PopHorror Let's Get Scared
Filmmakers be warned: if you want to make a realistic horror film, make sure your actors and actresses are in on it, or there could be hell to pay. That’s the lesson we see in Mitchell Altieri’s (The Night Watchmen 2017) A Beginner’s Guide To Snuff. After viewing the trailer for this film, I was immediately intrigued! The story seemed hilarious! It stars Joey Kern (Cabin Fever) and Luke Edwards (Jeepers Creepers 2). I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to see this film! Was it everything I hoped it’d be?
(Synopsis provided by IMDb.com):
Two brothers (Kerns, Edwards) decide to make the most convincing pseudo-snuff film EVER and decide not to tell the victim (Bree Williamson) that it’s all staged. Of course, the brothers’ whole plan goes south when they realize they picked the wrong victim and soon find the tables turned on them!
If you’ve been around the indie horror scene for awhile, you’ll recognize some of the names associated with A Beginner’s Guide to Snuff. The film was directed by Mitchell Altieri and co-created by Phil Flores – also known as The Butcher Brothers, the guys behind the After Dark Horrorfest selection The Hamiltons (2006), its sequel, The Thompsons (2012), the trippy biker flick, The Violent Kind (2010) and the 2008 April Fool’s Day remake. These two have once again teamed up with Cory Knauf and Adam Weis to create this meta horror flick.
What Works:
I was genuinely entertained by this film. Most of my praise comes from Joey Kern’s and Luke Edwards’ performances! They had fantastic chemistry, and they worked off of each other perfectly. Kern and Edwards were fun and hilarious! I also have to give praise to Bree Williamson, as well. Her character change in this film was crazy! She can play a wonderful psychopath! These stars are really what made the film work so well – that and all of the blood, of course.
What Doesn’t Work:
A Beginner’s Guide To Snuff starts off with a pretty even pace, and then it gets very fast and very weird very quickly. A lot of the jokes and running gags didn’t land, and the ones that genuinely made me laugh are probably just because I have an odd sense of humor in general. The big twist at the end was too coincidental and wildly predictable. It definitely lacked the subtlety of a good twist.
Final Thoughts:
A Beginner’s Guide To Snuff has its flaws, but I just love this film! It was fun, it was goofy, and it was just so damn entertaining to me! If you’re looking to just escape the world for a little while and just have fun, A Beginner’s Guide To Snuff might be for you!
