BACHELOR PARTY IN THE BUNGALOW OF THE DAMNED

Chuck (Joseph Riker) says goodbye to his sexy fiancée Michelle (Trina Analee) and sets off on a golfing weekend with his buddies. Or at least that's what Michelle thinks.

It turns out that the boys, led by Chuck's wise-cracking cousin Sammy (Greg Aaron Greenberg) are actually driving out to their friend Gordon's (Joe Testa) uncle's bungalow for a final weekend of drunkenness and debauchery, before Chuck's wedding - planned for the following week.

Along with the suited and decidedly fun-avoiding Gordon, the boys also pick up jokers Paulie (Sean Parker) and Fish (Gela Dan Rusu) along the way.

When they reach the bungalow, the lads set about drinking and diving in the swimming pool round the back of the building. A few smutty gags and heart-to-hearts in the Jacuzzi later, and the boys dry off indoors with more beers.

And then ... three strippers appear at the door - Vermillion (Kaitlyn Gutkes), Snowy (Zoe Hunter) and Emerald (Monique).

Where did these mysterious strippers come from? None of the boys seem to know, but they invite them in regardless - and the pole dancing commences.

The girls strut their sexy stuff for the boys for a short while, before literally dragging Chuck into another room while the other lads look on in envy. But they needn't be jealous - the girls quickly make it clear that they have designs on each of the boys ... only, it's not necessarily the type of attention our randy revellers were hoping for.

You see, these strippers are actually demonic creatures intent on bonking and then slaying their prey!

While Michelle worriedly tries to contact Chuck on his mobile 'phone, our lads are learning a lesson in sexual empowerment that they'll never forget ...

BACHELOR PARTY IN THE BUNGALOW OF THE DAMNED is, as the title suggests, a comic horror that attempts to fuse conventional slasher elements with the buddy shenanigans of noughties comedies such as THE FORTY YEAR OLD VIRGIN and STEP BROTHERS.

The tone of the film shifts awkwardly between light and dark throughout, making this a difficult drama to gauge. When are we supposed to laugh? Was this scene or that one meant to be scary? Is Gordon creepy ... or geeky? Or both?

Despite writer-director Brian Thomson's apparent confusion over how he wants his audience to react to his film, he paces it well and has a deft handling of composition and build-up. When the comedy subsides, Thomson is capable of eliciting atmosphere on occasion and the film arguably would've played better as a totally serious affair.

Of course, giving your film a madcap title and throwing in scenes of slapstick and even a typically outrageous cameo from Troma head Lloyd Kaufman, act as safety nets against anyone who would laugh off Thomson attempts at a serious horror film. But he should have more confidence - he's a competent director with a certain visual flair and a keen sense of what makes good exploitation.

To that end, we get plenty of sex, nudity and gore among the gags. A couple of gooey FX scenes impress in a low budget manner, while anyone with a penchant for big tits is going to be very happy. It's all kept snappy and Thomson wisely pushes for a 75-minute running time without resorting to unnecessary flab to flesh proceedings out. As it stands, BACHELOR PARTY just about makes it to the closing titles without outstaying it's welcome.

Another in Brain Damage's second instalment of cheap UK DVDs, BACHELOR PARTY is presented uncut in an anamorphic 1.78:1 transfer. The picture is a tad on the soft side and colours are washed out, meaning the film often has an overly dark look about it.

The English 2.0 audio is actually quite a decent proposition, offering a clear and clean playback throughout. Music and dialogue are well balanced against one another and there is no hiss or background noise to speak of.

The disc opens with a static main menu page that leads into an animated scene-selection menu allowing access to BACHELOR PARTY via the customary 4 chapters.

The only extras on Brain Damage's DVD are a trailer for BACHELOR PARTY and trailers for the remaining titles in their second run of releases: AWAKEN THE DEAD, FIST OF THE VAMPIRE, CURSE OF THE WOLF, HELL HOUSE: THE BOOK OF SAMIEL and TASTE OF FLESH.

BACELOR PARTY IN THE BUNGALOW OF THE DAMNED is not a bad film as such. Thomson keeps a tight hold over editing and script, while the cast deliver their lines with suitable gusto. But the tone is unsure and wavering throughout, while both comedy and horror elements are perhaps too subtle to qualify this as a genuine success as either.

Still, it shows promise from first-time writer-director-producer-editor-composer Thomson, and I'd be interested to see where he goes next.

Review by Stu Willis