Finfrosk86
I first saw Excision, and was kind of intrigued by it, so I checked out Bates Jr newest movie, which is this one, Suburban Gothic.Now, this is a pretty strange movie. It seems like it can't quite decide what it is. It has quite a lot of weird comedy, or at least I think it is supposed to be funny, it didn't really hit home for me. The comedic timing seems way off a lot of the time, with a lot of wasted potential. Maybe I just didn't get it. But this is not just a comedy, it is a horror comedy. Horror comedies are my favorite genre, nothing beats horror comedy if done right. Anyway, some of the scary scenes in this movie are actually quite creepy. But I think they drown in the weirdness of the rest of the movie. We get a tiny bit of Jeffrey Combs, that's always nice, also a small cameo from John Waters. The father is kind of cool, and the main guy is weird, but OK.To sum up: kooky movie, weird humor which I didn't really find very funny (let it be said: I'm a tough crowd, laughter wise), some creepy scenes, very simple story. OK.
genesis2486
Add this movie to your collection, it has a great story,full of good laughs and dark turns, leaves you feeling a better person, music rocks pulls you into the world, creepy cool and strange I'm watching it with my family. Story in short is a dude that sees paranormal activity from a youth returns to his hometown to find that most of dump has stayed the same since he left, only he makes a girlfriend quickly as hes noticed to be more cultured then the locals who would want nothing more to pick a fight, the bartender a girl who stands up for him quickly learns he has supernatural insight, and so begins a haunting that gets worse by a thieving Mexican who steals from a corpse of a long dead girl and her father,, history is more than what it seems, the dude asks the help of a museum secretary who is a part time necromancer and asks the ghost what they need, Dad and Mom are essential to society, and you start wishing they can make peace witch they do,the ghosts are menacing reminds me of the ones in Albuquerque, ha ha go check it out, I'm going to get the soundtrack, but may skip the girl pants!
your crowbar
I went to see Excision, Richard Bates Jr.'s debut, knowing almost nothing about it. All I had read was a 5-star Empire review. I'm so glad I trusted said review: Excision is a funny, original, sometimes horrifying, and also disturbing film. I'll never forget its ending (a true rarity: a profoundly sad ending in a horror movie). And it made me very excited about future films from writer and director Bates.Well, to put it mildly, Suburban Gothic is a disappointment. The goal here is obviously to pay homage to John Waters' trash/filthy/defying humor (no wonder Waters himself shows up in one of the best scenes of the film), but the result seems more like not-really-inspired Waters (Cry-Baby, Pecker) than excellent Waters (Polyester, Pink Flamingos). Close-up shots of feces, vomit, and sperm add nothing to the story - and unfortunately most of the humor of the film doesn't go much higher than this.But it'd be unfair to classify Suburban Gothic as just scatological humor. There are some truly funny scenes, Matthew Gray Gubler is charming as the protagonist, and he makes a good team with Kat Dennings. (The cast is the best thing about the film, including Leland Palmer himself, Ray Wise, and Barbara Niven as the parents) But the story is so generic I couldn't believe it came from the same man who wrote Excision. There's not a single scary moment - which wouldn't be a problem if the film was a riot, like Shaun of the Dead. Unfortunately (for me), I wasn't laughing nearly as much as the girl behind me, who was almost dying of laughter every time Gubler gave a high-pitched scream - and he does it a lot. I guess I'll have to wait for the next film from Bates. Or watch Excision again.
hellfire_mcbane
I had the privilege to view this film at the Bruce Campbell's Horror Fest at the Chicago Wizard Con last night and was thoroughly impressed. I was expecting a low budget, poorly acted schlock fest like most independent horror comedies but Suburban Gothic was delightfully charming and fun.It's low budget doesn't affect the great atmosphere of a creepy yet quirky guy trying to survive his own personal suburban hell. Between the sharp, witty dialogue , the creepy, charming characters, and atmospheric tone it feels like I imagine what James Gunn and Tim Burton would have created if they had to do a collaboration for film school together.The writing was spot on and never before had I seen such great directing and acting in an independent horror comedy since Sam Raimi's early work. Richard Bates Jr. Is a brilliant up and coming writer/director and I anxiously await his future projects. One thing that was refreshing was the fact it didn't rely on gore or nudity to catch interest and If not for the adult dialogue it would be rather family friendly for a horror film. The best way to sum up this film is that it's just plain fun!
AD
