HILLBILLY HORROR SHOW VOL 1

Well, this is a new one on me.

Apparently this is a one-hour show broadcast on pay-per-view channel Roku, which showcases new short-film talent. There have been four volumes so far, each of which came out in 2014.

The brainchild of Blu de Golyer (HOUSE OF GOOD AND EVIL), its gimmick is that the wraparound is delivered by a dysfunctional hick family in the comfort of their trailer: simpleton Bo (Bo Keister), his slightly more considered uncle Cephus (Scott Geiter) and Bo's "kissing cousin", the drop dead gorgeous Lulu (Rachel Faulkner).

The set-up is simple: this odd threesome invite you (the camera acts as the viewer's POV) into their trailer, the beers are cracked open and Bo begins producing shiny discs from a bag on his lap. One by one he places them into his DVD player, and the films begin to play...

First out of the gates is "Franky and the Ant". This 2012 effort comes from writer-director Billy Hayes and ends up being quite enjoyable after a troublingly Tarantino-esque opening couple of minutes.

There is a dry humour to it, and a couple of nice surprises to the abduction/revenge plot that I didn't see coming. Though the denouement doesn't completely satisfy, there's enough here to suggest Hayes should forge on and develop what appear to be promising skills.

Next up is "Doppelganger", which Bo inevitably has trouble pronouncing.

This is a very short, impressive stop-animation project about a skeleton that wakes from its slumber in a cave and ventures outdoors to discover ... another skeleton. Too brief perhaps to enjoy any real gravity, this is highly accomplished stuff that's reminiscent of THE NIGHTMARE BEFORE CHRISTMAS regardless. Set to a rousing classical score, it's well worth checking out.

2011's "Amused". A snowbound proffering from the wonderfully named Cuyle Carvin, this finds a mother return home one afternoon to discover a cackling psychopath scalping her daughter. A chase through the snow ensues - tense stuff - before events culminate in an illogical but creepy finale.

This one worked well, thanks to its breathless pace and unforced vibe of freaky 70s horrors. Aesthetically, it looks to have been shot on 8mm.

In contrast, "The Nest" (also 2011) looks extremely polished and modern. It even comes with CGI and sepia-like colour correction.

Unfortunately, despite its stylish veneer and cool premise of a beekeeper who fails to keep her oversized flesh-eating brood under control, the film is tonally confused (is it meant to be humorous? It can't decide) and once again apes Rodriguez/Tarantino to ill effect.

Still, if its writer-director - Timothy Zwica - can find his own style and overcome the need for lousy CGI, there's enough potential here to suggest a bright future in filmmaking.

So, those are the shorts that this first volume offers. They were all new to me, which was appreciated, but a little erratic in tone. And none of them were anywhere near as daft or overplayed as the brief linking wraparound sequences. Although I'm not going to complain about these too much, because each one comes complete with Faulkner in various states of skimpy attire: whether cooking a meal or tending to her own bees, this fine filly always knows how to get the most out of her bikinis. I'm a fan.

MVD Visual's region-free DVD presents HILLBILLY HORROR SHOW VOL 1 uncut and in a 16x9 ratio which I'd surmise respects its original intentions. Despite the various sources obviously used throughout the shorts, the picture quality is largely consistent - that is, it's fairly excellent.

Strong colours, smooth textures and deep blacks work with fine detail and a pleasing lack of noise to make this a tantalising visual proposition indeed.

The English 2.0 audio is a tad less reliable, though I suspect that's due to how it was recorded by each independent filmmaker. Certainly, the linking dialogue comes across just fine - but during "Franky and the Ant", for example, I had to turn the volume up by a few notches to catch what was being said.

The disc opens to a static main menu page. On it, you have the choice of watching the hour-long "TV episode" as a whole (incorporating all the shorts plus the wraparound material) or selecting to watch the shorts individually. This acts as an alternative to a traditional scene selection menu.

The only bonus feature, if you will, is a 70-second trailer.

HILLBILLY HORROR SHOW VOL 1 is cheap, it's cheery, and it's certainly eclectic. And, as with almost all collections/portmanteaus, it's also wildly uneven. Bring on Volume 2, I'm hungry to see what films they unearth next (and keen to see more of the lovely Ms Faulkner, of course ...).

Review by Stuart Willis