Punk Rock Holocaust (2004)

Dir: Doug Sakmann

It's the Vans Warped Tour 2003. Less Than Jake tell a story by the fireside about the worst band ever to play the tour. They were called Brutal Enigma and "they weren't even punk rock; they were industrial or synthpop or some shit". They got kicked off the tour and no one ever heard from them again. Now, a masked killer is picking off bands and fans en masse. Could there be a connection? Could there also somehow be an even more fiendish plot at hand, involving zombies, supernatural powers and Satan Himself (who may or may not be played by Lloyd Kaufman)? Indeed there could. I warn you now; this film is utterly mindless. It's made for about a dollar, horribly shot on video with hyperactive editing and a high level of stupidity. On the other hand, it's great fun if you like punk rock and splatter. Not only are there some gloriously inventive death scenes (the way in which Bowling For Soup meet their unfortunate end is a work of genius) and a relentless triple-figure body count (hardcore gore approxmiately every two minutes) but also a ton of killer tunes from the likes of Rancid and Tsunami Bomb, and sense of demented fun that feels entirely sincere. As if this wasn't enough, there's also a certain guilty pleasure in watching rubbish bands like Simple Plan and The Used die horribly. The moment in which Andrew WK gets electrocuted onstage is a Godsend that should've happened long ago. But yeah, "Punk Rock Holocaust" requires a lot of beer, your brain in a jar and a love of good obnoxious music to fully work, but what can I say? This is clearly my puerile idea of a fun time. ***