"Gimme Skelter" DVD Review -- Written by Anthony Thurber

Gimme Skelter
Year: 2008
Directors: Scott Phillips
Stars: Billy Garberina, Mark Chevez, Julian Perry
MPAA Rating: Not Rated
Studio: Burning Paradise Entertainment / Halo 8 Entertainment
Running Time: 82Mins
Official Website: http://www.myspace.com/gimmeskelter




Gimme Skelter is the latest film from cult director Scott Phillips, who previously directed one of the weirdest zombie movies ever made with “The Stink of Flesh” back in 2005. This time, he is back with his latest film “Gimme Skelter” a send-off to the grindhouse slasher films of the seventies.

The film is about a cult leader who claims to be the son of Charles Manson and travels in a van with his followers to a small and remote town, where everyone knows everyone. Their plan is to outdo the cult leader father’s massacres by killing everyone who lives in the town. Soon the citizens decide to fight back when one of the townspeople stumbles on to the cult’s plan. Now it’s a fight for the livelihood of the town, as the cult want to complete it’s masterpiece and kill the people in the town before sunrise. The film also co-stars Trent Haaga, Elske McCain and Gunner Hansen (The Texas Chainsaw Massarce (1974))

Gimme Skelter will bring you back to the good old days of Grindhouse fun. Scott Philips direction is intense. The action was directed very well, as this was very ultra-violent. He does a very good job making the killings that way, so that you are shocked and glued to the action that’s taking place. One of things I really liked about this film was how Philips uses the freeze frame method with some of the film’s shots. It makes the images more shocking and horrifying. He also doesn’t shy away from his use of sexuality in the film. Like it did in his previous film “The Stink of Flesh”, the sexuality give this film it’s depraved and grindhouse feel to it. Another thing that Philips achieves in his direction was the actors. The acting was also very good here. His cast did a good making of making their characters very twisted and interesting. He also manages to a very good lead performance from Billy Garberina, who played the group’s sadistic messiah like character. It added to the film deranged elements. Philip’s also made sure that the film’s soundtrack also fit the 70’s type grindhouse film, for a psychedelic effect.

Phillip screenplay pays homage to the grindhouse films of the 70’s with the over the top blood splattering violence, cheesy dialogue, and yes, its topless nudity. I could understand that because he was making a grindhouse type movie. His screenplay does focus on each of the film’s characters. Philips does that by focusing on each of them and giving them some conflict that really helped developed some the film’s interesting subplots. It made the characters interesting and some of them very deranged and mentally disturbed. It’s something that’s not seen in major studio horror films. Another thing he puts into his screenplay was to make some of the killings very shocking. In a grindhouse film like this, the killings have to be done this way, because that’s one of the film’s selling points for horror fans like you and myself. That’s what makes grindhouse films fun to watch.

Gimme Skelter is a shocking and depraved grindhouse horror film that will leave you in shock.

Review Rating: 4 Stars

DVD Extras:

Director’s Commentary
Behind the Scenes
Blooper Reel
Music Video
Photo Gallery