A down-on-his-luck dude (Pat Healy) and an old friend (Ethan Embry) meet up in a bar, and soon find themselves in an escalating dare game with a weird, rich couple (David Koechner and Sara Paxton). Things go from slapping-a-stripper’s-ass dares to chopping-off-appendages dares. The stakes get higher, and the blood starts to spurt. Director E.L. Katz has made a twisted-funny film out of a relatively simple premise, a movie bolstered by the fine work of all the actors involved, especially Healy and Embry. Koechner (The “whammy!” guy from Anchorman) makes for a great, wicked master of ceremonies, while Paxton, who has a pretty good horror pedigree (The Innkeepers, The Last House on the Left) provides a nice sense of mystery as the quiet but menacing wife. This is a crazy-silly movie that loses its way a bit, but has enough laughs and gross-outs to satisfy fans of films like The Evil Dead 2 and Hostel. (While the film is available for rent on iTunes and Amazon.com, it will also be a featured presentation at Reno’s Films On Tap on April 9 and 11 at 713 S. Virginia St.).
Cheap Thrills
