The Club 18-30 holiday gets bloody messy in Club Dread, a "slasher sex comedy" from zany American pranksters Broken Lizard. On Paradise Island, a mad, machete-wielding maniac cuts down a group of raving holidaymakers in their prime. But who's the killer? Is it one of the camp counsellors? The resort's owner, a faded 70s hippie singer (Bill Paxton)? Or did one of the scantily clad bikini babe extras who populate the island finally get fed up of being leered at?
As the camp counsellors - including Swedish masseur Lars (Kevin Heffernan), South American swimmer Juan (Steve Lemme), and dreadlocked tennis pro Putman (director Jay Chandrasekhar) - try to uncover the killer's real identity, all kinds of surreal escapades entail. There's a live action game of Pac-Man (complete with bikini-clad babes as the ghosts); a man recounts being busted for having sex with a goat ("We were just a couple of stupid kids"); and Paxton's ageing hippie sings the far from catchy "Pina Coladaburg". Then there are the girls in bikinis. Did we mention them already?
While American Pie and Old School are beer monster comedies full of ale-quaffing jokers letting rip after getting ripped, Broken Lizard's films are waaaaay more laidback affairs. These pill-popping pranksters are more interested in passing bongs than downing pints. It gives the comedy a zonked out feel that ageing Hollywood hipsters Cheech and Chong would doubtless appreciate.
"TOO ZONKED TO WRITE ANY DECENT GAGS"
The team's last outing was the hilariously spaced Super Troopers, a patchy but occasionally brilliant comedy that won you over by dint of its outright insanity. In comparison, Club Dread sees the troupe crash and burn into inanity. It's almost as if they were just too zonked to bother writing any decent gags. Aping instead of parodying the slasher movie, it's anorexic comedy - too skinny to produce a single belly laugh. Perhaps the film's alternate title should be Dude, Where's All My Jokes?
Club Dread (2004)
