Co-producer / co-story author Trevor Matthews is also our title character here. Jack Brooks is an aimless 20 something plumber with severe anger management issues. This stems from a traumatic childhood incident in which he had to watch his family get massacred by a forest monster. Years later, while attending a night school science class, he agrees to take on a job for his teacher, Gordon Crowley (genre icon Robert Englund). Naturally, Crowley lives in a house with a sordid & violent history and the evil forces still residing on this property are soon free to possess Crowley.
"Jack Brooks: Monster Slayer" does earn points for being in the spirit of insane, low budget 1980s horror. The main problem for this viewer is that, for too much of the running time, some of the humour just fell flat, and it was hard to really care about the main character. What *is* irresistible is the chance to see Englund be broadly funny; he doesn't get that many opportunities to do comedy. He's the main reason to watch. A large amount of the humour is of the lowbrow variety, with no shortage of gas and vomit jokes. But the ultimate monster design is endearingly silly, and the makeup effects and gore are fun.
Matthews is good as Jack, especially late in the game when the big shift occurs in his character and he decides to become the ass kicking hero. Rachel Skarsten delivers an effectively bitchy performance as Jacks' fed-up girlfriend. Daniel Kash (Spunkmeyer in "Aliens") is fine as the weary psychiatrist. And David Fox does a reasonably amusing job as our elderly tale spinner / exposition provider.
Enjoyable enough combo of laughs and shocks does work towards a decent finale.
Six out of 10.
"Jack Brooks: Monster Slayer" does earn points for being in the spirit of insane, low budget 1980s horror. The main problem for this viewer is that, for too much of the running time, some of the humour just fell flat, and it was hard to really care about the main character. What *is* irresistible is the chance to see Englund be broadly funny; he doesn't get that many opportunities to do comedy. He's the main reason to watch. A large amount of the humour is of the lowbrow variety, with no shortage of gas and vomit jokes. But the ultimate monster design is endearingly silly, and the makeup effects and gore are fun.
Matthews is good as Jack, especially late in the game when the big shift occurs in his character and he decides to become the ass kicking hero. Rachel Skarsten delivers an effectively bitchy performance as Jacks' fed-up girlfriend. Daniel Kash (Spunkmeyer in "Aliens") is fine as the weary psychiatrist. And David Fox does a reasonably amusing job as our elderly tale spinner / exposition provider.
Enjoyable enough combo of laughs and shocks does work towards a decent finale.
Six out of 10.