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Anthology films aren’t new, but the format is decidedly difficult to pull off well. The likes of “Creepshow,” and “Tales From the Hood” mastered the anthology format, while certain attempts such as “XX” utterly failed. “Scare Package” abides by the winning formula providing a fun, cohesive frame story and inventive film-within-a-films each with different directors. Heavily admiring and lampooning genre tropes, it’s a comedic love-letter to 80s horror.
Chad (Jeremy King) is the proud owner of the aptly-named video store Rad Chad’s. Customer Sam (Byron Brown) loiters around the store most of the day continually applying for a job at the video store. However, Chad instead hires Hawn (Hawn Tran) after a brief interview which includes a trick question on which horror sequel was better, “Halloween III” or “Troll 2.” Since both are non-canon, neither counts as a sequel. Nevertheless, Chad does comment that “Halloween III” was pretty great.
The seven different segments, each directed by different directors, are “Cold Open,” by Emily Hagins “Girls’ Night Out of Body,” by Courtney and Hillary Andujar, “The Night He Came Back Again! Part IV: The Final Kill,” by Anthony Cousins, “One Time In The Woods,” by Chris McInroy, “So Much To Do,” by Baron Vaughn, “M.I.S.T.E.R.” by Noah Segan, and to frame them all, “Rad Chad’s Horror Emporium/Horror Hypothesis” by Aaron B. Koontz. Most of the movie-within-a-movie segments are presented as VHS tapes being played, an effective format that maintains a cohesive feel throughout “Scare Package.” In a self-aware moment, the film begins with “Cold Open,” where a Mike Myers with a boring job making sure that horror flicks stay the course (redirecting road signs to point toward an abandoned insane asylum, selling a haunted house), who seeks to test his skills at scaring. Pan out, and this is being read off of a script to Chad.
Ample references, both overt and subtle, to horror movies pepper “Scare Package.” Chad’s convertible features a Freddy Krueger sweater-style top. There’s a fish tank full of piranhas that Chad reveals he purchased as a promotion in 2010, when “Piranha 3D,” debuted. And the finale offers a throwback to “Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter,” or, as its characters call it “The Friday the 13th with Corey Feldman.”
Then the film segments parody horror tropes, and they’re a mixed bag. “The Night He Came Back Again! Part IV: The Final Kill,” is an obvious glance at the cliche of the villain that just won’t stay dead a la Michael Myers, Jason Voorhees, and Freddy Krueger. “One Time In The Woods,” is an ode to everything from “The Toxic Avenger,” to “Friday the 13th.” By far, the most creative of the bunch “Girls’ Night Out of Body,” sits alone in the video store in the section of “post-feminist horror.” With its ephemeral quality, “Out of Body” remains memorable. Despite a slew of different directors, effects and lighting consistently shine.
The “Horror Hypothesis” section wraps up “Scare Package,” and it’s during this third act where the movie sort of unravels. Borrowing liberally from “Cabin in the Woods,” the originality falters. Moreover, “Horror Hypothesis” bypasses a slew of potential ending spots in favor of trudging further into monotony. Cult icon Joe Bob Briggs appears briefly, but his role feels haphazardly shoehorned in.
Still, “Scare Package,” is movie by and for cinephiles, and horror buffs especially. It’s as witty, self-aware, and irresistible as “Scream.” A meta ode to horror, “Scare Package” is a delightfully campy romp.
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