The history of intentionally kitschy horror sci-fi is pockmarked with the efforts of the easily amused. The Lost Skeleton of Cadavra- trumpeted as a B movie homage masterpiece was about as boring as most of the movies it satirized reaffirming the true geek understanding of bad movie enjoyment- being boring does not make a movie funny and it certainly doesn’t make it interesting. Whose to say whether the current crop of movies like Skeeter, or Spiders will receive much of the same type of critical attention that films like Tarantula and I Was A Teenage Werewolf did. My guess is they will receive attention primarily because they are, like those other older films, products of the times they live in. Self-conscious? Yes. Lacking the artistry that filmmakers like Jack Arnold occasionally brought to them? Without a doubt. But they exist in a time when everything is too quickly passed under the lens of irony. That can’t help but encourage critical commentary for future generations. What’s more liable to be missed however are little gems like Acne. Written, produced, directed by and starring local Chicago filmmaker Rusty Nailsof New Eye Films the films ultra cheap production values belie the surprising amount of humor and intelligence that Nails brings to spoofing the B movie genre. Think slacker sci fi.
Plot? Dear Lord let’s not go into all that more than we have to. Two teenagers find themselves at the center of pusstulent plague that turns human beings into pimple topped puss popping zombies who raid convenience stores and spread their sores. Of course big business is behind it all in conjunction with the Military. I’m a man who when asked if I want to see what’s under a bandage or a scab usually says, “Yes!” Why that is exactly I’m not sure. But I know I’m not alone. As I’ve gotten older those types of invitations have grown fewer and farther between until only my two children, each under the age of seven, a few paintball happy friends and a steady diet of movies provide for that much needed gross out fix. Acne provides about what you’d expect from the title grossness aplenty, and some well designed kitsch.
A big plus here are the many extras which clearly mark Acne as a labor of love . Music Video’s and an award winning short, as well as a filmmaker commentary are offered. And the low budget (I said this was low budget didn’t I) is offset by a particularly good score, which quite frankly would be worth picking up if you collect this sort of thing. But I don’t know if it’s ever been made available.