Wednesday, January 18, 2017

Attack of the Killer Shrews!, You Shrews, You Lose

There is nothing tame about these shrews.  Unlike Shakespeare's shrews, 2016's "Attack of the Killer Shrews!" brings us blood, carnage, cheesy special creature effects, and annoying mascot drama (you'll see, but it is quite satisfying).  In this Ken Cosentino film, an epic re-imaging of the 1959 classic hits our screen in bright, splattered red.  With a hearty endorsement from Troma's Lloyd Kaufman, some hot babes, mad scientists, square jawed heroes, the military, and toothy creatures converge in horrific comedy.
The original "Attack of the Killer Shrews" is a MST3K classic.  A horror film with many unintentional comedic elements.  In Mr. Consentino's film, the comedy isn't so unintentional.  Fear not, lots of blood will be sprayed and plenty of creatures, over-the-top cheesy as they might be, prance throughout this entire work.  Initially, the plot of these two films is similar.  After a mad scientist's (Mick O'Keefe) experiment goes wrong and unleashes a horde of dog sized shrews on a community, a professor's home is the first to be invaded.  Professor Perry (Jonathan Rogers), the world's greatest scientist (just ask him), is hosting a small party.  His agent, Lewis (Marcus Ganci-Rotella), his babe Cassandra (Cheryl Szymczak), the sultry B movie queen Fiona Rae (Elizabeth Houlihan) and the sheriff (Bill Kennedy) are in attendance.
The shrews, just like zombies, have a penchant for getting in, and soon the professor's home is infested.  After a bloody battle indoors, the party goers flee.  Uh oh, the shrews are now all over town. Perry man's up and utters the heroic phrase, "I have a score to settle with some shrews, and I have a pocket full of shells."  As the sexy Cassandra screams, Fiona Rae man's up and together with the sheriff begin taking the fight to the vermin.  But wait!  The military arrives.  These guys aren't exactly the SEALs, and their strategy may do more harm than the shrews.  Will this western New York community survive the shrews, the military, and a shotgun wielding professor?  Will Fiona Rae make her next screen test?
The ending will be bloody and explosive and on a grander scale than "Dr. Strangelove." Though a comedy, Mr. Consentino obviously possesses a respect for the original B horror film from 1959. The shrews are hilarious looking and are enhanced by the comedic acting of the protagonists.  All the acting is first class and I tip my hat to Ms. Houlihan's portrayal of a 1950s type scream queen (this blog loves scream queens).  Visit the website of "Attack of the Killer Shrews!" by clicking on this link Killer Shrew Movie

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