Fender Bender

There are some companies, that dare to dig into the past, and make sure we are served B movie quality. And this is where Shout! Factory is a perfect example, they release films every month, of both old classics, and forgotten films. I have bought several blu rays from them, and i am always pleased to see these films coming out, with better picture, better sound, and lots of special features. I try to check out upcoming releases, and also check if i have missed anything that already have been released by Shout! Factory. I love these kinds of companies that give B movies an honest chance to be seen again. Since i grew up with VHS violence in the 80´s, these films are important to me. Cheesy acting, bad special effects, naked girls, horrible titles, odd clothing styles, if you have all this in one film, you know it has to be a masterpiece. Well, that´s not completely true of course, but B movies are needed in today´s society. As an example, how many of you have not bought John Carpenter´s Body Bags on the release of Shout! Factory ? I hope most of you have, this is the kind of film you want to see during a holiday season with family and friends. 3 stories, all with a different twist, and you might actually see some kind of connection. There is a reason why it is very important that old B movies get a chance to shine again. They prove that you could do anything, no matter how bad the special effects were, or how bad the acting was. B horror films was more about delivering a great time, where blood flushed out of bodies, different ways to kill and insane violence stunt scenes. The script did not matter really, you would always sit there and look for the fun parts. Oh, i almost forgot, mudity is of course a regular ingredient in most of these film. Not that they were made to piss off feminists, but they did anyway. Especially sex scenes, that was the biggest sin of all (feminists will confirm this, just check at your local office ). Just about 2 weeks ago, i came across a film on dvd called Fender Bender. Sometimes i just love to take chances, and buy B movies on dvd, or blu ray, if they look interesting. This seemed to be like a horror film, in the same style as The Town That Dreaded Sundown, except for a different character, and a different story.  Since i have a big passion for low budget horror films, of course i had to check this one out. Is the film Fender Bender exactly what we could hope for, or is this a dull release, that you might as well avoid at all cost ?

Hilary ( Mackenzie Vega ) discover that her boyfriend Andy ( Harrison Sim ) is seeing another girl behind her back. She ends their relationship right away. On her way home, she is in a car accident, called a fender fender. The Driver ( Bill Sage ) offer his address, and information, so they can clear this situation in the best possible way. Hilary´s parents are not pleased, and Hilary is grounded to stay inside the house over the weekend. But the weekend, that seemed to be boring within the walls of her home, is about to change. The Driver is on his way, and he is ready for having some fun tonight.

Let's be honest here. If you love Eastenders or Days Of Our Lives, then you will feel right at home with Fender Bender. This is a classic slasher horror film, using old school technique, to make everything feel like an early 80's horror film.  And I have to say,  Fender Bender succeed to bring joy to the table, almost like you are having a buffé at the local strip club. Even if the film is not original in any way, young can enjoy the effort, trying to bring back B slasher horror. They original music score feels just right, it is the kind of tune you want to hear in a film like this. There is nothing original about Fender Bender, but that´s ok, we don´t need a film to be original to offer a good time. One of the few issues i have with this film, is that the acting is not very good. To be specific, some of the characters in the film are not very strong. I am especially talking about the parents of Jennifer, played by Steven Michael Quezada and....some woman i could not remember ( pretty much says it all ). Their scenes as Hilary´s parents are really bad, from an acting perspective. On the other hand, lead actor Makenzie Vega is one of the stronger characters in Fender Bender. My favourite character is actually the bad guy Driver ( Bill Sage ). You never really find out who he really is, and i love that mysterious vibe to his character. Of course he turns out to be a serial killer, collecting all the driver licences from his victims in his car, but he fits the role great. I especially think his face mask give him a look that fits the film. Hard to explain how the mask looks like, but imagine a World War II gas mask, without the breathing part, and with a bar mouth instead. Maybe an awful explanation, but i think you might get my point. Fender Bender is actually the first film co-produced by ChillerTv and Shout! Factory, and this gives me a pleasent feeling. If they can continue making films in this style, we have something good coming our way. Director Mark Pavia is perhaps known for his directorial debut film The Night Flier, based on a story by Stephen King. That film came out in 1997, and Fender Bender is his second full feature film, he is definitely in no hurry. His latest film shows that he knows this genre well, and this is definitely his best film so far. Not a classic, or something unique in any way, just a fun tribute to old school films. Buy the dvd, or blu ray if you can, this is without a doubt a film for you who love Halloween, or My Best Friend´s Wedding with Julia Roberts. I feel like making my own mask now, and ride the streets of Kramfors, who knows what party i will crash ?

Rating: DDD