The Bungfodders Make A Horror Movie: A Mockumentary

Director - Cindy Parmiter (Blood Dance)

Starring - Larry Parmiter (Pro Wrestlers vs. Zombies), Cindy Parmiter, and Ashlyn Parmiter (The Axeman of Henderson County)

Release Date - 2016

Genre - Horror/Comedy

Format - DVD (Personal Collection) (Screener)

Rating (out of 5):

     I have met several amazing people over the years due to Horror Society.  Some of those people are now my friends and I will help them out anyway I can.  Shockacon is the only horror and sci-fi con in the state so I try to go when I can.  Sadly, I have missed the last two years because it was scheduled during the same weekend as Cinema Wasteland.  A few years back I was able to attend and met Larry Parmiter.  Larry was promoting his slasher film The Axeman of Henderson County.  We became friends on Facebook and kept following his career where I would share any news he had.  He recently reached out to me about a black comedy he just wrapped with his wife titled The Bungfodders Make a Horror Movie: A Mockumentary.  It sounded fun so he offered up a copy to check out.  Thanks Larry for letting me check this one out.
     The film follows Raylene, Earl Ray, and their teenage daughter Raylene Jr. as they attempt to make a horror movie.  They set out to make a horror movie because they think it would be the cheapest route.  We follow the Bungfodders through the audition process, coming up with the plot of the film, and some of the challenges that no budget filmmakers face when trying to bring their dreams to life.
     Before I got the film Larry stressed the fact that this was more comedy than horror which I am completely fine with.  I love a good black comedy.  The thought of this being a black comedy actually really interested me but the film was unable to go the distance.  The acting in this one is fun at first but the way the main characters are portrayed gets old for the viewer very quickly.  They try to act like country bumpkins, the stereotypical West Virginian, and give the film some fun characters that the viewer can enjoy but this tries the viewers patience after 20 minutes or so.  Cindy Parmiter is more dedicated to this accent and dialogue than her husband Larry and daughter Ashlyn is.  Her dedication is commendable but she is the one that really pushes the viewer's patience.  She really needed to pull it back a little and make it more believable.  The story for this one has so much potential but is unable to fully explore the story they had before them.  The mockumentary following a simple country family as they attempt to make a horror movie has indie gold written all over it.  It instantly reminded me a lot of Hans Crippleton which is an indie horror comedy mockumentary about an inbred horror fan who has made a name for himself in the haunted house circuit.  Sadly, the film is more or less Raylene yelling at Earl Ray about making a movie instead of actually attempting to make a movie.  A lot of missed opportunities with this story.  When we hear the film's title - The Bungfodders Make a Horror Movie - we think we will follow them through making a no budget horror movie.  We will follows them through the writing process, auditioning, location scouting, and possibly filming.  We do get a little of the auditioning but we only see some people reading over the same lines.  Nothing changes.  Are all these men and women auditioning for the same role?  What did they tell them to prepare for the scene?  There was a lot missing in these scenes.  I would have loved to see them prepare the potential actors with a scene similar to what Jason Impey did with his mockumentary Fluid Boy.   Also, we do get some scouting location shots but nothing that actually amounts to anything.  Finally, if you are looking for blood and gore then you clearly missed the point of this film.  Instead, it relies heavily on humor which it does have some.   The film has a few laughs but some of the other gags and jokes are missed when we are forced to watch two characters bicker the whole time like when you visit your aunt and uncle who never get along.  Overall, The Bungfodders Make a Horror Movie: A Mockumentary is a brilliant idea that just doesn't unfold well on camera.  The characters are hard to enjoy and difficult to follow.  The story starts out with a great idea but what follows is two people arguing back and forth and the "Make a Horror Movie" aspect is never fully explored.  Some heavy editing and some reshoots would make this one stand out from the crowd.