Night of the Tentacles (2012)

(Online Screener Copy)

Directed by Dustin Wayde Mills

Written by Dustin Wayde Mills

Stars: Brandon Salkil, Nicole Gerity, Jackie McKown Melissa Blair, Mike Blair, Dustin Mills, Eugene Flynn

Release: US DVD, January 22 2013



Dustin Wayde Mills brings the 80s horror home with his hillarious, splattery horror comedy Night of the Tentacles.

Now, if you were lucky enough to grow up with the great Frank Hennenlotter horror movies of the 80s, then I think you will find that Dustin has done you a brilliant service here. You have your tormented main character, ominous and manipulative monster and exceptional gore effects. There is also a superb and ever present comedic streak running the length of the film ensuring the viewer is never bored between scenes of tentacle perpetrated homicide!

The plot concerns poor young,luckless Dave (a hilarious and really quite impressive performance from Brandon Salkil) a 24 year old graphic designer of alien erotica (!) who has to put up with a disgusting lech of a landlord and the constant sex antics of his very loud neighbours on a regular basis. Dave's crush on another neighbour, Esther (Nicole Gerity) leads him to some serious heart trouble which in turn ends him up in surgery! Following this Dave receives a visit from good old Lucifer himself and makes a deal that gives him a new heart. The only catch is that Dave's new 'heart' resides in a locked box and Dave is tasked in taking care of it to ensure its survival (and subsequently his own). However there are many catches to this deal and soon Dave will learn that the only way to appease the sweet talking but very deadly creature in the box is to feed it - humans. This is cue for all manner of fun and grisly gore effects as the creature uses its many tentacles to dispatch various people in Dave's life, starting with the über bitch neighbour from hell Delilah (Jackie McKown). This particular death scene has to be seen to be believed, it's crazy and most fitting considering Delilah is a totally abhorrent human being! There is plenty more where that came from though as tentacles rip through chests, out of eyeballs and enter places not intended for sharp things....

The acting in the film is great across the board. Brandon Salkil really steals the show as Dave, his performance is by turns funny, sweet, pitiful and tragic. A bright future for this guy if there is any justice! Nicole Gerity is very natural as the sweet and coy Esther while Dustin Mills ( Mr Freck the landlord) and Jackie McKown play their hateful characters to the hilt.

The comedy as mentioned is exceptional. The scene where Dave is visited by the demon Belial (Eugene Flynn) just had me in stitches. Toilet humour (literally) is not particularly my thing but this scene was laugh out loud funny - helped greatly by Eugene Flynn's cheerful delivery and Brandon's mortified/deadpan responses!

I highly recommend this movie, it's funny, it's gory, well acted and really well made. I cannot honestly wait to check out Dustins other films, Puppet Monster Massacre and Zombie A*Hole and I'm excited to see what he comes up with next. Make sure you grab your copy of the DVD when it releases January 22 (a great late Christmas present to yourself!) and support indie film!