Film Review “John Schneider’s Smothered”

Starring: Kane Hodder, Bill Moseley and Dane Rhodes
Directed by: John Schneider
Not Rated
Running time: 1 hour 34 mins
Fairlight Films

Our Score: 4 out of 5 stars

People of Louisiana get ready. Voo-Doo Con is coming and it’s bringing some of the biggest horror film names of all times with it. My advice: run.

The second feature film written and directed by actor John Schneider, “Smothered” is a tongue in cheek look at the world of fan-driven conventions conceived by a man who has been there and done that. The film tells the story of a group of horror film stars who, in order to make a few extra bucks, decide to spend their weekend at a local trailer….er, excuse me….RV Park at the request of the owner. The idea is that the special guests will scare the visitors and make the weekend extra special.

A few things really stand out in this film. First, the script has obviously been well researched and is well written. Full of “fan-speak,” Schneider has captured the dialogue of the movie geek like no one since Kevin Smith. And he has put those words in the mouths of some of the surprisingly funniest actors around. Kane Hodder, who is probably best known to film fans as fictional bad guy Jason Voorhees and real life killers Ed Gein and Dennis Rader, has an amazing talent for comedy. Hodder is joined by such horror film royalty as Bill Moseley, Michael Berryman and John Kassir.

The film is well paced, with the mood changing repeatedly….from slapstick silly to downright scary….without missing a beat. Schneider has clearly spent some time behind the camera (from the final episode of “Dukes of Hazzard” to “Smallville” to made for television films) and that experience and confidence, especially in a genre’ that’s fairly foreign to him, allows him a free eye (and hand) in his story telling. Hopefully it won’t be eight more years before his next film.