By Ben Bussey
Just about every megabudget major studio production to hit the multiplexes these days seems to come with the promise of it being part of a new cinematic universe. However, it’s not just the $100 million + blockbuster crowd who are at it, as anyone who’s been following the progress of microbudget British production house Mycho Entertainment can tell you. Starting off with 2012’s Slasher House, the team headed up by writer-director MJ Dixon and producer Anna McCarthy have been building an interconnected story world of their own, populated by colourful monsters in the vein of all the best-loved slasher franchises of the 80s.
For the benefit of those who haven’t seen Slasher House, as the title suggests it takes place in a single location – an abandoned prison -which has been mysteriously repopulated with several of the world’s most bizarre and outlandish serial killers (see my review for more). The beginnings of this story were fleshed out with 2014’s Legacy of Thorn, a prequel setting up Slasher House’s most hulking antagonist (again, here’s my review); and now the Mycho team are exploring the roots of Slasher House further with two more prequels, showing the origins of two of the other killers who did porridge in the 2012 original. Curiously, these two movies are played out on a considerably smaller scale than the more ambitious earlier movies, with Cleaver set for the most part in one house, whilst Hollower plays out almost entirely in two single rooms. However, hand in hand with this more intimate, back to basics approach is a far greater emphasis on straightforward tension and scares.
Cleaver: Rise of the Killer Clown centres primarily on Oklahoma college girl Carley (Stephanie Price), who finds herself babysitting on Halloween night, when it just so happens a crazed serial killer is on the loose. I know, when have we heard that before, eh? Anyway, the killer’s MO seems to match that of a clown (returning Slasher House actor Andrew M Greenwood) who went homicidal five years earlier, killing his cheating wife and her lover, and subsequently disappeared. He’s long since passed into local legend, but recent deaths point to his probable return, and the sheriff’s department are having little luck hunting him down. Naturally, as Halloween night draws late, it isn’t too long before Carley gets the feeling that someone may be trying to get into the house. On top of which, it turns out the killer clown has a particularly personal motive driving him to get into that specific house.
Of the two films, I must say this is easily my least favourite; indeed, it’s almost certainly Dixon’s weakest film yet. After the more ambitious universe-building and comic book-esque fantasy/adventure elements of Slasher House and Legacy of Thorn, Cleaver seems intended to get back to the fundamentals of what a slasher movie is; an entirely laudable approach, as far as I’m concerned. However, there’s too much about it that just doesn’t quite work. The decision to set the action in Oklahoma wasn’t perhaps the best idea given this is a UK production, as the accents are uniformly unconvincing*; and while there are instances of bad American accents only adding to a slasher movie’s entertainment value (Slaughter High, anyone?), it doesn’t really work on Cleaver, as it’s clearly aiming to be taken a bit more seriously. This is also tricky, as there are certain plot contrivances which strain credibility a bit too far; for one thing, it’s hard to believe the parents would still be more than happy to go out on Halloween night whilst also mortally afraid that the killer on the loose might visit their house.
Still, this is not to say that nothing works on Cleaver at all. There is that same horror nerd spirit which permeated Slasher House and Thorn, and once again a wonderfully garish aesthetic. I think the main thing that endeared me to Dixon’s films in the first place is his taste for very bold colour schemes, which very much continues here with an overabundance of orange and green lighting, all in-keeping with the Halloween setting. The soundtrack’s also very enjoyable, piling on the old-fashioned spooky synth tones. And while the climactic reveal isn’t necessarily that big a surprise, there are a few genuinely creepy moments along the way – and I say that as someone who doesn’t have a particular problem with clowns. Proper coulrophobes best beware.
However, if it’s genuine creepiness you’re after, Hollower is a better bet for sure. An even smaller-scale and more intimate affair than Cleaver, this one sets up one of Slasher House’s most interesting creations – and, as such, it might be deemed something of a feature length spoiler if you haven’t seen Slasher House (although, as can also be said of Cleaver, it still works as a standalone movie).
Slasher House’s Adam Dillon returns as Nathan Robbins, who we meet looking somewhat disoriented and worse for wear in a police interview room, where he finds himself face to face with detective Nicholas Vince (the Hellraiser star surely being Mycho’s biggest name casting to date). Apparently having no idea why he’s there or what he’s accused of, Nathan proceeds to recount the recent events of his life, which at first prove highly mundane given he’s an extreme agoraphobe who hasn’t left his flat in three years. However, a series of unusual events has seen him build a tentative friendship with the girl next door, Izzy (Becca Tallulah, previously one of the massacred cheerleaders in Legacy of Thorn). But as their relationship builds, so too does the presence of something else in Nathan’s flat which, though he doesn’t know it, has been close to him for some time.
While Hollower is also not without its little problems, in this case they’re very much outweighed by the strengths. It’s an interesting set-up which is pulled off pretty well, and proves the most genuinely tense film Dixon has made yet with a very nice slow-build atmosphere of dread. It also doesn’t hurt that it has a bit more humour; as the action flits back and forth between Nathan’s home life and his interview, there are a number of amusing fourth-wall breaking moments. We also have a montage sequence showing Nathan’s daily morning routine, set to a very chirpy pop tune, which – be warned – is likely to be ingrained in your consciousness afterwards.
The main strength, though, is the titular monster itself. Dixon wisely never brings the mysterious demon Hollower into too much focus, building up his presence very gradually in a manner not too far removed from the best J-horror, and in the brief glimpses we get it’s a realy well-designed, creepy-looking creation. Wisely, as well as keeping the cast and locations to a minimum, Dixon also keeps the music minimal too, which serves to make things that bit more haunting; and the colour scheme, while still bold, is a little less brash this time, with Nathan’s flat kept primarily orange, and the police interview room a cold blue. It probably wouldn’t have hurt if the dialogue had also been a bit more minimal at times; the relationship between Nathan and Izzy, though pivotal, isn’t always that convincing, some of their overly chatty moments ringing particularly hollow given the main character’s social dysfunction.
So, while neither of these are necessarily the greatest horror films you’ll see all year, they are both enjoyable movies which point towards interesting things down the line from Mycho. Given they’ve got Slasher House II on the way and Mask of Thorn coming after that, they’re clearly not going anywhere; I remain glad of this, and eager to see where they go from here.
Mycho Entertainment plan to release Cleaver: Rise of the Killer Clown and Hollower on home entertainment later this year; watch this space, visit their Moonfruit store and/or follow them on Facebook to learn more.
*EDIT: It’s been brought to my attention that Cleaver actors Stephanie Price and Jimi James are in fact both American. More fool me. (I can only assume they’ve both been in England too long.)