Chase Williamson is just all sorts of crazy (or is he?) in “John Dies at the End.” (Photo credit: Magnet Releasing)
‘John Dies at the End’ takes you for a mind-trip
Not many movies leave you wondering just what the hell happened (in a good way). Not only does “John Dies at the End” have you pulling your hair out from the nearly unsolvable complexities left answered, you’ll quickly find yourself agape at the hilarious gore, the somehow-working-though-completely-illiterate plot and the sheer audacity of it all.
“John Dies at the End” reminds us just how awesome director Don Coscarelli can be. You remember him, right? The director of “Phantasm,” a genre-altering horror movie about a grave robber named The Tall Man? You would be forgiven if you’ve forgotten about the director behind that cult classic, as his succeeding films have been… less than memorable. (If you ever need a bad movie to watch to pass the time, check out his “Beastmaster” flick. It’s amazingly awful.)
So, bringing his artful creativity back to the silver screen, Coscarelli blends together humor and horror and possible psychotropic-induced hallucinations into a movie that probably isn’t for everyone. (The roommate decided he was calling it quits after the first 10 minutes. I’m happy to say I stuck it out.) It definitely will have its detractors: When you have a giant spirit-possessed meat monster trying to settle some bad blood with a psychic (Clancy Brown) right off the bat, it’s not surprising when someone throws their hands up in the air.
But that craziness is one of the many appealing factors of “John Dies.” Told in part through voiceover and in his own voice, Dave (Chase Williamson) tries to recount his increasingly impossible tale to a reporter (Paul Giamatti) who, of course, finds it harder and harder to believe.
You can’t blame him, though. Would you, when Dave says he and his friend, John (Rob Mayes), are spiritual exorcists? That they can see ghosts and other ghouls of the night? That they have injected themselves with “soy sauce” (which would leave anyone swearing the stuff off after they see what happens here), a new street drug capable of destroying your sanity?
Again, none of this is supposed to make any sense. It’s cheap and ridiculous, and Coscarelli is obviously just enjoying himself with all the monsters and gore. There’s always too much going on, and you never quite know why. Somehow, that’s OK. It’s OK to watch Dave and John slaughter hordes of creatures, travel time (I think…) and just create chaos. Oh, and play basketball. We can’t forget about that.
Just be warned: You will scream. And you’ll have no idea why.
Four mind-damaging stars out of five.
Silver Screening Reviews 