FATHER'S DAY (2012) Review

Directed by: Astron-6

Starring: Adam Brooks, Matthew Kennedy, Conor Sweeney

I’d been looking forward to watching FATHER’S DAY ever since I saw the kickass poster art. I’ll admit I was a little worried when I saw the Troma name attached to it but I decided to give it a chance anyway. Turns out that was the right choice because not only is FATHER’S DAY an awesome movie, but I’d even go a step further and say that it is one of the best films I’ve seen, period. The guys at Astron-6 have done an amazing job with this film and I’m definitely looking forward to seeing more from them soon.

Chris Fuchman (or just simply ‘the Fuchman as he’s known) was a prolific rapist, murder and cannibal who preyed exclusively on fathers. His reign of terror was thought to be over but it seems that the Fuchman is back and no father is safe. Twink (Sweeney) is a young male whore who has experienced the terror of the Fuchman when he watched his own father being burned alive in front of him. He’s a person of interest to the police because of his past but he is out to prove his innocence. He runs into a priest (Kennedy) who tries to help Twink via God, but instead they end up trying to find The Fuchman. Father Sullivan is told he needs to seek out a mysterious man named Ahab (Brooks) who is their only chance to defeat the Fuchman for good. Ahab's own father was killed by The Fuchman many years ago and during the attack he himself lost an eye. Father Sullivan finally recruits a reluctant Ahab and then this trio decide to work together to rid the world of the terrible Fuchman. Ahab’s estranged sister Chelsea becomes involved and eventually things just get weirder as they discover that the Fuchman is no ordinary man.

Make no mistake, FATHER’S DAY is no slick big-budget Hollywood production, but it is one hell of a ride and one of the most entertaining pieces of cinema I have seen in years. It has a bit of everything, murder, rape, torture, incest, suicide, buckets of blood all blended with some fantastic humor. This movie is hilarious. It is absolutely absurd but somehow it works because FATHER’S DAY embraces this absurdity and runs with it. To give you an idea there is one scene where Ahab and friends need to sneak past a police detective, so they dress up in women’s clothes and wigs and just stroll right past him. Not only is Ahab sporting a nice thick beard but he also has a picture of an eye taped to his eye-patch. It might sound ridiculous and it is, but somehow it just works. Oh and keep an eye out for the random clip of a bear just thrown in there for seemingly no reason.

Astron-6 has done such a great job with such a small budget and they've thrown in something for everybody. Enough gore for any gorehound out there, plenty of action and humor and also a kickass retro synth soundtrack. The acting won't win any awards but it really doesn't matter. The way the characters play off each other is perfect. And FATHER'S DAY is one of the few modern movies which has successfully pulled off that old school grindhouse style. Very highly recommended.