Steve Rudzinski's Basic Slaughter subscribes to two common things that a lot of micro-budgeted flicks tend to: firstly, the fact the maker came into possession of a digital camcorder, gathered some friends, and had a free weekend in order to quickly shoot a movie. Secondly, that to write dialogue it is required to take a cue from geeky filmmakers Kevin Smith and Quentin Tarantino and pack your movies with multiple scenes of characters rambling on, usually sarcastically, about various pop culture related things.

Every once and a while a backyard production will manage to rise above these constraints, and the fact most of these are made for a few hundred dollars, to deliver a pretty entertaining time (such as Raising The Stakes, directed by Justin Channel, who shows-up here as one of the victims) but, unfortunately, it doesn't look like Basic Slaughter is one of them. Which is really too bad because the simple idea of making a "bullshit free slasher movie" as writer-director Rudzinski puts it certainly sounds like a grand idea. And how can you not love a tagline: "No Icon. No Novelty. No Big Twist. Just... Basic Slaughter"?

Set in the small town of Rotary, Pennsylvania, Rudzinski doesn't bother much with plot here instead opting to just poke fun at the sub-genre's conventions as he trots out a whole bunch of smart-ass, pop culture spouting teenagers as fodder for a tracksuit wearing hooded killer who's been randomly killing people around town. Hell, even before the credits have rolled the movie's satirical tone is established when a showering girl is stabbed with a machete and some so-so hardcore metal (which seems to litter the soundtracks for micro-movies) plays over the titles.

The rest of Basic Slaughter's sixty-one-minute run time is various tongue-in-cheek conversations between the young cast members (a few manage to be amusing such as when after hearing his friend has just broken up with his girlfriend someone proclaims, "I f**ked her once" and following with "I regret it now" when met with awkward silence) before they are stabbed with a sharp machete - apart from when one person gets a chainsaw to the stomach. Eventually Rudzinski settles on staging most of the deaths during a weekend get together with only the most minimal amount of attempts at character development coming from conversations between nerdy Will (Ryan Sullivan) and a girl at the party he likes.

While it's pretty amateurish production and acting wise, Basic Slaughter isn't the worst do-it-yourself horror flick I've had to sit through. Sure, it feels quickly slapped together and it's appeal is limited mostly to those who have something to do with it being made, but there are a few mild chuckles to be had with some of the best moments coming courtesy of Sullivan's geek character and our house party guests played by the aforementioned Channel and Zane Crosby (close friends who previously made Stakes and Die And Let Live together). Suffice it to say that if you have a low tolerance for backyard productions such as these, you're probably better off avoiding it completely.

If I had to compare this to the various homemade flicks floating about that have become more easily seen thanks to the internet, I'd have to compare it to the type of thing being put out by Chris Seaver and his Low-Budget Pictures (the home of such gems as Mulva, Zombie Ass Kicker!) - let's just hope Rudzinski can become better at it as he goes along rather than spin his wheels like Seaver's gang seems to be doing. (Chris Hartley, 12/4/07)

Directed By: Steve Rudzinski.
Written By: Steve Rudzinski.

Starring: Emma Merritt, Phillip Redman, Cody Corwin, Michelle Jankowiak.

Picture Ratio: 1.66:1 Widescreen.

Picture Quality: Remember this was made by unprofessionals using a digital camcorder and you'll be fine. However, there were a few moments of screen freezing (which I can only assume is an authoring problem) on the copy I watched.

Extras: As a self distributed disc that was put together by the movie's director, this offers a pretty decent batch of material.

We get a trailer, a blooper reel, an interview/making of featurette called "About Basic Slaughter", a purposely campy "Interview with the Killer" featurette, a "S.V.B.T." snippet which is basically co-stars Channel and Sullivan talking about TV's Saved By The Bell, and a breezy commentary track by Rudzinksi and Sullivan that's goofy fun.

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