CarousHELL Trilogy Review (Silver Spotlight Films)

CarousHELL trilogy is a independent horror comedy franchise co-written, produced, and directed by Steve Rudzinski (Amityville Christmas Vacation, Curtains for Christmas, Shingles: The Movie, Meowy franchise, Red Christmas, and Basic Slaughter). It was co-written and produced by Aleen Isley (Curtains for Christmas). It consists of 2016’s CarousHELL, 2021’s CarousHELL 2 and 2023’s CarousHELL 3 to complete the low budget horror series. Duke (voiced by: Steve Rimpici from CarousHELL Trilogy, The Puppet Monster Massacre, Shingles: The Movie, Meowy franchise, Red Dead Redemption, and Bullseye) seems like your typical carousel unicorn but there’s so much more to him. He has gotten tired of his repetitive job for entertainment. He is past his breaking point when it comes to all the ungrateful and annoying kids that abuse him for their own personal joy. Lunchbox (played by: Teague Shaw from Outsiders and The Duece) goes too far and Duke can’t take it anymore. The unicorn escapes his carnival hell and he wants revenge against anyone that mistreated him over the years. Laurie (played by: Se’ Marie from Cryptids, Force to Fear, A Very Covid Christmas, and Movers Ultimate) is forced to take her spoiled brother that started all this to a house party that includes Sarah (played by: Haley Madison from Scarewaves, Hunters, Headless, Slaughterhouse Slumber Party, In Memory Of, Space Babes from Outer Space, Her Name Was Torment ll, and Chopping Block). Duke is ready to crash and slash it. No one will survive this ride. Duke feels lost in his life after getting his blood thirsty revenge from the people that made his life a living hell. He wants more besides just killing. He feels like he was meant for something special. He gets the shocking news that he has a son named Robbie (voiced by: Brittany Barnabei from CarousHELL 3, Shingles: The Movie, Meowy franchise, and The Survivors) so he decides to step up and help raise his kid. The evil Nazis which includes Ilsa (played by: Aleen Isley from Head Case, Shingles: The Movie, Amityville Christmas Vacation, and Everyone Must Die!), Otto (played by: Terence Lee Cover from Fangboner, Feaster Sunday, Mimesis, and Spookie Dookie), Klaus (played by: Mark McConnell Jr. from Dramateurs), and Katrina (played by: Rebecca Rinehart from The Embalmers, Frightvision, Sharks of the Corn, Backwoods Bubba, Shingles: The Movie, and Sister Krampus) that created Duke want their property back and they have finally tracked him down. Duke is trying to live a normal life but violence won’t go away when it comes to his cursed existence. Joe (played by: Steve Rudzinski from Slaughter Drive, Dinogore, Super Task Force One, and Scream Park) decides to take revenge to end Duke’s life after being one of the rare people to survive the original massacre. His vengeance is very personal and he wants to finally destroy the evil unicorn. It’s an eye for eye when it comes to the former pizza man. Psychotic rabbit Usagi (voiced by: Autumn Ivy from Bittertooth, Amityville Christmas Vacation, Zoomed, and Power Rangers Unworthy) decides to start her own personal war with the carousel killer. His previous mistakes has gotten the attention of the others. She will do whatever it takes to eliminate Duke for the control of the power. Duke was just trying to enjoy his new family life but once again his troubled past comes back to haunt him. Will Duke be able to survive against two different enemies at the same time???? Director Steve Rudzinski definitely brings something unique and original to the horror genre with 2016’s CarousHELL. What’s even more impressive is that this first feature actually spawned a trilogy. It’s hard enough to put together one movie in the independent scene and Rudzinski managed to spark enough interest for two more sequels after doing this smaller feature. The only time that I’ve ever seen an evil unicorn was very briefly in The Cabin in the Woods so that concept alone grabs your attention right away. CarousHELL is very low budget but it kinda works in it’s favor when it comes to the offbeat humor here. Duke isn’t what you would think he would be when you originally imagine the horror villain but it adds to the silly charm for it’s over the top style. Steve Rimpici brings the Duke character to life with his imaginative voice acting. I do wish the first CarousHELL was a little more horror than comedy because I do feel that overpowers it a little bit. There’s nothing wrong with that but I do feel like those are the strongest moments for CarousHELL. I will say that it has some funny one liners. Se’ Marie is solid as the lead in this. She is obsessed with social media and she’s an awful sister. I like what Rudzinski and Isley did with having the main role with the Laurie name in a slasher environment, it’s a cool nod to Halloween. It has a few other references that were very familiar from other films that I enjoyed. P.J. Gaynard (Hicksters) as Cowboy Cool is hilarious as the amusement park worker that tracks down the homicidal unicorn from the carnival to a wild party. He’s not your typical hero at all. Scream Queen Haley Madison steals the show as the feisty and friendly party host. The rest of the supporting cast includes Steve Rudzinski (CarousHELL 3), Aleen Isley (CarousHELL 2), Teague Shaw, Chris Proud, Chad Bruns (The Barn Part II), Ben Dietels (10/31: Part 3), Jordan Streussnig (Love the Coopers), Corella Waring (Amityville Vibrator), Andrew Zibritosky (Berserkers), Sarah Brunner (Curtains for Christmas), Josh Miller (Amityville: No Escape), and Cindy Fernandez-Nixon (Manhunt). The performances know what type of production that they are in, they amp up like a live action cartoon. CarousHELL has plenty of gruesome kills and gore to fit it’s slasher vibe. Cody Ruch (CarousHELL Trilogy, Placid Park, Phantom Fun-World, The Mill, 13 Slays Till X-Mas, 10/31 Part 2, and Shingles: The Movie) handles the special fx for the whole series. It provides some nudity with it’s eye candy and a really interesting sex scene with a unicorn which makes this one stand out even more. CarousHELL goes by really quick, it’s very entertaining and it’s so much fun to experience. This could easily be a great choice for a drinking game with some friends or family. I would have never thought a murderous unicorn would have his own trilogy but here we are. Out of all the movies, this is my personal favorite from it. I prefer Duke as a nasty villain with no remorse over him being a hero. I enjoyed the other two but I felt like the role stood out more like this. Steve Rudzinski definitely tried something different with his independent horror franchise when it came to the next two sequels. The original CarousHELL had a slasher vibe to it but this 2021 follow up is more of a revenge feature at least for the finale. CarousHELL 2 takes a more serious approach compared to the previous one for the first 50 minutes. Rudzinski and Isley want to keep this wild universe fresh so they change it up with a variety of new additions. It’s a family drama and comedy for the most part besides a few brutal moments early on. The production value went up so much here. The cinematography, production design, and special fx all have stepped up their game in this. CarousHELL 2 really reminds me of a Troma film for the most part. I’ve always been a huge Troma fan so it’s a good comparison. Leads Steve Rimpici and Brittany Barnabei do a solid job when it comes to providing their voices for the unique unicorn characters. Co-writer Aleen Isley and Scream Queen Rebecca Rinehart stand out for the main over the top Nazi villains in CarousHELL 2. Not going to lie, they flipped it when came to the female nudity in this. I honestly didn’t expect Isley show off her body rather than the known Rinehart when it came to the Nazi baddies. Judy Casella (CarousHELL Trilogy) returns from the first film as Ms. Laurence. She is the mother of Laurie and Lunchbox. The rest of the supporting cast includes Terence Lee Cover, Mark McConnell Jr., Joshua Antoon (Amityville Christmas Vacation), Nate Ragon (Out of the Furnace), Matt Mahon (Demon Tongue), Scott Lewis (Captain Z and the Terror of Leviathan), Marci Leigh (CarousHELL 3), and Reagan Heller (Friday the 13th: Vengeance). CarousHELL 2 gives you Duke’s origin and background story with a variety of flashbacks. I do respect Steve Rudzinski for doing something completely different from his popular original film because it was risky. This feels like it’s own movie rather than a sequel. I feel like he got more comfortable with himself here as a film maker and he did what he really wanted to explore with on CarousHELL 2. He is a big fan of adding comedy to his darker cinema and it’s flows free for this 2nd one. It has plenty of easter eggs and references from the first CarousHELL. I love that Rudzinski has post credit scenes that kinda build up the next one. Almost no one does that for low budget films and it always reminds me of those fun superhero ones. The CarousHELL trilogy remains to be one of the most unique entries for the independent scene. Steve Rudzinski returns to familiar territory for this over the top trilogy. CarousHELL 3 gets a little closer to it’s original roots in this low budget horror series. This 3rd entry feels like a solid mix of the first two features. The funny script is full of one liners and jokes. It kept playing with the audience for it’s ending which I haven’t seen too many films do. It’s great to see the production value keep improving with each chapter from CarousHELL. Every department just keeps getting better at their jobs on these. CarousHELL 3 has the best opening from the series. It grabs your attention right away with it’s madness. It has a very high body count from the jump. It’s loaded with various brutal murders. Special fx artist Cody Ruch takes a small budget and he still creates some interesting gore for these silly horror features. CarousHELL 3 continues it’s tradition with another batshit crazy sex scene with a carousel object which features Scream Queen Jessa Flux (Murdercise, Bigfoot Exorcist, Shark Exorcist 2, XXX-Mas, Debbie Does Demons, Space Babes from Outer Space, Only Fangs, and Cannibal Hookers) as Serena. Her character reminds me a little of Sarah from the original. CarousHELL 2 had a small cast but 3 has the biggest cast compared to all the others. So many new people are added to this wacky universe. The original pizza guy Joe is back for retribution. Steve Rudzinski changes up the role so much after the trauma he’s been through. He feels like one of those old Western antiheros. Steve Rimpici and Brittany Barnabei comeback here as the very vocal unicorns. Duke is no longer a villain at all after since finding out he has a son. Both voice actors are given their most dramatic material for CarousHELL 3. Autumn Ivy as Usagi steals the show as the unstable rabbit. She’s the best villain from the CarousHELL universe and my favorite role from this one. If you thought Duke was evil in the first one, this bunny is much worse. The rest of the cast includes Mel Heflin (The Profane Exhibit), Paul Bilbo (AEW), Katie Arquette (WWE), John Catheline (The Barn Part II), Brian Haas (Psycho Ape: Part II), David Hubbard (Meowy franchise), Aleen Isley (Amityville Christmas Vacation), Judy Casella (CarousHELL trilogy), Scott Lewis (CarousHELL 2), Marci Leigh (Amityville Christmas Vacation), Matt Mahon (CarousHELL 2), Brenan Marsh (Shingles: The Movie), Billy Peck (Grindsploitation 2), and Lyzz May (Shingles: The Movie). CarousHELL 3 is more of an action film, Rudzinski once again brings something different to the table. It has wrestling, revenge, threesome with a rabbit, a massacre, unicorn vs rabbit, comedy, family drama, and retribution. The post credit scene teases a potential future sequel that would once again be something unique to the CarousHELL series. Scott Lewis (Everyone Must Die!, Shingles: The Movie, and Amityville Christmas Vacation) shot and edited the whole series. His additions added some creative visuals and cuts to everything here. He definitely elevated the CarousHELL world with his behind the scenes work. Steve Rudzinski and Aleen Isley provide a little bit of everything for this low budget franchise. The CarousHELL trilogy is available on Tubi or the SteveBuster app right now if you are curious about it. If you want something original, this is worth exploring!!!!