Spirit Animal DVD Review (Nekroshark Films)

Spirit Animal is a 2019 shot on video slasher co-written, produced, directed by Madeline Deering (Bathtub Shark Attack, Natasha Nighty’s Boudoir of Blood, and Natasha Nighty’s Boudoir of Blood 2). It was co-written, produced, edited, shot, and special fx by Joseph Russio (Beyond Dark Dreams, Devil’s Lettuce, Pro Wrestlers vs Zombies, Lucifer’s Unholy Desire, and Breeding Farm). A group of close friends lead by Lisa (played by: Jennifer Louise from Little Mouse, Devil’s Lettuce, and Bathtub Shark Attack) rent a cabin for New Years weekend. They are ready to party and forget about their stressful lives. Unfortunately, it’s on the former Camp that was home of a gruesome massacre in the past. A brutal killer hunts them down and makes them all suffer. He has a variety of different animal personas as he murders the friends off one by one. The only way to survive from this psychopath is for them to unleash their true SPIRIT ANIMAL!!!!! Spirit Animal is a fun throwback to the late 80’s and early 90’s when it came to direct to video slashers. This modern feature goes the old school shot on video route so it actually looks like some lost film from back in the day. It was smart to capitalize on it’s small budget and flip it into a style rather a problem. I enjoyed the fake Pizza commercial and Trailer (It actually became a legit feature) before it all started, it took you back to those grindhouse times. The score from Matt Cannon (10/31 franchise, Clownado, Cryptids, and Mail Order Murder: The Story Of W.A.V.E. Productions) goes with it’s retro atmosphere. The script is silly, full of movie references, and it’s loaded with hilarious one liners. I read somewhere that the budget was only a thousand dollars, if that’s true then I am even more impressed with what was achieved in this. Regardless, Spirit Animal uses it’s very low budget to its advantage. It’s cheap and nasty gore add to it’s independent charm. It has a solid body count with some interesting deaths. It’s performances are packed with over the top and live action cartoon vibes for the most part except for lead actress Jennifer Louise as Lisa. She was actually one of the best things about this small production when it came to acting. Killer Nerd’s own Toby Radloff (Bride of Killer Nerd, Townies, and American Splendor) has a quick cameo as the Tree of Life. The rest of the supporting cast includes Madeline Deering (Gore Orphanage), Joseph Russio (Captain Happy Sun), Tim Gross (Croaker), Tom Gross (Natasha Nighty’s Boudoir of Blood 2), Brandon Kaczor-Spawn (Bathtub Shark Attack), Adam Klein, Svetlana Kotov, Brandon Lachmayer (Bathtub Shark Attack), Keith Monahan (Ssssstoner Snake), Jerry Pietrala (Revenge Is Her Middle Name), Andy Stuchell (Occurrence at Mills Creek), and Sarah Zorn (Bathtub Shark Attack). Spirit Animal is one of the most unique and creative slashers that I’ve seen in awhile. I thought the smell-o-vision gimmick was genius and a blast to experience. I really don’t mean this in a bad way at all but I would love to see a bigger budget prequel, sequel, or even a remake at some point. Spirit Animal has so much potential to be a horror franchise or something special. The villain really stands out from your typical slashers. I love how he changes it up so much with all the different animals, crazy mannerisms, and the overall creepy look to each spirit here. From what I noticed from the credits, it was played by more than a few different actors which makes lots of sense after viewing it. I know he was supposed to transform into what he was channeling at the time but all the different people threw it off a little bit. Regardless, he had some funny lines that went with his vicious kills. Spirit Animal had a nice flow and pace to it, there’s really not a dull moment here. The replay value is strong considering it’s the type of low budget horror movie to play a drinking game with a group of people. I still think it has potential for more and I really hope something else happens with it. Turn off your brain, grab some PBRs and enjoy some Dingo pizza while experiencing this highly entertaining SOV slasher!!!! Let’s discuss the special features from Nekroshark Films on this DVD home video release! It has an “Audio Commentary” with director, co-writer, producer, and cast member Madeline Deering. This was the director’s second attempt at an audio track after losing the original one the night before. The Smell-o-Vision gimmick and it’s hilarious drinking game are brought up early on. Deering breaks down the scenes and many references for this splatter fest. Deering share all kinds of stories from the shot on video budget production and drops plenty of detailed information about Spirit Animal. It has a little over 10 minutes of “Outtakes” from the set. It has a “Trailer” for Spirit Animal. It comes with it’s own Smell-o-Vision card, Poster, and a Dingo Pizza AD. It’s a professionally made M.O.D DVD-R. It’s even been put out on VHS which is perfect for it’s overall visual style. It’s available directly from Nekroshark Films right now, CHECK IT OUT!!!!