Directed by Casey Tebo. Written by Andy Greskoviak. Starring Devon Sawa, Ivana Baquero, Ryan Lee, Stephen Peck, Louie Kurtzman, Celeste Oliva, Michael Jai White and Bruce Campbell.
Plot: a group of toy store employees fight infected shoppers after something parasitic crash lands on Earth.
The We Love Toys store is opening for Black Friday and all hands are on deck. That includes Ken (Sawa), a divorced father of little girls he doesn’t see as much as he’d like; Chris (Lee), a germaphobe with an asshole father; Marnie (Baquero), Ken’s booty buddy who he doesn’t realize only wants him for his booty; Emmett (Kurtzman), the ambitious new guy; Anita (Oliva), the overachiever; Archie (White), the tough guy who’s actually tough; Brian (Peck), the bossy assistant manager; and Jonathan (Campbell), the actual boss who can’t handle actual confrontation.
When the customers rush in, some of them become violent. They get nasty quick, inside and out, attacking each other and the employees. Emmett is killed first, only he gets back up. And he’s looked better. After he attacks Anita with a tentacle that shoots out of his mouth, she turns into a monster as well. The infected, when they aren’t attacking, are being consumed by a gelatinous sac in the middle of the store.
More employees get killed. Others just get mean. Ken’s the only one we like the whole movie, so likability points weren’t high. However, the monsters were horrifying which was very effective. The dialogue was super realistic, the cast was great as a whole, the rules worked well for the story and the direction was terrific. Instead of braving the masses out there, we suggest staying in, cuddling up and watching this fun film.
I suppose I could list my favorite movies here, but instead I'll give you a strange glimpse into what makes me TaraRomero.
1. I met George Romero. He was the kindest and sweetest man. He talked to me for longer than he should have with the line getting longer. He also held my hand. And when he noticed the ladybug I have tattooed on my wrist, he said he liked it and asked me it's name. Till then, it had not had a name. Now, I call him George.
2. I love stickers. All stickers. I just adore them. I even ask for stickers for Christmas! As a matter of fact, the birthday that just past, every member of my immediate family gave me sticker packs as gifts. Affordable and extremely appreciated.
3. I have never put much stock in astrology or horoscopes, but I LOVE the magic of the MBTI. Omg. I am an INFP and it actually sounds just like me. Introverted mostly. Creative always. Heart before head and not the most logical. Totally me! For better or worse.
4. It's no surprise I count horror so high up on the list of things that make me, me. However, it's so within my soul that I was part of the Horror Club in college. Interesting bunch. And even took a Horror Lit class as an elective. I got an A.
5. Coffee always makes me happy. Always. I'm particularly fond of caramel macchiatos. But I'll drink black coffee if it's the only thing available.
6. I hate shock for the sake of shock and endings that depress me. I always mention the movies Within (2016) and the Eli Roth produced, written and starred in, Aftershock (2012), as proof of this distate I have. I abhor the idea that just because I like horror, some people think I'd actually praise a movie that lets you think the "Final Girl" just made it through the night, only to slap her in the face with a tsunami.
7. We are big time animal people. I mean, if I could, I'd have an elephant, a bear, a zebra, a penguin, an otter and a meerkat, living with me. Seriously though. We have 2 dogs right now and 2 cats. Both cats we picked up when they each came to our front door hungry. And both dogs we got from 2 different sets of neighbors. Both who, unfortunately, don't know how to care for pets long-term. But they're happy and healthy now!!
8. Revisiting my love of horror, one of the above cats, my cat, is a little black guy named Church. Because Pet Sematary. His middle name is even Pascow. To give credit where credit's due, the name was DJ's idea. But he loves horror too!
9. I'm big into art. Along with movie posters and an Anne Frank quote, I have some actual paintings on my wall. I really think Dali paints beautifully when he wants to. And if I don't get to see Michaelangelo's Pieta in person some day, I will be very disappointed.
10. Lastly, I find Emily Dickinson's poetry intriguing. I took an elective course about her as well. But do you know I injected horror even there? I was given a poem to dissect and I picked one on death, of course. Then, I researched old "Death Photos" and even printed out copies for everyone in the class. They were so interested in looking at them that it stopped them from all looking at me, and I was able to deal quite well with my stage fright. Haha
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