Starring - Vinnie Vineyard, Tracy Yaste (Snapped, Logan's Chapel), and Luke Walker
Release Date - 2022
Genre - Comedy/Horror
Tagline - "Keeping good folks joyful until the end of days"
Format - Streaming (Tubi)
Rating (Out of 5):
A few days back I attempted to start a Vinnie Vineyard and Luke Walker marathon when I was asked to review a few of their films. I had never heard of these four flicks before so when Vinnie asked me to check them out I was quick to say yes. I started with the first film on the list which was simply titled The Hike. The film made me think it was going to be something steeped deep in Native American folklore but went on to become a hixploitation flick that was rather lacking. I had a health scare and was unable to finish the marathon but once I had things sorted I went ahead and hit play on the second film, WJHC AM. I want to go ahead and thank Vinnie for sending this one over as well.
The film follows an aspiring DJ who finds the break he is looking for when he is hired on at a local religious radio station. His first night on the job should have been pretty straight forward but the fear of Y2K and the second coming of Jesus sends his first night straight to hell.
I went into WJHC AM with an open mind. I absolutely hate writing a negative review for a film sent my way for review especially if the filmmaker is extremely kind. Vinnie Vineyard was extremely down to Earth when I spoke with him and I felt like a major ass for writing a negative review for The Hike but it wasn't for me. After about 15 minutes or so into WJHC AM I realized that I would not be digging it which was a bummer. I've met a lot of filmmakers over the years doing this and not all of their films were for me but I continued to stay friends with them and sharing any news they may have on the site. It looks like Vinnie may be another filmmaker that just doesn't do it for me. That doesn't mean he is a bad filmmaker but his films don't necessarily resonate with me. The acting in this one is a lot of fun and probably my favorite aspect of the film. The cast is really dedicated to their roles and give it everything they have. They work very well together and the personalities that they bring to life in front of the camera was very impressive. The story for this one had so much potential to be something that would truly stand out but fails to fully explore those elements. I grew up in Appalachia and have seen my fair share of religious mania and though I was fairly young I lived through the Y2K craze. I've seen how worked up many of them became. A horror film centered around this would have been a lot of fun. However, much like The Hike, the intriguing aspects of the film was only explored for brief moment in the film while drawn out scenes of dialogue make up most of the film. The Y2K scare would have been more enjoyable than the atheist working in a christian radio station. Finally, the film has a little blood but don't expect a lot of gore or memorable deaths. Overall, WJHC AM is another one with an interesting premise but just couldn't pull it together. I seriously wanted to like this one but it was difficult for me to finish. I have to recommend skipping it.
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