Phil's Halloween Horrors Marathon, Day 7: Phil reviews FATHER'S DAY (2011) 4-Disc Set from Troma Entertainment-October 7, 2012

FATHER'S DAY Blu-Ray/DVD Combo

FATHER'S DAY
Starring: Adam Brooks, Matthew Kennedy, Conor Sweeney, Amy Groening, Brent Neale, Garrett Hnatiuk, Meredith Sweeney, Mackenzie Murdock, Lloyd Kaufman
Written, Produced, and Directed by Astron-6
Distributed by Troma Entertainment

Phil's Halloween Horrors Marathon continues with Day Seven! Today's film is the latest release from Troma Entertainment, one of the oldest independent studios in America. Teaming up with the Canadian film group called Astron-6, the movie FATHER'S DAY combines grindhouse thrills, gore, sex, blood, and nudity in glorious fashion the likes that I have never seen before!

The film chronicles the journey of Ahab (Brooks), a man who extracted revenge against the man who murdered his dad, Chris Fuchman AKA The Father's Day Killer (Murdock). Several decades later, a brutal series of fathers being raped and killed forces Ahab to come out of hiding to find out if the Fuchman has returned from the dead. He teams up with a young priest named Father John Sullivan (Kennedy) and a street hustler named Twink (Sweeney) so they can stop the Fuchman's reign of terror and rescue Ahab's sister Chelsea (Groening).

When I first saw the film, I was at a loss for words. And this is me we're talking about! The film is off the charts! However this movie is not for the squeamish. There are multiple scenes of male rape, tons of male nudity (but there's also plenty of female nudity), graphic gore and even genital mutilation. In spite of all that, this is actually a comedy that serves as both a homage and a satire of exploitation films. It falls in the same vein as other recent Canadian independent films like HOBO WITH A SHOTGUN and DEAD HOOKER IN A TRUNK. Also, it has the best Lloyd Kaufman cameo ever, as he shows up as both God and Satan (which pretty much sums up his personality). Now when you watch the film, even though it's low budget, it looks rather expensive. Believe it or not, the film's budget was only $10,000! The movie looks incredible, which once again reinforces my point that you don't need a lot of money to make your film. Just go out there and make your own damn movie!

Theatrical Movie Poster (2011)

The group Astron-6 are based in Canada and have been making short films together for a number of years. FATHER'S DAY is their first full length feature and it has already won several awards at film festivals all across the globe: Best Film - A Night of Horror International Film Festival 2012, Best Director - A Night of Horror International Film Festival 2012, Best Film - Toronto After Dark Film Festival 2011. It was also featured on the March 2012 issue of Canada's horror magazine Rue-Morgue (Issue 120).

The Limited Edition 4 Disc set is outrageous! You get the film on Blu-Ray, on standard DVD, there's a second DVD with the special features: Deleted Scenes, Special FX Featurettes, Slide Show, Original Teaser Trailer and Original Trailer, Astron-6 Shorts! Plus you get a CD of the film's awesome soundtrack! Limited to only 5,000 copies!

Also on a side note, I just wanted to confess my undying love for Miss Amy Groening. Ever since I saw her in Astron-6's short film COOL GUYS, I have been shot by Cupid's arrow. Now sure it's cool that she's the niece of Matt Groening (the creator of The Simpsons and Futurama) but Amy has this aura about her. It's her eyes, her smile, the way she acts like a nerd in one film and a kick ass strong woman in the next, she is one talented actress! And one very beautiful woman! OK I've embarrassed myself long enough.

FATHER'S DAY is without a doubt the BEST exploitation/horror film ever made! It's a vile, disgusting, perverted film filled with seedy images of rape, violence, nudity, and gore! And it makes the perfect Christmas gift for your in-laws! It's also a shining example of independent filmmaking at its finest as well as a love song to the bygone days of New York's 42nd Street. 5 out of 5 stars!! Highly recommended!!

FATHER'S DAY is available at your local retailer and on the Troma website. Visit www.troma.com to order a copy for yourself today! To learn more about Astron-6, visit their website at www.astron-6.com. Also check out their Facebook page and follow them on Twitter!

Thanks for reading, and enjoy the screaming!