This week on the B movie docket is Father’s Day (2011)
B movies are the glue stuck in between all the other genres, oftentimes refusing to conform to any particular genre presets. Some but not all of the hallmarks of a B movie include scripts that read like they were written by a room full of eighth-graders, poor visual effects, cringe-inducing dialogue, low budget production design, and zany plot contrivances. You’re aware of the hallmarks, right? B-movies often reek of amateur flair. Thought you were about to watch a great white shark hunted in dramatic fashion like only Steven Spielberg can deliver? Nope, this is Sharknado.
Why do we love B movies? I think B movies are comforting. You know what you’re about to watch is bad. If you’re fortunate it may be so bad that it’s good. You’ll often scratch your head trying to work out the plot. Out of the many good films you’ve seen, I bet you can talk with more vigor about the worst ones you’ve seen. They’re unforgettable. There’s something comforting about that I think. Besides they’ve been around just as long as the movie industry.
Believe it or not, chances are there’s a B movie for you. So I compiled a list of 50 B movies you must see before you die. No decade is off-limits. No rating is too taboo. For the next 49 weeks, I will introduce and recommend a B movie for your viewing pleasure. Yes, these are exciting times indeed my fanatical friends.
WEEK 45 – Father’s Day (2011)
It is another week here at 50 B Movies. This weeks movie is a vile good time. Be forewarned though. This one is not for the faint of heart. If you find extreme cannibalism to be offensive then skip this one.
Beware the Fuchmanicus. If that sounds absurd to you, then Father’s Day may not be your cup of tea. However if the name Fuchmanicus sparks your curiosity. Then strap in because Father’s Day is one hell of a B movie. Prepare yourself for a detective tale like none other. There’s no real detective or even an actor playing one. This is a detective story more like Rian Johnson’s Brick. The two are in essence detective stories. But that’s where the comparisons stop.
IMDB lists the budget for Father’s Day at $250,000. The filmmakers milk this budget for all its B movie juices. Directed by Adam Brooks, Jeremy Gillespie, Matthew Kennedy, Steven Kostanski and Conor Sweeney. Father’s Day features many disturbing images. Scenes that feel right at home in a B movie. It is a buffet of B movie gore.
STORY
Let’s talk about the storyline for Father’s Day. Its probably better to start with the synopsis. So here it is. A man obsessed with exacting a brutal, violent revenge on the man who murdered his dad, joins an eager priest and a hot-headed street hustler on an epic quest to find and defeat the mythical monster known as Chris Fuchman AKA The Father’s Day Killer.
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The story starts with a reverse on the norm. Whereas we’ve grown used to seeing the classic damsel in distress trope beat to death. That is not the case with Father’s Day. This time it’s the father who is in danger. It is the men, the fathers that need to worry about Chris Fuchman AKA The Father’s Day Killer. They should be mortified in fact. Because Chris Fuchman is just the mortal incarnation of the demon known as The Fuchmanicus. And the Fuchmanicus along with his cult are up to all sorts of gory deeds.
GORE
There’s more blood onscreen than Ichi The Killer. Chris Fuchman is a rampaging killer. He engages in several terrible on screen acts of depravity. His sole motivation is achieving some twisted satisfaction by raping, killing and eating the souls of fathers. He achieves the said goal several times throughout the movies runtime. And there are no cutaways scenes featuring implied violence. Nope, Chris Fuchman gets to wade from one gory scene to the next. Sometimes he’s naked. Other times he’s dressed. But there’s always lots of blood and gore.
RETRO
Watching Father’s Day will remind you of a bygone era. Despite being made in the 2000’s, Father’s Day feels like a 90’s movie. For instance, there’s a random commercial break that occurs for another movie called Star Raiders. I’m sure it’s pure coincidence that there’s a 2017 movie titled Star Raiders starring Casper Van Dein of Starship Troopers fame. In retro 90’s B movie fashion there are tons of topless shots. Enough so, it could give Tony’s Sopranos hangout The Bada Bing! a run for its money.
INVENTIVENESS
They say necessity is the mother of invention. With a super low budget, the filmmakers behind Father’s Day cram this film with one insane scene after the next. Take this one scene for instance. Father John Sullivan finds himself in the afterlife. Being the God fearing man he is means his final destination is the big pie in the sky. But that’s not where he needs to be to reach The Fuchmanicus, who is in hell. So to reach hell, Father John Sullivan takes an Angel hostage, forces him to take him to God in order to stop The Fuchmanicus.
THE FUCHMANICUS
The big bad heavy of the movie is a disgusting sight. I think every time he is shown he is raping or eating someone. And sometimes he is engaged in both at the same time. He is also mostly in the buff and usually covered in blood. The Fuchmanicus manifests every several years to do its raping and eating on Father’s Day. Don’t be surprised if he reminds you a bit of a cross between The Creeper and Victor Salva.
