Dustin Ferguson: Shockumentary

Welcome back all! We have made it to Day 4 of Dustin Ferguson Week and you will note that it has been a pretty easy case of big ideas and tiny budget still making the grade. This time around in the true fashion of Mondo cane or Faces of Death, a gathering of teens hellbent to party, neck and enjoy films find a rare creation that hasn't been distributed in a wide range. This is Shockumentary.

The look of a girl just noticing her boy wears Axe.  Pity her.

Quick clarification before you all drop by my pad and pelt me with rotten vegetables, this is NOT the ICP (Isane Clown Posse) goofiness that happened in 1997. Relax, I am not sadistic nor that masochistic. Our collective college kids decide to kick the tires this Fall break and decide to rent some horror films, drink a few beers, get some mad munchies and prep for a fun night. Apparently in this universe, video stores still exist and kick butt. So our young happy-go-lucky gang split up and divide the party chores.

The boys Chris (Christopher Christiansen of Shockumentary and Camp Blood 4) and Justice (Justice Strong of Shockumentary and Meathook Massacre) are in charge of getting something terrifying and disturbing. Guess Faces of Death Part 8 will not cut it. The girls Sky (Schuylar Craig of Shockumentary, Blood Claws, Camp Blood 4, Camp Blood 5 and The Amityville Legacy) and Brit Brit (Britany Dailey of Blood Rites, Cheerleader Camp: To the Death, Shockumentary and The Amityville Legacy) are off for snacks, beverages and probably a fair degree of condoms and lubes. Hey, you don't know! Watch the flick yourself! Sheesh. The guys hit a mom and pop video shop (Would that not be a great name for a store?) and they find a clam box with permanent marker describing the title Shockumentary. They figure what the hell and grab it.

Wait, why did you put in Scream 4, dude?

No sooner are they all in for the night, bad food and drinks galore as they watch depictions of graphic gore and execution style murders. Looks as feasible as a Umberto Lenzi flick like Cannibal Holocaust but to each their own I say. I'm more of a Lenzi's Eaten Alive fan myself. An unusual theme in the film is two guys dressed in Halloween hoods and skull masks doing in a girl that appears to be flailing and screaming for her life. Everyone is really impressed with her performance.

Later on the news and after seeing a few local flyers, Brit Brit recognizes the girl missing as one of the victims on the movie and she is convinced it is an actual snuff film. Justice, Sky and Chris remain a bit skeptical but agree to go find out a little more about the movie. They make their way back to mom and pop video shop (Now I can't stop writing that!) to get some inside info on the flick itself. IMDB was absolutely worthless for my search lemme tell you. The video store owner is real reluctant to even talk about it, exclaiming some things are better left alone, stay off the moors and it's only a movie!

The kids aren't sure what to do at this point. Do they go to the cops with only the VHS as proof and wouldn't that be easily argued it looks like a shot on video nonsense to the likes of Savage Vengeance? Yeah that was a painful flick. Paranoia starts to set in as our youngsters realize they are making waves and creating a stir. Will the maniacs find them? What pain and torture awaits them? Will they be forced to sit through an Eli Roth marathon???

This film is kinda reminiscent of Lucio Fulchi's A Lizard in a Woman's Skin or Ruggero Deodato's Cannibal Holocaust in the sense of they have a great premise and rolled with it..minus animal killings of course. Hmm, this may have been poor examples.   Not too different to a crappy shot-on-video Gary P. Cohen's master flop VHS film called Video Violence but vastly more believable camera work, digital captured with the good performances given by our cast, the eerie ass music following them about and the atmosphere giving a sense of it is only a matter of time.   Ferguson gets old school scare and manages to bring that in easily enough. 

Hostel 4: The Midwest Edition.