Dead Shit (2007)
Starring Kevin Strange & Joshitsuo Montoya
Directed by Kevin Strange
Written by Kevin Strange

 

Dead Shit is one of those endeavors that isn't terribly original, and looks terrible. But then, you're buying a movie from HACKmovies, and they tout in their slogan that there's no budget involved (and indeed, the investment in this movie seems to be an air freshener, a Halloween make-up kit, a plastic ax and two fake arms), so you know right off the bat what you're getting yourself into.

The movie seems to be put together by a small group of guys that never grew out of 1996, when the world was defined by the music of Sublime (before the overdose), and it was still cool to listen to Insane Clown Posse. Their product, surely the result of only a day's work, is a string of sex jokes meant to be funny because the actors say them in funny voices (and have trouble keeping straight faces in many shots), zombie jokes meant to be funny because the effects are so bad, and weed jokes that are funny because, presumably, you smoke weed and seeing other people do things that are familiar to you is just inherently funny. 2009's Disaster Movie worked off the same premise, so maybe these guys are onto something. The adult in me was saddened by the ineffective humor, and the kid in me was saddened that despite the intro's promise of 'the bitches', there wasn't a single bare breast to be seen; it's like sitting down to a bowl of Frosted Mini-Wheats, but there's no frosting, and the wheat part is full of Aids.

I can't say there aren't some funny parts in this movie, though. There's a few really good bits of dialogue, and I was surprised to find myself chuckling at these two Juggalo dunderheads a few times. Its the nerd humor that really works, references to Star Wars, World of Warcraft, and Voltron coming totally out of left field to get some laughs.

Taken as intentionally bad, which as a Troma fan I can respect, the movie isn't awful. Its actually about on par with the world famous 'I'm the Juggernaut, Bitch' for delivering the funny. The difference is that 'Juggernaut' is free on YouTube.com, and this movie costs $10 plus shipping.

But while I didn't really enjoy Dead Shit, I have to stand beside Lloyd Kaufman in my endorsement of HackMovies in general. I enjoy independent cinema, even the crappy kind. I make these kinds of funny, weird movies with my friends from time to time as well, and I know the joy of experimenting with movies, finding an audience, and pushing the envelope in ways Hollywood won't. These guys are having a good time, and just want to share it.

Beyond that, though, is the trailer for CockHammer, with instills me with a lot of hope. Maybe dick jokes are just funnier to me than pot jokes, or maybe these guys have gotten better with their comedic timing, but either way the trailer alone had me laughing, and was instantly 100x funnier than Dead Shit. CockHammer also shows a lot more experimentation with make-up and gore. Plus the Lovecraft references are just a smarter way to go, and not done to death like the zombie genre.

What CockHammer shows is that these guys are evolving. If their new movies looked like Dead Shit did, I'd say dump them. But the new work looks like its got a lot of time and effort put into it, and maybe even a tiny budget. I'd argue that this one is worth paying for.

Oh, and they deliver the goods on the boobs, with not one but two sets in the trailer alone. So, the kid in me is not only happy, he's masturbating in his room to a six second video clip on an infinite-loop.

So, I don't think I can recommend Dead Shit. I would argue they should put the whole show online for free as a means of advertizing their other works. But keep an eye on 'em, especially if you're a fan of Troma or other B-Movie groups. As they evolve, HackMovies will find new ways to make you laugh, or offend the hell out of you, and I'd say either is a good response.