Brendan Jesus
‘Tis the season to watch horror! Some people say it’s time to move on to Thanksgiving and Christmas, I say, this is just the Halloween afterparty. While Christmas has tons of genre films to fill the airways, Thanksgiving seemingly has fallen by the wayside. There are a handful of films like two entries in Blumhouse’s Into the Dark, or the slasher film Blood Rage, but Thanksgiving just doesn’t seem to be a cornered market for horror. When looking into some good Thanksgiving-themed films to watch for the month, I kept seeing one film pop up that I was really trying to avoid: Black Friday.
I want to preface all of this by saying, even though I love Bruce Campbell, the allure of his screen presence was not enough to make me rent this movie. After finally buckling and watching this, I can at least say I shouldn’t have been as apprehensive as I was. Black Friday is by no means a great film, but I can definitely say it was fun. On the heels of quite a few film festivals last month the barrage of higher-concept, and better-executed, films spoiled me. It’s always nice to take a step back and watch a true popcorn flick.
One of the more interesting aspects of this film is the few controversies surrounding it. To start shortly after the film’s release it became the seventh most pirated movie for a whole week. Do with that what you will. On top of that, Black Friday has garnered conversation about it being a ripoff. Scout Comics has a series of the same name and has a very similar-sounding plot. The film also has some close similarities to something I have seen, the musical Black Friday by Starkid Productions. That being said, Andy Greskoviak’s script does enough to differ from Starkid’s musical.
The movie is pretty straightforward with few frills. We follow the employees of We Luv Toys as they prepare for the onslaught of Black Friday shoppers. Ken (Devon Sawa) drops his daughters off at their mother’s house because he has to work. He picks up Chris (Ryan Lee) and they drive to a night of unforeseen terror. Ken establishes his crush on Marnie (Ivana Baquero) when they talk about going out for pancakes after work. Brian (Stephen Peck) is a suck-up to management. And Archie (Michael Jai White) is a straight-up badass. Their manager is Johnathan (Bruce Campbell), a man who cares more about appeasing corporate than saving the lives of his employees.
The heart of the horror here is surprisingly not capitalism or the idea of climbing a corporate ladder. Rather, we’re getting a Bruce Campbell zombie flick! There is a bit of political commentary thrown in there; it’s just the film does not take itself seriously enough for anything to stick. That’s totally fine though. Black Friday is not here to win any awards or create anything groundbreaking, it’s just fun.
Devon Sawa is slowly taking over the genre, and that’s fine. He’s a pretty solid actor, and his role here is decent. Sawa has a distinct charisma where he can either play a loser or an asshole and still seem likable at the end of the day. Ivana Baquero is also the other shining light of the cast. Her character shines through and adds a level of sarcastic comedy to the film. But obviously, the best actor in the film is Bruce Campbell. My favorite thing about Bruce is how since he has established himself as a horror god, he can really do whatever he wants. When I tell you Bruce Campbell chews up the scenery every time he is on screen that is no exaggeration. I don’t think Bruce Campbell could ever deliver a line badly. Director Casey Tebo does a solid job directing the actors and handles the action of the zombies pretty well.
When it comes to a film like this where it’s make-or-break on the effects, you have to really put time and effort into each detail. When you see Robert Kurtzman’s name in the credits you know you’re going to get some fantastic practicals. For the most part, Kurtzman’s effects succeed and look pretty damn goopy. The big issue is how clean the quality is. There are a few moments where the prosthetics are shot under harsh light and look rubbery. Those shots are underscored by the majority of good-looking practicals. The creature design is well done and gives the zombies solid characterization through their makeup. Also, the weird ass webs the zombies shoot from their mouths look absolutely brilliant.
I really wanted to talk about this film because it thrives from its tameness. Horror has gotten to the point where to be considered good, you have to do something grandiose. I don’t think you always need to reinvent the wheel—you just need to polish it. Rather than lining up in the cold to get a couple of dollars off a TV that is five inches bigger than the one you already have, just watch this. Take that tryptophan coma time to rest and relax and throw this on with the family. Black Friday is a perfect family horror film. It has a few moments of blood and gore, but nothing extreme or over the top. This would be a great double feature with Ghostbusters.
This solid budget B movie is definitely going to land on my list of November rewatches. The humor mixes with the horror in a Krampus kind of way. I don’t think this film will go on to create a cult fandom, but it’s definitely not as bad as some of the reviews paint it to be. What more can you ask for from a zombie department store horror movie with Bruce Campbell? Overall this movie was fun and is the perfect movie to unbuckle your belt and melt into your loveseat with. Also, check out the interview from our very own Alix Turner with director Casey Tebo!
