Killer Nerd

Director(s) - Mark Steven Bosko (Pig, Girlfriends) and Wayne Alan Harold (Townies, Genuine Nerd)
Starring - Toby Radloff (American Splendor, The Oh in Ohio), Mimsel Dendak (Bride of Killer Nerd), and Tony Zanoni (The Bubble, Cordoba Nights)
Release Date - 1991
Genre - Horror/Comedy
Format - DVD (Personal Collection)

Rating (out of 5):

     I was a television junkie growing up (shocker).  I was glued to the t.v. set.  I wasn't obsessed with horror at this time but I was collecting movies.  I was heavily collecting the Goosebumps tapes along with any other film that caught my attention.  One day during the summer a friend of mine was in Tennessee on vacation when they was approached by a man at a gas station.  The man was in need of gas money and was selling a box of tapes.  My friend talked his dad into buying them.  The month following was an adventure to say the least.  Most of them was recorded from television so we watched episodes of Green Acres, Knightrider, and Jerry Springer but one tape was solid fucking gold.  One tape was MTV for about 2hours which was a channel we could not get at the time.  We watched it over and over again.  One segment involved Genuine Nerd Toby Radloff.  I fucking loved the segment and watched it several times that summer.  I was shocked when I found a tape at the video store called Killer Nerd.  Of course I rented it and loved it.  Since then I had bought the dvd from Troma because...Troma.
     The film follows Harold Kunkle (Radloff) who works in an office 9 to 5 and has developed a crush on one of his co-workers.  He finds himself to butt of people's jokes and is often picked on for his appearance.  One day he tries to ask his crush out but is shot down.  He decided to reinvent himself and get a makeover.  He goes to a few bars and clubs before he meets two girls who take him to an abandoned building to party.  His night doesn't go to plan when two guys they meet beat him up.  The nerd has had enough and kills those that wronged him.

 
     The genuine nerd videos that I saw, even though they were few, were fantastic.  I laughed harder than I probably should at them.  When I watched Killer Nerd I didn't find the humor to be that funny but the film did hold my attention.  The acting in this one is fun.  Radloff keeps his genuine nerd persona intact for most of the film but flips his shit when he starts the killing.  The first time I saw Radloff yelling nerd repeatedly I was glued to the screen and couldn't look away.  All these years later and I found myself still doing the same thing.  I loved it.  The rest of the cast does a solid job as well.  The characters stand out throughout most of the film and the cast does a great job bringing them to life.  I really enjoyed what Harold and team brought to the table in terms of performances.  The story for this one worked well especially when you consider the time period.  The film has that S.O.V. look that a majority of horror fans love which works very well for the straight forward story and style we get.  The film is a little unbalanced with most of the film dedicated to character development before ending with the horror.  With that being said, I would not change anything about this film except adding a few horror related scenes earlier in the film to show him slowly snapping.  Finally, the film has some deaths and practical effects.  The kills are nothing new but they are fun when put in the context of the film and who is actually doing the killing.  The effects we get are solid as well.  They are far from perfect but work well for the film.  Overall, Killer Nerd may be a guilty pleasure to some but it shouldn't be.  It is a well made film that delivers.  The humor may fall flat but the film doesn't.  Fans of the genuine nerd Toby Radloff and Troma should check it out.