I never would have believed it if I didn’t see it for myself. Director Steve Rudzinski is a man who is not satisfied with creating your typical indie fare, and while his films may be a bit rough around the edges, you’re almost always assured an original film that has a keen sense of what kind of entertainment it wants to be. “CarousHELL” is a movie I, for some reason, assumed was some kind of horror anthology, and boy was I way off. Not prone to just delivering a slasher movie you’ve seen a thousand times, Steve Rudzinski offers up a slasher movie you’ve never seen before. Duke is a sentient carousel unicorn who has spent years and years being ridden on by nasty, smelly, and ungrateful children.
Angry at being used, he finally loses it when young Larry rides him one day and wipes his snot all over his face. Angry and out for blood, Duke the carousel unicorn breaks free from his confines and begins unleashing a torrent of bloody vengeance on everyone. He is also on the hunt for nasty Larry aka “Lunchbox” and his older sister Laurie, who is going to a party with her friends the very night. The only person who can stop Duke is an enigmatic theme park mascot named Cowboy Cool, who has a mystical gun that can kill Duke. “CarousHELL” is a hilarious horror comedy that gets the absurdity just right, right down to the fun over the top performances; every cast member offers up their own laugh out loud moment, including star Sè Marie as the internet obsessed heroine.
“CarousHELL” excels on every single plot point being so inexplicable, and makes up for it by delivering some great laughs and genuinely odd moments of gore and horror. This involves one of the most awkward sex scenes ever filmed, and a hilarious twist on the montage involving characters barricading their house from the maniac. “CarousHELL” is a fun and funny horror comedy that thrives on originality and creates a genuinely unique slasher villain with a shockingly diverse array of murder weapons at his disposal. Slasher fanatics in the mood for something completely different may just enjoy how director Rudzinski twists the conventions of the slasher-subgenre.
Pre-order “CarousHELL” at Silver Spotlight Films. Shipping September 20th.