Reviewed by Geno McGahee
The Texas Chainsaw Massacre has been the inspiration of many films, and there are a lot of knock offs out there and some remakes that should have never seen the light of day, and although Hoboken Hollow has some similarities to the 1974 Tobe Hooper classic, it stands alone as an original and disturbing film sure to please the true horror fan. Written and Directed by Glen Stephens, and distributed by Pumpjack Entertainment, this movie is a gritty, gory, and compelling 99 minutes with some surprises and some familiar faces. This is not your typical straight to video, low budget horror movie.
We start off with a van and Clayton (C. Thomas Howell), picking up hitchhikers and vagrants, with a promise of work as a ranch hand. Immediately you suspect that something is wrong and when the crew is brought to the ranch, it is revealed that they are either going to be slaves or are going to be killed. The suspense begins from the second this movie begins, and what is done so well and what Glen Stephens must be given credit for is the character development. You will find yourself rooting for the vagrants, hoping that they will take out the family at Hoboken Hollow.
One of the most interesting characters in the film is Weldon, who is part of this Brodrick family. Weldon (Mark Holton) is a mentally challenged, cold blooded murdered, finding joy in the pain of others. He is vicious as he abuses the vagrants and it was nice to see Holton show some diversity. I can only handle the character “Chubs” from Teenwolf and Teenwolf II so much. Holton really owned this role and the evolution of his character is one of the many charming things about this film.
We are introduced to “Trevor,” a man mentally scarred by the Iraq war and the goings on that ended in the death of a dear friend. Separated from his wife, he now begins his journey and is unfortunate enough to stumble across the Brodricks. His military training helps him here with the group of redneck misfits, but not enough to stop them from adding him to the group that they are torturing. They could have easily had him beat the family to a pulp, but they wanted to make this film scary and show realistic reactions and the first human reaction is to get the heck out of a situation like this.
Dennis Hopper, a true screen legend, does a great job as Sheriff Greer, a mysterious character that keeps you guessing. This element is another great element to this movie. When the vagrants try to escape, you have no idea just who is in on this. There is absolutely no certain safety in this film and at times when you think that the good guys are going to win, another unexpected wrench is thrown into the works.
I really enjoyed this movie from start to finish. Familiar horror actress Lin Shaye (Dead End, 2001 Maniacs) was terrific in her small part as Mrs. Brodrick, and special mention should be made of Deneen Frazier, an absolute knockout in reality playing a horribly ugly and evil woman, Lois Brodrick. You can’t help but to get angry at her as you watch the movie, and eagerly await her demise.
Robert Carradine (Revenge of the Nerds 1-500 or so) and Michael Madsen (Kill Bill) also have small parts in this movie, and both stand out during their brief time on the screen.
Hoboken Hollow proves that you do not need a big budget to create a good film. There is a 1970’s feel to this film and it is paced very well, never letting up and building and building until the surprising conclusion. I highly recommend this movie.
Scared Stiff Rating: 7.5/10. A gritty and gory throwback to the great horror films of the 1970s.
