Spring Break

Director - Sean S. Cunningham (Friday the 13th)
Starring - David Knell (Six Feet Under), Perry Lang (The Twilight Zone), and Paul Land (Wild Orchid)
Release Date - 1983
Genre - Comedy
Tagline - "Like it's really, totally, most fun a couple of bodies can have. You know?"
Format - Bluray (Personal Collection) (Screener)

Rating (out of 5):

     It's weird how horror legends and icons are known for their contributions to the greatest genre on Earth but horror fans often pay no mind to their contributions to cinema outside of horror.   Way back in 1972 Sean S. Cunningham produced the Wes Craven directed Last House on the Left and cemented himself as a staple in the horror genre.  He would then further plant himself in the horror genre when he directed one of the greatest slashers to ever come out of the golden era of slashers, Friday the 13th.  He would go on to be very lucrative in the genre but he did dabble in other genres.  Way back in 1983 he would direct a teen comedy simply titled Spring Break.  This was another one sent to me in the Sun, Sweat, and Sandles bluray set from Mill Creek Entertainment.         

     The film follows two college students who head to the beach for their spring break.  One them is the step-son of a high influential politician and left for the beach without telling him.  They are accidental roomed with two more twenty-somethings from the Bronx and start hitting the bars and parties hard when their antics are photographed and put in the newspaper.  His father sees it and sends his goons to get him and bring him back.  A game of cat and mouse soon plays out as his goons chases him through the beach and various parties while his friends tries to stop them while helping him get the girl he fell in love with.

     Before I started watching this film a filmmaker on Facebook told me that this one was a constant watch in his home.  That really intrigued me and made me even more curious.  The film was on the same level as Private Resort but not as good as Hardbodies.  I enjoyed myself and will be revisiting this one very soon.  The acting in this one is fun but nowhere near the best I have seen.  The cast is clearly having fun with the film and it shows in each scene.  What they lack in experience they more than make up for with enthusiasm.  The story for this one is strikingly similar to the previous two films in the set.  It follows a group of guys trying to have fun during the hot months of summer only to have an obstacle placed in their path.  In Private Resort it was the jewel thief, in Hardbodies it was the older guy looking for tail that tries to snatch the lead's girl, and Spring Break it is the young man's step-father trying to force him back home.  The stories are all fun and take on the story in different ways.  The story may not be original but it is still fun and great for the summer.  Finally, this one has laughs and the humor is crude like National Lampoon's Animal House.  With that being said, the humor is not piled together.  Instead, it is sporadically spread throughout the film leaving several scenes feeling dry and bland.  The humor needed to be even throughout the film.  Overall, Spring Break is a summer must from horror legend Sean S. Cunningham.  It may not be his best work but it is still quality and will now be one I check out every summer.