Brutal Massacre Blu Ray Review (Mena Films)
Brutal Massacre is a 2007 horror mockumentary written, produced, composed, edited, and directed by Stevan Mena. Harry Penderecki (Played by: David Naughton), a once heralded horror auteur, finds himself on the outside looking in at Hollywood. He hasn’t had a hit film in years, and most in the industry, including his close friends, think he’s washed up. Harry is given one last chance to redeem himself with what could be his best or last picture. Brutal Massacre becomes just that, as the crew which includes Jason Daly (played by: Brian O’Halloran), Hanu Vindepeshs (played by: Gerry Bednob), Natalie Vasquez (played by: Ellen Sandweiss), and Carl Perkins (played by: Ken Foree) find themselves battling one mishap after another as Harry struggles to keep his sanity against overwhelming resistance to finish the picture. He tries to find himself at the top once again. They all face a harsh reality when real violence starts happening during the production. Has Harry lost his mind or is it someone in the crew which includes the weird Krenshaw (played by: Gunnar Hansen)????
Brutal Massacre is beyond hilarious and it’s a very refreshing entry for the horror genre. It’s a nice blend of horror and comedy for this rare mockumentary when it comes to this classic style of cinema. Usually, more spoofs are made when they are trying do an hybrid of dark humor and subjects but this one stands out more than that. It shows a filmmaker on his last legs and given one more opportunity to prove himself once again after some bad luck. Mixed with all the violence and laughs, it actually has some heart to it. This is a very balanced script and it gives the talented cast that includes David Naughton, Brian O’Halloran, Gerry Bednob, Ellen Sandweiss, Ken Foree, and Gunnar Hansen lots to work with when it comes to their performances.
David Naughton is great as the lead in this and he turns in one of his most under-rated performances in Brutal Massacre. Horrror icon Gunnar Hansen steals the show here and shows his comedy skills. It has cameos from director Mick Garris and original Evil Dead ladies Betsy Baker and Theresa Tilly. Director Stevan Mena is a one man army here and he handles lots of the important behind the scenes work for this horror comedy. They manage to get the most out of their low budget with this independent production and it looks bigger than what it actually is. I’ve always been a fan of this one since it was released by Anchor Bay and Starz as one of their newer features back in the day. Brutal Massacre is a blast, it’s funny look at how smaller films are made with some serious mistakes and a real killer. RECOMMENDED!!!!!
This brand new 1080p (1.78:1) transfer is a huge upgrade compared to the original Anchor Bay DVD home video release. It has English: Dolby Digital 5.1 and English: Dolby Digital 2.0 for it’s audio options. It has English SDH subtitles. It comes with a slipcover and a DVD copy of the release. “What Happened Is True” is an audio commentary from director Stevan Mena. It has a little over 16 minute “Behind the Scenes” feature. It has a “Poster Gallery” which has some of the fake horror films made by Harry Penderecki in it. It has almost 23 minutes of “Deleted Scenes”. It has an almost 23 minute “On the Set” feature. It has a “Photo Gallery” from the production. It has the original “Trailer” for Brutal Massacre. It has an almost 18 minute “Weekend of Horrors Panel” from a 2008 Fangoria convention. This disc is loaded with all kinds of behind the scenes material and special features. Any horror fan should check this one out, this still remains very under-rated and needs some more appreciation. Check it out, it’s available everywhere right now!!!! 
