Crush the Skull

Director - Viet Nguyen (iZombie)
Starring - Walter Michael Bost (Parker and the Crew), Tim Chiou (CSI: NY), and Chris Dinh (Jericho)
Release Date - 2015
Genre - Horror/Comedy
Tagline - "Better Safe than Sorry"
Format - DVD (Personal Collection) (Screener)

Rating (out of 5):

     Horror comedies will always be my bread and butter.  I love the mixture of the two and how over the top the characters and stories are.  This love for horror comedy can be traced back to my obsession of Evil Dead II.  Since then I have watched and reviewed a few hundred or so horror comedies like Buck Wild, Bloodsucka Jones, I Survived the Zombie Holocaust, and so many more.  What I like about horror comedies is that they set you up for the comedy before you go into the film.  Either the artwork straight up tells you or the title is a clever pun that lets you know what you are getting yourself into.  I hate when I come across a film with a serious title and artwork only to discover it is a comedy.  You have to mentally prepare for the film when you are putting the disc in the tray.  That brings me to Crush the Skull.  The film looked like it was a serious horror flick and started out as one but I quickly learned that it was a horror comedy which made the comedy feel out of place.  This one was sent to me for review from my friends over at Breaking Glass.  Thanks guys for letting me check it out!
     The film follows a young couple, Ollie (Dinh) and Blair (Savoy), who are two professional thieves who want to break away from the business and get a real job and life.  On their last job they come across a housewife and her lover when they are caught by her husband.  He brandishes a gun and kills them both.  Ollie is torn on what to do and rushes back into the room to save them but is soon caught by the police.  Blair visits the local crime boss and takes a loan out to pay his bail and quickly plans their next heist to pay off the loan.  They partner with Blair's brother and friend to pull off the job and go to the house he had scoped out previously.  However, once they get inside they learn that their lives are on the line and the house is not just a home but a house of torture.
     Horror comedies need to find a good balance between horror and comedy.  When the film is more traditional horror with some humor tossed in it can downplay the horror or make the comedy feel out of place.  It can also ruin the timing and suspense the film has established.  If the horror overpowers the comedy then the humor feels out of place.  Crush the Skull fell victim to not being able to balance the comedy with and horror.  The acting in this one is fantastic.  The entire cast works well together and shows a lot of talent.  They bring their characters to life and makes the film just that more enjoyable.  The story for this one could have been something truly amazing.  The film is a serious horror film at heart with some humor tossed in.  The torture house owned by a serial killer that is broken into by a group of thieves is brilliant but it should have been a serious horror film lack of humor.  I love horror comedies but some stories don't work well as horror comedies.  This film would have been one hell of a flick if it had a more darker tone and memorable kills.  Finally, the film does have a few death scenes but they are rather boring and easily forgettable.  The effects for these kills are minimal and the kills mostly take place off screen.  Overall, Crush the Skull is a film that could have went the distance but has a hard time picking the tone for the film.  Sadly, this one is still fun but will soon be forgotten.  Check it out just don't expect any replay value.