The Misadventures of Fanny Starr

Director - Gary Whitson (Hayride Slaughter, Dead North)

Release Date - 1991

Genre - Horror/Adventure

Tagline - "Mystery and adventure! Countless deathtraps! Battling beauties!"

Format - Bluray (Personal Collection) (Screener)

Rating (out of 5):

     When I tossed in the Female Mercenaries on Zombie Island Collection release from Camp Motion Pictures I was more interested in the title film and sequel than I was the bonus films.  However, both films were a huge disappointment.  Don't get me wrong, I love having this release in my collection and I'm sure I will give it another chance in a few years but it's one of the worst films and sequels that I've ever witnessed.  I know the history behind W.A.V.E. and how they were a camera for hire production company but there was no heart or passion in those films at all.  However, when I started working on the special features and the bonus shorts I found myself oddly entertained by The Misadventures of Fanny Starr.  Letterboxd has this one as a feature length running time from 1991, however, the version on the release is titled as episode 2 which runs around 25 minutes.  Regardless, I liked what I saw and wouldn't mind tracking down some more of these episodes.

     This "episode" follows Fanny Starr who receives word that her twin sister Annie was murdered.  She was suspected of being a part of a witch's coven.  Fanny is a private investigator and starts investigating her death where she uncovers that the coven was under attack by a local religious figure.  The closer she gets to discovering what really happened to her sister she uncovers an even darker force is threatening her small town with ties to the detective working the case.

     I was expecting a sloppy short with women screaming, some slight nudity, and an incoherent nudity.  However, what I found was a short that reminded me of a no budget spin on Kolchak: The Night Stalker with awkward acting but a story that fits right at home in early to mid-90s direct to video horror hits.  It wasn't amazing and, at times, it was extremely goofy but I had more fun with it than I did the two films.  The acting in this one had me laughing.  In fact, I was laughing so hard at the short that my wife and kids had to check on me several times thinking something was wrong.  The cast is dry when delivering their dialogue and their emotional range is that of a free-range chicken.  However, their mannerisms and stiffness made for some seriously funny moments even though it was unintentional.  The story for this one is nothing original but the campiness and story mix together well enough to hold your attention. I enjoyed it but even at 20 minutes long I found my attention weakening.  A little originality would have went a long way.  Finally, don't expect some great blood and gore but there was a fun stop motion moment that caught me off guard.  It doesn't look  amazing but it's still fun.  Overall, The Misadventures of Fanny Starr is the highlight of this set but it's far from perfect.  I liked the idea behind it and would love to find some other episodes if there is more episodes.