PopHorror Let's Get Scared
Ever since catching Massacre on Aisle 12 (2016) a few months ago, I’ve been on a quest to watch every film that the guys at Full Auto Films have created. I loved the absurd humor, disgusting, blood-drenched, acid-coated special effects and memorable characters in the movie, and I knew I needed more of that in my life. When I heard that the acting troupe of Chad Ridgely and Jim Klock had created a horror spoof called 6:66 PM (2017), I couldn’t wait to see it. Did this film live up to the amazing-ness of Massacre?
Distributed by Indican Pictures and produced through Full Auto Film, 6:66 PM has a bunch of Massacre alumni involved, including director/producer/actor Jim Klock (Scream Queens TV series), scriptwriter/actor/producer Chad Ridgely (Acting With Sharks TV series), actor Michael Buonomo (Camera Obscura 2017), composer Brooke deRosa (Kingsman: The Golden Circle 2017) and special effects supervisor Chris Hubbart (Murder Eleven 2013). Also involved were debut scriptwriter Tommy McLaughlin, actors Alexis Kelley (Master of None TV series), Autumn Federici (Kill the Babysitter 2018), Robin F. Baker (The Karma Club 2016) and Scott Burkhardt (The Assastant 2008) as murderer Jimmy Timmy Beck. Federici, Emily Adams (Murder Eleven 2013) and Darrell Martinelli (Gone Too Far 2008) acted as co-producers.
The official synopsis of 6:66 PM:
A team of ghost hunters gets more than they bargained for when the house they’re pretending is haunted turns out to be occupied by the evil spirit of an insane serial killer. Everything goes haywire as the demon fights to take possession of their bodies. Can they make it out alive?
In the vein of American Horror Story: Roanoke, 6:66 PM shows the filming of a ghost hunting team spending the night at a supposedly haunted house. Fortunately for comedy horror aficionados, that is where the similarities end. Dishonest but endearing TV show producer, Lorraine (Federici), has one last chance to revitalize her career with her paranormal investigation show idea, Ghostly Night Watch. She’s hired two completely inept actors to play the leads – the naïve, panaphobic “forensic investigator” Daniel (Klock) and slightly less incompetent, positive thinking “psychic” Sheryl (Kelley) – much to her chagrin. Behind the camera is cinematographer Pete (Ridgely), who’s told to just keep shooting everything that happens. The house they’re investigating was once the home of the notorious serial killer Jimmy Timmy Beck (Burkhardt), who murdered his victims and then committed suicide there after a police standoff. It stands to reason that there would be ghosts there, no? New owner, Stan (Baker), seems to think so, and even had the house listed on the murder bus tour (with chocolate bars, posters and gumballs for sale, natch), but lost business after a bad Yelp review. Together, they all hope to create a new cultural phenomenon with the show, making them all boatloads of fame and cash. Do they pull it off?
“I’m not going in there, guys. I have an extreme phobia of being murdered.”
Unfortunately for them all, everyone involved in this project sucks. Despite the fact that he’s wearing a Sherlock Holmes-esque newsboy cap and has a meerschaum pipe clamped between his teeth, Daniel just can’t act. I’ve heard better line readings from a skipping CD. Sheryl has absolutely no psychic abilities and only wants the spa weekend Lorraine promised her. For her part, Lorraine is harsh and unsupportive and drags poor, lovesick Pete around by his camera lens, disappointing everyone around her. The house itself looks like it belongs to someone’s granny, with Bible quotes above doorways, frosted pantry doors and rooms dedicated to the lemurs that are stenciled on the walls. Very non-serial killer-like. Lorraine does have paranormal booby traps set up around the place, but they’re not fooling anyone.
No one seems to notice the mysterious blonde man, Emmett (Buonomo), lurking around the property, stabbing people left and right. How could they notice? They have a show to film!
What Works
The acting in 6:66 PM is top-notch. All four of the main actors played off of each other perfectly, all with impeccable comedic timing. I loved seeing Michael Buonomo’s change from straight man in Massacre to vengeful – blonde! – psycho, Emmett. Each character had their own quirks that made them enjoyable to watch. Just like with Massacre, I found myself laughing out loud, surprised but tickled that the filmmakers took things in the directions that they did. Between Daniel’s fears of everything and his constant Judge Judy shoutouts, Pete’s long-winded, awkward stories – especially the one about his dad – the actual reason why Emmett is lurking around the place, the freaking zombie cat, and quotes like, “I bet ya, blood on boobs attracts ghosts,” 6:66 PM is a hilariously evil good time that should not be missed.
What Doesn’t Work
There wasn’t much that disappointed me in 6:66 PM. It wasn’t as disgusting or as scary as Massacre, but most haunted house stories aren’t. Maybe they could have had a bit more pre-planned haunted house traps from Lorraine. Maybe they could have fit a few more scenes of Psycho Emmett in somehow. They definitely should have had an appearance of the zombie cat. But all in all, the movie stands well on its own and doesn’t need much more to make it shine.
Final Thoughts
6:66 PM is a hilarious, outlandish, inappropriate, meta horror comedy spoof that fans of flicks like Scary Movie should hunt down ASAP. I know I’ll be waiting with baited breath for news of a sequel… or anything else by Jim Klock and Chad Ridgely, for that matter. 6:66 PM is currently available on VOD, so if you’re a fan of horror spoofs and black comedies, then be sure to hunt it down. You can also check them out of Facebook and follow them on Twitter.
