Horror comedies are such difficult film productions to accomplish. Usually, the horror elements are so poorly done that they actually become funnier than the intended humor. You really don't want your audiences to laugh during the critical and intentionally horrific moments while they don't move a muscle during the comical situations, and yet this is often the case. I'm more than happy to announce that Broken Lizard's "Club Dread" is an exception to this general rule, as it works as both a comedy and surprise, surprise even more as a light-headed and gory good slasher picture. Granted, the humor isn't exactly edifying, as the jokes are mainly just misinterpreted terms, offensive sexual remarks and other vulgarities, but the entire cast is so contagiously enthusiast that you won't be able to resist laughing! Then there's the horror plot and this is what really astonished me about "Club Dread"! The maximum effort directors can usually realize is dark black comedy, but here it's actually genuine HORROR, with nasty make-up effects, suspense and an effectively misleading whodunit-structure! Unlike I feared, the story isn't too ludicrous and brings forward some good intrigue and exciting red herrings. A new boatload of tourists washes ashore Pleasure Island, a party-vacation resort run by former 70's singer Coconut Pete and his loyal share of sex-obsessed employees. While the guests are occupied with playing silly games and having casual sex, there's a malevolent figure slaughtering the work crew. The killer leaves behind clues referring to Coconut Pete's old songs and insists that all the employees continue their work like there's nothing wrong. The fewer their number, the more suspicions raise that the killer is actually one of their own and the mutual trust and friendship completely vanishes. "Super Troopers" and "Beerfest" prove that the Broken Lizard clique knows comedy, but they clearly also did their horror-homework. The murders are highly imaginative and the island setting is fully exploited like it should be. Heck, the script even makes full use of the 'necessary' clichés like the killer's piñata disguise and the stereotypical drunk teenagers. Last but not least, the female cast-members all look truly ravishing and they're not too prudish, either. The unbelievably gorgeous Jordan Ladd goes topless (amongst doing other sexy tricks) and all the other ladies (Tanja Reichert, Brittany Daniel, Lindsay Price, Elena Lyons
) are the most ideal eye-candy imaginable. Bill Paxton shines as Coconut Pete and he clearly had a lot of fun playing this role. "Club Dread" may not be Oscar-material, but it's a damn fun and exhilarating flick!
