Cannibal Cheerleader Camp


Title: Cannibal Cheerleader Camp (2008)
Rating: 2.5/5
Genre: Horror, Short
Starring: Bridget Devlin Burke
Director: Paul Busetti
Duration: 18 mins
Trailer

I suppose a good way to introduce this short film is to quote the director: “I wanted this film to be… the scenes you fast forward to when you've got a VHS copy of "Slumber Party Massacre" and your mom is going to be home soon.” In a number of ways (both good and bad), the director’s output is accurate. CCC gives us 5 beautiful camp counselors and one killer who, for a very short time, occupy the same location. The scenes Mr. Busetti was referring to? A hot shower, an act of cannibalism, TWO lesbian scenes, and six murders. And short shorts. And tube socks.

Busetti and producer Ian Albetski are two of the masterminds behind independent film production company Ten Sundays. This company was created to hone in on these filmmakers’ skills in such areas as writing, directing, editing, photography, and overall film theory with the intent towards festival play and independent distribution. When watching CCC, you definitely see that the men behind the camera have mastered the “look” of a professional film with some very nice shots and movement. The delivery of the subject matter, on the other hand, leaves much to be desired. Now, you know me. I’m not one to complain that there’s no reason for the mayhem, that the 5 nubile women are essentially squatting at an abandoned cabin with shirts that say “COUNSELOR” on them, or that cannibalism comes into the mix from out of nowhere. I read the liner notes; I knew what to expect. However, it felt a bit too rushed. The scares were pretty decent, but I can imagine how much better they’d be if the tension was built up a little more before the pay off. Yeah, yeah, ok so Mom’s coming home soon. But even the casual horror audience will want a tad more effort put into each fright and each gallon of blood.

Despite some of these drawbacks, I do admire this film. Busetti must be a real smooth guy to get so much nekkidness into such a brief flick. Hats off. Secondly, I’d like to give a little nod to the soundtrack provided by Erika Lieberman. The somber and haunting piano theme is near perfect and worthy of a classic horror film. In closing, I feel CCC would have played out much better if it were 15-20 minutes longer. That way the simplicity would still be retained as the horror is given more time to flesh out. Ten Sundays Productions has been busy with numerous projects since its birth and, in my belief, is a hot spot for young filmmakers we should keep our eyes on. I see big things on the horizon for these guys. That’s it. Short film, short review. Wolfman out.

Comments

  1. Paul Busetti3 March 2011 at 01:02

    Thanks for taking the time to watch the flick and review it. I agree with you about the film's shortcomings and I want to thank you for mentioning Erika Lieberman's beautiful score.

    Paul

    ReplyDelete

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