in

Old Dudes Meet the Junkie Apocalypse in VFW

I’ve seen some interesting movies in my time. Suffice it to say, I’ll watch about anything horror-related, and the worse the movie is, the more I enjoy it. So, let’s just say I really enjoyed VFW.

VFW movie poster

A friend recommended this Shudder Exclusive to me during a late-night chat saying, “if you like B-movies, you’re going to love this one. Although, I’m not sure it is an intentional B-movie.” Intentional or not, you could tell these guys had a good time making this movie, and that’s what really counts.

Let me set the stage…a group of war veterans, now old friends, congregate at the local VFW post for a few drinks and some friendly ribbing conversation. The VFW is run by Fred Parras (Stephen Lang) who seems to be the glue that holds this group together. He is soon joined by a host of characters that you’re going to be delighted to see— it’s like a bunch of old friends and veteran actors decided to do a movie together simply for the fun of it.

A group of friends gather at the VFW Post for a drink.

You’ll recognize Walter Reed (William Sadler) as Death from the Bill & Ted franchise; Abe Hawkins (Fred Williamson) as a veteran Blaxploitation film actor, former football player, and one of the vampire fighters in From Dusk Til Dawn; Lou Clayton (Martin Kove) as John Kreese from Cobra Kai and The Karate Kid; Doug McCarthy (David Patrick Kelly) as T-Bird from The Crow; and at the end of the bar is Norm himself—George Wendt playing Thomas Zabriski. (I’m showing my age here with all these references.)

The boys are having drinks and talking about old flames when a young soldier named Shaun Mason (Tom Williamson), fresh off the plane from war, wanders into Post 249 for a drink before heading home. He seems a little worried about adjusting back into civilian life, but the guys are supportive and welcoming and buy the newcomer a drink. The locker room talk is in full effect until a young girl called Lizard (Sierra McCormick) wanders into the bar.

Lizard brings more than just drama with her—she has stolen a healthy amount of the new street drug, Hype, from a local dealer, and his men are after her with a vengeance. Lizard feels justified in stealing the drugs—after all, the dealer killed her sister, but this is no normal tit for tat. There’s a lot of money on the line and a bunch of “Hypeheads” who want their fix. Stepping back for a second, the movie begins with a Star Wars-style crawl letting the audience know that Hype has taken over the once-quiet town, turning it into a lawless wasteland that looks something like, well, Detroit.

The group is ready for a fight.

This is where the action ramps up and the movie wastes no time in getting to the good stuff. The soldiers are duty-bound to protect this young girl (even if they really don’t want to). They’re old, retired, and they’ve done their time, but they spring into action when set upon by junkies at the door. These junkies mean business and are quite reminiscent of the zombies from The Walking Dead. They’re banging on the door in search of Hype and trying to get at our group of heroes all while the gang is working feverishly to gather weapons and board up the VFW.

The kills in this film are fantastic—the director, Joe Begos, lights up the joint with exploding heads, chopped off limbs, and tons of zombified violence. The gore factor is high even if the cinematography leaves a bit to be desired. The lights in the VFW hall go out early in the movie when the junky apocalypse begins, so the film is shrouded in red light (presumably from the emergency lights turned on by the generator) that, along with the graininess of the cinematography, can make the action a little difficult to enjoy.

The bad guys aren't all that bad.

I’ll be honest; the “bad guys” are laughable and not at all menacing. This is where your suspension of disbelief comes in. The veterans are WAY more believable (even George Wendt, who is kind of in the background the entire time and the first to expire) than these drug kingpins. The leader, Boz (Travis Hammer), is far too pretty to be a big, bad drug lord. Gutter (Dora Madison), his right hand, is also gorgeous and more of a comic book character than a menacing henchwoman. Their attractiveness, along with their fashion sense, makes them both look more like they should be on a punk-rock runway than murderous leaders of a drug enterprise. Perhaps this was intentional; I’m not sure. Still, for a horror-comedy, it works. And let me just tell you, Gutter’s death is fantastically gory and creative.

The action in this movie begins early and doesn’t let up until the very end. The friendship of the group, as well as the chivalrous duty to protect young Lizard, evokes some serious emotion in the audience. You find yourself really rooting for these guys and believing that they are a group of crusty old men whose drinking was interrupted by this annoying chore of killing a bunch of druggies. The characters evoke the idea that once you’re a soldier, you’re always a soldier, duty-bound to serve and protect the civilians.

This movie isn’t going to win any Academy Awards, but it is definitely a good time full of action, favorite actors, believable characters, and solid acting. These actors seemed to genuinely have a good time making this movie. Oh, and let’s not forget the amazing amount of splatter and gore. I honestly wasn’t expecting that much wall-to-wall blood and guts from this 92-minute film.

I don’t want to give any spoilers, but I think you can probably guess that the VFW Post is a little worse for the wear at the end of the movie. There is an ending focusing on friendship, new bonds, and hope. Those are messages we can use in these times. Do yourself a favor and check out VFW. If you go in not expecting too much, you’ll be pleasantly surprised.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Written by Audrie Bretl Martin

Audrie Bretl Martin is a full-time communicator and a lover of all things pop culture. She holds a bachelor's degree in English Literature from Augustana College and a master's degree in Strategic Communications from the University of Iowa.

Freddy Krueger attacking in nightmare on elm street ending

Don’t Get Your Hopes Up: The Evolution Of The Fake Happy Ending In Horror

Two girls hide behind a wall, out of view from a masked killer.

Initiation Blends Campus Slasher and #MeToo Relevance