All About BEAST MODE

I haven’t seen this one yet but I look forward to it. It has an impressive cast full of all sorts of Geek Cred—Ray Wise (TWIN PEAKS, SWAMP THING), Leslie Easterbrook (THE DEVIL’S REJECTS), James Hong (BIG TROUBLE IN LITTLE CHINA), and C. Thomas Howell (THE HITCHER)—and a sweet premise: “The 80s throwback horror tells the story of a has-been Hollywood producer, who after accidentally killing his lead star, turns to an ancient herbal elixir, in the hope that it will save his career. He makes a dark deal that unleashes a band of bloodthirsty, shape-shifting, ferocious beasts on LA.” Oh, it sounds positively awful! And awfully wonderful! And check out the trailer. It looks just as bad, and just as good, as it sounds! Could this be the next WOLFCOP?!

It’s a tricky balancing act to pull off, goofiness and thrills, Horror and hijinks. If the creators aren’t careful it can lean too far to one side or the other. If it leans too far into the Horror, that might be okay: you end up with a Horror movie. But nothing is worse than a movie that tries to be funny and isn’t. And if it tips too far over into the comedic side, you end up with something stupid. I hope BEAST MODE manages to keep the proper balance.