The second film on day 2 of Toronto After Dark 2011 was Father’s Day. Coming from Astron-6 and Troma, this is one wacked out flick. It was originally a fake trailer that Astron-6 brought to TAD a few years ago and it looked nuts back then. In it’s new full length format, it’s even more messed up.
I wasn’t sure what to think when the film first started. Viewers will be treated to some really disturbing gore, and I feared that I was in store for some intense, torture porn images. Even though it starts on a particularly bloody note, it isn’t long before the film veers into some ridiculous territory. By the end of the movie, the audience was howling with laughter. The laughs were great but even I was left scratching my head at what the hell was going on in the final moments.
Father’s Day follows Ahab (Adam Brooks) as he teams up with Father John Sullivan (Matthew Kennedy) and Twink (Conor Sweeney) to try and stop Chris Fuchman (Mackenzie Murdock). The ‘Fuchman’ has been going around killing father’s and Ahab is determined to stop him. It sounds straight forward, at first, but eventually becomes twisted as the story brings in Ahab’s sister, some demons, incest, and a trip to hell that includes a visit with Lloyd Kaufman. You really can’t get any stranger than this. Well, until a few days later when Astron-6 brought us Manborg, but I’ll get there later.
Ahab, Father John Sullivan and Twink team up to take down the Fuchman.
Anyone familiar with Troma or Astron-6 should know exactly what to expect. Some of the effects are questionable while others are disgutingly real. The acting ranges from good to bad and the story slowly becomes too confusing to even explain. Like I said, a perfect fit in the Troma category. This was the world premiere of Father’s Day and you probably couldn’t find a better audience. Cheers, jeers, groans of disgust, and plenty of laughs echoed through the theatre. It shows that this is the kind of film you need to watch with a group of friends, preferably under the influence of alcohol.
The Fuchman is one of the most disgusting villains I can think of.
This one is just a crossbreed of all those over the top gore flicks we grew up on. Hobo With A Shotgun would fit in this same area, but Father’s Day managed to entertain me a lot more. Every character was more insane than the last, and even the few that you would think would be straight up guys manage to be just as strange as everyone else. The final scenes when the trio of guys end up in hell has to be seen to be believed. How they get there, how they get out, and who they meet are just too weird for words.
What I can tell you is that if low-fi splatter trash is your thing, Father’s Day should make it to the top of your favorites list. Just don’t let anyone know I have kids, I don’t need the Fuchman making an appearance at my place.
In the shadows – Will
Who’s acting was bad?
Do I have to pick? Basically, nobody was making me fall in love with their character through performance. It was still fun though, and it won the audience award for best feature so it was a huge crowd favorite.
the acting was great what are you talking about