PopHorror Let's Get Scared
I love horror comedies, especially ones that aren’t afraid to embrace the inherent cheesiness of their concept. So when I was given the opportunity to review Attack Of The Killer Donuts, I jumped at the chance. Did Attack Of The Killer Donuts fulfill my craving for horror comedy? Or was it just empty calories?
Attack Of The Killer Donuts is the latest film from director Scott Wheeler (Avalanche Sharks 2014) and written by Nathan Dalton, Chris De Christopher (who also stars), and Rafael Diaz-Wagner. The film stars Justin Ray (Club Dead 2015), Kayla Compton, Kassandra Voyagis, Michael Swan (Friday the 13th Part VI: Jason Lives 1986), Burt Rutherford, Lauren Compton (Death House 2018), Aaron Groben (The Campus 2018), Alison England, Frederick Burns, Ben Heyman (State of Desolation 2018), and C. Thomas Howell (The Hitcher 1986).
Synopsis for Attack of the Killer Donuts:
A chemical accident turns ordinary donuts into blood thirsty killers. Now it’s up to Johnny, Michelle and Howard to save their sleepy town from…Killer Donuts.
Attack of the Killer Donuts was better than I expected. Movies like this tend to just be “so bad it’s good,” but Attack of the Killer Donuts wasn’t that way for me. Sure, there was some cheese, which it embraced, but the thing that really helped the film was that the characters are genuinely funny and have a boneheaded charm. Justin Ray was great as Johnny, your average loveable loser. I really enjoyed his chemistry with Michelle, his gorgeous (although somehow he doesn’t notice it) best friend, played wonderfully by Kayla Compton, who imbues the character with beauty and charm. Ben Heyman enters the film late as Howard, a nerd that Johnny is reluctantly friends with (who may or may not be banging his mom). Last but not least, props to the filmmakers for getting C. Thomas Howell, who hams it up wonderfully and genuinely looks like he is having a killer time.
So now you are probably asking, “But how were the creature effects and mayhem?” Pretty good for the most part. The practical effects for the donuts look hilarious, gross, and kind of scary. However, it was a little disappointing, albeit understandable, when, for the attack scenes, they went almost full CGI, complete with digital blood spray. I understand why they went this direction, but it was still a little disappointing nonetheless. The kill scenes were a little lackluster, but I’m sure this was due to budget constraints. However, this really didn’t affect my enjoyment of the film.
Final Thoughts
Attack of the Killer Donuts is a fun and cheesy creature feature with likable characters played by a wonderful cast. While the kills and CGI are disappointing, the creature effects get the job done and add to the sense of fun. If you like low budget creature features, be sure to check this one out!
If you need any more convincing, here is the trailer as well:
