Just because a movie has bad creature effects and gore does not mean it is going to be a waste of time. I kept telling myself this as I contemplated turning it off as a huppie (hipster yuppie) becomes possessed by a demon and beats his girlfriend to death with a baseball bat in the opening scenes. I soon realized that this is supposed to be more of a comedy and gave it a bit more time to see if it was worth sticking with. After the appearance of actress Michelle Courvais as the bitchy corrupt cop sister of the main character, I was sold and found this movie to be nicely paced and enjoyable despite the amateur make-up effects, off-sync looping, and obvious low budget. It even has a demon with a silly accent named Rabisu (Rom Barkhordar) that manages to endear rather than annoy which is a rarity in the multitude of microbudget flicks I have laid eyes on.

Derek Dziak stars as Tyler, a single guy who has a big problem as the building he owns has two hungry demons that feast on the residents. This is frustrating for Tyler as he has the cops up his ass and he is getting tired of cleaning up the mess and finding new tenants. Tyler is in cahoots with his sister Amy (Courvais) who pays him to keep the situation under control while she makes shady back alley deals with a local gang of vampire thugs. Things get more complicated when Tyler goes out for drinks and karaoke with the new tenant Donna (Erin Myers) whom he develops a crush on. When Donna is held captive by the female dog-faced demon (who I could see Tucker Max refer to as a "butterface") who has dinner on her mind, Tyler must try to find a way to get rid of his unwanted squatters permanently.

Although this is a plot that feels familiar, it manages to stay interesting with a variety of eccentric characters and situations that pop up throughout. There is a pair of cops one of whom looks and acts like Thomas Haden Church in a particularly bad mood. There is a sleazy hotel clerk (director Emil Hyde) who totally steals the scene he is in while dealing with derelict who wants a free continental breakfast. There is an women's centre that tries to persuade patients to to the right thing by showing them a horrifying PSA featuring baby stabbing. There is even an infomercial for a meat dehydrator that gives Rabisu some culinary ideas. By taking the action out of the apartment on a regular basis, Hyde keeps the movie feeling fresh and makes the budget feel larger than it probably was.

The main concern that I had with this flick was is that the makeup effects look really cheap. Had the performances not been what they were, this would have been inexcusable but Hyde somehow manages to make the poor effects feel like they belong. I can't imagine this flick having the same playful tone had the effects been convincing and had the gore gags look realistic. Even the lame visual effects that almost made me turn this off in the first few minutes seemed like they belonged by the end even though they were a tad excessive during the climax. This is a great example of a low budget production team being completely self-aware of what they are making and their limitations and playing to their strengths (actors, characters). Barkhordar and Courvais in particular establish their characters quickly, energize the scenes that they are in, and make you want to see how it all pans out for them. This is a fun flick for fans of low budget horror who can stick with it. (Josh Pasnak, 4/26/14)

Directed By: Emil Hyde.
Written By: Emil Hyde.

Starring: Derek Dziak, Rom Barkhordar, Michelle Courvais, Erin Myers.