old girls have a dick?” Yup. We know what we’re in for here.
Unfortunately things go wrong real fast once Jackson tries to rig up his hologram gear in the bathroom and unwittingly releases Catarina from the mirror so she can cause all types of carnage freely. And that is where the fun really begins…
What happens over the next hour and bit is beyond ridiculous. I mentioned Caroline earlier, the psychic of the team, and her being the only one who knows stuff. Well, she doesn’t stick around too long which adds to the insanity. The supporting characters in the school are a few teachers, the security guard, and the principal that hired him. WIth Catarina free she can jump from person to person possessing them and using their bodies to fuck with the others.
Once the first major gore gag hits it’s on. The team soon realize they are all on their own and can not escape the school. Doors locked, pure evil outside, it’s storming, and somehow they must come up with a plan to stop the ghost, get the video online to make money, and learn to work together. The dynamic between Jackson, Tulio, and Fred is great. Jackson is the most “Bruce Campbell” out of the bunch. He’s a stubborn idiot that cares more about coming up with a great catch phrase before killing a ghost than looking out for his friends. His current phrase that he keeps using is “Eat This, Jackass!” which everyone always groans at. Kind of an ongoing joke.
Tulio is the Rodney Dangerfield of this group. He’s always the guy holding the camera or having to play the ghosts for his friends. It’s his place they use as a headquarter for their busniess and still nothing. He constantly tells them what a terrible busniess plan it is to name the team Ghostbusters or Ghoulbusters. Even their logo is a the same as the Ghostbusters except it’s a triangle and not a circle and their ghost looks like it was drawn by a five year old and is drunk. Infact shit goes sideways so quick in this movie that Tulio does not have time to shave his entire beard off and rocks the half beard for the rest of the film. Brilliant. He’s basically the Lewis Tully of the group with more anger issues but rightfully so. By the end of the film you just want him to succeed.
And then there is Fred. He wants to be the leader and claims he is because he has leadership qualities and uses quotes like “We can defeat the ghost because we as a team have the power of friendship!” Real modivational shit right there. During the insanity the gang does get split up and Fred ends up paired with one of the senoir teachers during most of the film and some wacky stuff goes down during this time. Becaue this is a new movie I don’t wanna spoil any of the silly scenes.
As the movie goes on you will be reminded of the TV show Ash Vs. Evil Dead a lot with some of the FX and action scenes. The best things you could expect in a shut your brain off and laugh yourself stupid are presented. Head explosions? Check. Possessed piece of poop? Check. A possessed fetus strangling people? Check? Buckets and buckets of blood? Check? People making one bad choice after the next? Absolutely. And a great sequence in the gym involving a shit load of balls that reminded me of poor Coach Schneider from Freddy’s Revenge.
I’m a few drinks in now so I wanna keep this short because with a basic plot and it being fairly new to the Canadian audience I don’t wanna say too much more about the plot. I just wanna state if you like your horror comedies and are loooking for something new and different please give GHOST KILLERS VS. BLOODY MARY a chance.
I don’t know for sure but I’m guessing these guys had a blast filming this flick. Honestly it’s something I hope we can carry in tone for The Last Video Store Feature film if that day ever comes. So as it stands as I write this article I’ll be open tomorrow and will place the one copy I currently have in stock back on the shelf once I open. I will have more copies coming in the following week. Again, this film is people that enjoy stupid shit like Deathgasm and I say that love because those movies serve as much purpose as the dead serious ones. Also in strange times like this sitting at home once again tonight I’m so glad I watched it. I literally forgot the world was fucked for 1 hour and 48 minutes. It was sweet.
Also last but not least when the film ends MAKE SURE you watch the entire credit sequence right till the end. Trust me. It’s funny, this film would have played at DEDFEST last year for sure if the fest had happened and it’s a shame it did not because it’s a fun party flick with friends. But atleast now it has arrived at THE LOBBY DVD SHOP and I will be recommending it to those who wanna laugh and see buckets of blood tossed around. Thanks for reading as always guys and I’ll see at the videostore. Cheers!