PopHorror Let's Get Scared
I’ve been a fan of the CarousHell series since the first one came out back in 2016. I’ve anxiously awaited each new installment. What I love so much about the series, besides the great humor and excellent kills, is that every sequel brings something new to the table. When CarousHell 4 was announced, I was curious where this new entry would take the series and if it would be as good as the ones that came before it.
Read on to see what I thought of CarousHell 4.
Synopsis
Duke tries to help Robbie understand growing up isn’t scary. On a vacation to a cabin in the woods, Robbie finds the Nekkomeownicon and tries to speak to his late mother. But these words are heard by The Leviathan and its demon horde.
CarousHell 4 was directed by Steve Rudzinski from a script he wrote with Aileen Isley. The film stars Steve Rimpici, B. Barnabei, Aleen Isley, Autumn Ivy, Sarah Brunner, Henrique Couto, Ben Dietels, and P.J. Gaynard.
CarousHell 4 is a mix of elements that you wouldn’t think would work so well together but they do. The film is part loving homage to Sam Raimi’s Evil Dead series and part coming of age story. The film centers on Robbie growing older and realizing that at some point the people he loves are going to die. Duke takes him to a cabin in the woods for some father and son bonding with the hope that he’ll be able to calm Robbie’s fears.
While searching the rooms of the cabin, Robbie stumbles onto the Nekkomeownicon and reads from its pages, in hopes of bringing back the mother he never got the chance to meet. What follows is a wonderful mix of gory kills and surprising emotions depth. And Zemons. Lots and lots of Zemons.
I really enjoyed the duality of CarousHell 4. There are lots of sweet/bittersweet moments with Robbie and at times I was genuinely moved to tears then the next minute I was laughing at cheesy one liners as Duke gorily tore through a cabin of Zemons. I appreciated that they brought back so many characters from the previous entries as Zemons. It was really nice to have those callbacks.
The kills, as usual with this series, are well executed and a lot of fun. We get some severed heads, face smashes, jaw rips and even a character set on fire The finale involves strong anime influences and lots of visual effects, while bringing both sides of the story to a satisfying conclusion. I don’t know how they accomplished all of this on such a low budget but they did and it’s honestly impressive. I want to applaud Steve for bringing back my all time favorite indie horror actress. It brought the biggest smile to my face.
Final Thoughts
CarousHell 4 is one hell of a sequel. It features tons of the series trademark kills and humor with more emotional depth than you would probably expect. There are lots of fun callbacks to the previous entries that will please longtime fans. CarousHell 4 is gory, funny, and emotional. Highly recommended.
