That's a Lotta London

 

Much like killer dolls or apocalypses, there's an undeniable appeal of watching genre movies taking a spin on The Most Dangerous Game. There are plenty of ways to bungle the premise, but it's also an easy blueprint for something fairly entertaining.

Quick Plot: Cassandra seems to be something of a drifter. After exiting a convenience store, paper bag-coated liquor bottle in hand, she's nearly attacked by a group of creeps before the well-trained Tessa steps (well, drop-kicks) in to save her. 

Some time later, the girls have a public breakup at a diner counter, where nearby patron Carter and his son Jackson look on. They invite Cassandra to join them, both for breakfast and a weekend celebration at a beach. With nowhere else to go, Cassandra happily agrees, meeting a few more attractive young women and greasy older men along the way. 

Naturally, this isn't the dream vacation any of the ladies imagined. See, Carter runs a Most Danger Game-esque committee that holds annual "hunts." Loads of wealthy misogynists spend a fair fortune to participate, whether by watching via livestream or shooting their own crossbows. Young Jackson is embarking on his first entry into the game, and while he's eager to please his alpha toxic male dad, he also clearly has a budding conscience (also, most likely, a lack of sexual interest in women). 

Cassandra is resourceful, and soon enough, we piece together exactly how she ended up in that diner at just the right time. Still, there are several other women without quite the same level of preparation who might not fare as well as the game gets going. 

Despite boasting a batch of somewhat famous faces (including two that are identical), Hunt Club was clearly a low budget effort...I hope. Director Elizabeth Blake-Thomas doesn't show much skill with staging her action, while David Lipper and John Saunders' script offers little surprise. 

It's not, objectively speaking, a good movie. But Mena Suvari makes for a very watchable lead, and the film seems to want to not be overly exploitive of its female victims (whether it succeeds is a different question). My standards for movies like these is on a very loose floating scale. 

High Points

I don't know whose decision it was to have most of the cast dress like they're living in the 1970s, but it adds some visual flair, so I'll take it

Low Points

This is an 80-minute movie that still drags. That's never a good thing

Lessons Learned

To become a man, recognize your moral compass

A gentleman's word is his bond

"Garden variety vigilante" is the new "virgin who can't drive"

The Scariest Thing About This Movie:

HOW CAN YOU PUT BOTH OF THEM IN ONE MOVIE AND EXPECT ME TO TELL THEM APART?

For years, I actually just gave up and assumed Jason and Jeremy London were just one person. This movie doesn't have a big enough budget to Parent Trap those twin shots, so if nothing else, this movie succeeded in officially killing my conspiracy theory

Rent/Bury/Buy

I've seen far worse than movies with this same plot than Hunt Club. With quick turns by the likes of Mickey Rourke, this isn't a total waste of time, but it's really only suitable for those whose standards are, well, low enough to be mine. Find it on Amazon (or don't; I mean you probably shouldn't).

Cotton Candy Joe

Knowing that Casper Van Dien and Michael Rooker are top billed in a movie might very well be the best possible way to make me watch it. Van Dien, of course, because he’s the star of one of my all-time favorite films (of all time, and no, it ain’t The Dog Who Saved Christmas) and Michael Rooker because he might kill me if I don’t. Add the setting of Appalachia and I’m there before you can say Wrong Turn 2.

Quick Plot: An archeologist is gleefully examining his finds from a newly uncovered Indian burial ground. All is happy and nerdy until a skull-faced figure barges in to behead, de-arm, and axe his way through a batch of characters we will never see again, including a pair of soldiers with a video camera.

Okay, so I lied. We do ‘see’ the deceased soldier via his recording, a frantic message that was sent to a Delta Force headed by none other than Captain Leary (Michael Rooker). The oddly gender balanced team is sent to investigate with a terrifying lack of hair ties.

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: I simply cannot ever believe a female soldier would venture into the woods on a dangerous mission with her lusciously conditioned locks bouncing around. Can you imagine how much easier it is for a skeleton faced killer to grab said female by the mane? Or for a wild branch to slow her down? We won’t even mention how visibility is greatly impeded when SOMETHING IS BLOCKING YOUR FACE.

Rant over. Review resumed.

Leary’s soldiers eventually come upon a rather hilariously wigged Native American (with an ever so slight resemblance to Steve Carell) who details the story of the Skeleton Man, aka Cottonmouth Joe. Unlike his brother that sparked a catchy dance tune fit for sweet sixteen dance floors, Cottonmouth Joe was a warrior who slaughtered his own tribe and has since been reawakened by the nosy diggings of the late archaeologist. 

(About as PC as Michael Scott at a Thanksgiving pageant)

Suuuuuuure he is, thinks the hard-headed military. Though a few members seem to keep disappearing (including, gasp! Casper Van Dien as the bearded scout) there’s no REAL reason to think anything’s amiss, right?

Skeleton Man was made for the Sci-Fi Channel (yes kids, that’s what we geezers used to call it) and while there are no sharktopuses in sight, it certainly has the feel. This isn’t a horrible thing. As with most of those original films, the production values are more than decent and the ‘name’ actors dragged in seem to be happy enough to turn in passable performances in exchange for room service. The actual monster is cool in his kill methods (scalping!) but rather lame in design. Sure, a mashup of the Phantom of the Opera crossed with the Headless Horseman hunting in Predator territory is interesting, but that doesn’t mean a Halloween-style plastic skull mask is all you need to seal the deal.

Director Johnny Martin has a far longer resume as a stunt coordinator, but his most important credit comes from a little special something known to some as Killer Klowns From Outer Space and to others as One Of The Greatest Things To Ever Happen In My Lifetime. Martin played the famed Joe Lombardo, the first victim to be revealed swaddled in cotton candy. For that, he automatically gets a pass and hence, for that reason and a few others, I just didn’t hate Skeleton Man the way everyone else on the Internet seemed to.

High Points

Between spearings, bow and arrowings, tomahawk beheading and more, the kills are actually quite varied and fun

Low Points

A made-for-Sci-Fi-Channel film will indeed bare some token marks of itself, including, in this case, oddly chosen closeups, flashbacks performed by actors on their sixth hour of a five hour energy drink, and for no genuinely good reason, a random big ‘splosion.

Lessons Learned

When you only get thirty minutes of helicopter time for establishing shots, you will USE those minutes and CELEBRATE that waterfall footage

Rotten flesh smells rather like rotten fruit. Good to know (cleans fridge)

Being stalked kind of makes you feel special...don’t it?

Beans is good. Just heat ‘em up and they’re good to go*

*Ancient Iroquois wisdom 

Rent/Bury/Buy

Skeleton Man is a competent little horror movie that offers more gore than you’d expect from a TV-14 production. It’s perfectly fine for a background movie while you prepare dinner, clip your toenails, brush your cat, or alphabetize your DVD collection. To sit down and focus on it for 90 minutes is a little much to ask, but pop it on your streaming queue if you enjoy a modern B-movie. Or if you see Michael Rooker on the street because seriously, DO NOT mess with that dude.