The October Zombie-Thon 2009 - Day 15: Trailer Park of Terror
Posted by Trevor Snyder on 10.15.2009
As if regular white trash wasn't scary enough, here comes undead white trash.
TRAILER PARK OF TERROR (2008)
Directed by: Steven Goldmann
Written by: Timothy Dolan
Country: USA
Ahhh, the power of low expectations. There doesn't really seem to be much reason to expect anything great from a movie called Trailer Park of Terror, which helps explain why the thing is such a pleasant surprise.
Based on a comic book series that nobody I know has ever heard of, let alone read, TPoT tells the story of the beautiful Norma, a somewhat trashy but otherwise decent gal, played by Nichole Hiltz (not Jaime Pressley, but an incredible simulation). Norma dreams of getting away from the backwoods trailer park she calls home. The only problem is, her fellow residents aren't too keen on letting her leave, so much so that they even kill her new boyfriend when he comes to pick her up and take out for the night. Oh, sure, it was technically an "accident," but they're not exactly crying buckets over it, either, if you know what I mean.
A distraught Norma takes off down the road, but doesn't get very far before running into a mysterious black-clad stranger, played by country-music star Trace Adkins. The man gives Norma a chance to get revenge, offering her a gun and convincing her its time she took control of her own destiny. Obviously, something isn't right here. For one thing, I personally get worried anytime a country-music star shows up. But, more importantly, whenever a stranger in a horror movie offers you a deal that sounds too good to be true, it's a pretty safe bet he's actually Satan.
Of course, Norma doesn't know she's in a horror movie, so she takes the gun and returns to the trailer park, blasting away everyone there and then blowing the whole thing – herself included – to kingdom come. DO NOT piss off white-trash girls.
Fast-forward twenty years, where we meet up with a group of juvenile delinquents on their way back from a church-sponsored character-building trip – a trip that didn't accomplish much of anything, if their arrogant and/or careless attitudes are any indication. These kids are straight out of horror stereotype central casting (the slut, the drug addict, the jerk, the Goth girl, etc.) – if you know your stuff, it's not really a question of which of these characters are going to die, but in which order. And if you really know your stuff, even that's not that tough to figure out.
Anyway, the bus carrying the kids breaks down during a rainstorm, and they and their well-intentioned-but-clearly-out-his-league-with-these-punks Pastor are forced to find shelter. That shelter comes in the form of…wait, what's this…the very same trailer park we saw Norma destroy twenty years earlier?? And if that wasn't weird enough, who is there to greet them but Norma herself, looking pretty damn good for someone who should look at least twenty years older, not to mentioned horribly burned and/or blown to pieces. Oddly enough, though, Norma looks even hotter than she did before…a fact the boys in the group (and the Pastor – he's only human) clearly notice when she invites them all to stay the night in the park's other abandoned trailers.
Staying in a deserted trailer park for the night might sound sweet and all, but things take a turn for the worse when Norma's old neighbors show up – now a group of living dead psychos under Norma's control. Now, I'll be honest, I'm not sure what Trace Adkin's devil gains from this whole set-up, but I know what the audience gets – a wicked good time, as the kids must now spend the night fighting to stay alive against these undead hillbilly bastards.
What really makes TPoT work is that the zombies are actual characters, each with their own unique personality. Sure, this might seem to put it more in line with "killer clan" films like Texas Chainsaw Massacre or House of 1000 Corpses than with other zombie flicks, but I guess that's my point. It's a nice, welcome change from the dozens of movies where the living dead are nothing but a mob of interchangeable, mindless fiends. Here, they're all distinct characters – Stank (Ed Corbin), the human-jerky maker; Marv (Lew Temple), the Norma-obsessed thug; Miss China Girl (Michelle Lee), the Asian masseuse you definitely don't want a "happy ending" from; Larlene (Trisha Rae Stahl), the obese glutton who just can't rest till she's had her meat; and Roach (Myk Watford), the rockabilly meth addict. Once you get past the whole "slaughtering innocents" thing, they're actually quite the likable group. You know, in the same way Freddy Krueger was likable – they may be horrible undead sociopaths, but they're also funny and entertaining as hell…and look pretty darn cool thanks to some top-notch make-up work.
Then, of course, there's Norma herself. Roach might be the show-stealer, but Norma actually gives him a run for his money, thanks to the energetic performance of Hiltz, who is clearly having a heck of a time playing the leader of this motley crew. It was certainly a smart move to keep Norma the one zombie who isn't completely rotted – not only because Hiltz is a sexy girl that you want to see as much as possible, but also because Norma's complete obsession with fending off the decay – including pumping up her deflating breasts and gluing her falling-off face back on – is one of the character's funnier quirks.
And although the movie spends most of its first half leaning heavily towards the "comedy" side of the whole horror-comedy ratio, gore-hounds will be happy to know that the film certainly doesn't skimp on the crimson when given the chance. In fact, the movie gets downright brutal and gruesome in its final act, with a whole host of bloody-good gags (and thankfully, the gore FX are usually just as good as the excellent make-up). One scene involving the making of Stank's human jerky is particularly nasty and unexpectedly vicious – this part might put off some, who are jarred by the sudden shift in tone away from the goofier elements. But, personally, I kinda liked having at least one scene that really sells the horror of what these kids are actually going through. It might be a horror-comedy first and foremost, but it never hurts to throw in the occasional reminder of the actual stakes at play.
In the end, Trailer Park of Terror doesn't really go down in history as one of the best zombie comedies, but it's a surprisingly enjoyable guilty pleasure – definitely a lot better than what you might expect from a movie with that title, helmed by a country-music video director. Thankfully, Steven Goldmann has a clear understanding of what kind of movie he's making, bringing a delightfully over-the-top and stylish sensibility to the table. As zombie movies go, this one is a perfect "party film," just right for throwing on and watching with a rowdy group of like-minded friends looking for a good time. It's no more than that, but so what?
