Know your horror? Then you know Robert Englund. Lately, he’s been hamming it up as a voice actor in cartoons like Batman and Justice League. Englund is now making the rounds to promote the release of ‘Jack Brooks Monster Slayer‘ which will screen at the Laemmle’s Sunset 5 on Aug 15th 2008. COIN-OP TV and Zombie Watch Network went out to the Hollywood Forever Cemetery for a special outdoor screening of the film with some of the cast including Englund and lead Trevor Matthews.
The screening was free and about 300 people were in attendance with an atmosphere likened to a horror film screening. The film starts off with a bang with a mysterious monster killing sequence and then goes into some dull melodrama for the next 45 minutes. Monster Slayer returns again to the action about halfway through when anti-hero Jack Brooks takes a stand against the mutant zombie-like creatures infesting his high-school. There’s plenty of cool death scenes that look like they’re straight out of the video game Gears of War 2 as for ‘finishing moves’. Most of the acting from the supporting cast is ‘b’ level with some fun moments happening between the wacky shop keeper and the lead.
Robert Englund has some comedy moments once he’s possessed or mutant infested (not sure exactly which to classify) and the cute dog in the movie should get a nod for best supporting animal. Overall the audience was there to cheer when it counted and laugh when it was needed. Much praise should go to the special effects dept as the zombies and costumes looked AMAZING – it is quite refreshing to see a lack of CGI effects and a return to good old fashion make-up and wardrobe.
