The Tripper

Written and Directed by David Arquette. Starring Thomas Jane, Jaime King, Jason Mewes Paul Reubens and several others.

Review

A horror movie about a group of drugged-up, peace loving hippies at a love festival cum concert in the woods being killed off by a man in a Ronal Reagan mask? Of course I had to see it. From the play on the phrase "The Gipper" to now famous "Just say no" flavor of the White House, this movie has a ton of material built into its story from the beginning. Anyhow who reads the basis and expects anything but a campy, predictable, fun horror movie will be disappointed. But the movie is campy, and fun, and predicatable. As far as horror movies go, it's the closest thing I have seen to a comfortable movie in a long time. You know where it is going from the beginning, so you get to sit back and relax and laugh and cheer and feel vaguely sick when intestines get strewn about. Not all in the same scene, mind you. Well, you know what I mean.

The vast majority of roles here are played for fun effect: overacted, stereotypical, irrational. Thomas Jane plays the best horror sheriff since the 70s. Jason Mewes plays Jason Mewes, but somehow more tolerable here. Paul Reuben's character seems to be mostly a cameo of Paul Reuben with a tendency to say "fuck you" to everyone and a funny outfit. But that's ok. And the phrase "If the van is a rocking, don't come cock-blocking" is used in a scene. Oh, and there is a guy with a Reagan mask. And a weird critique to both the extreme right and the extreme left lifestyle. I don't think there is anything else I can say.

If you like horror fun, don't mind drug references, kind of enjoy cheesy acting (though a lot of it is perfectly balanced cheesy acting, the kind that is really hard to pull off and takes talent), cracks about Reagan worship, enjoy some gore but don't need tons of it, and like to see boobs (and some schlong) whipped out near and around corny one liners: here you go. If that sounds horrible: avoid. That's about the best thing to be said. Anymore will feel like overhyping a movie that takes itself just seriously enough to have a good time.

I give it a Good.