Dir. Vivieno Caldinelli (2024)
A plumber and his son attempt to save an apartment building when a creature escapes into the plumbing system.
Scared Shitless is exactly the type of indie film that I like to see, a creative idea with a great script and some stellar performances from its cast. Director Vivieno Caldinelli handles the film with a comedic direction while also producing a quality film, something that feels very much like a much more expensive movie than it is, and it's clever enough to get a few laughs despite actually having a pretty effective horror element as well. More on that in a minute.
Plumber Don (Steven Ogg) and his germaphobe son Sonny (Daniel Doheny) are called to fix the plumbing at an apartment building when they realize that something dangerous is in the pipes. A scientist has accidentally released his ultimate killing machine into the building's plumbing, and it's up to the father and son to figure out what's going on... and fight it off. With the help of building receptionist Patricia (Chelsea Clark), the trio try to save the day before the creature in the pipes can make its way through the tenants in the building.
Ogg and Doheny are amazing, with Ogg taking on a lot of the comedic work as Doheny plays straight man. Clark is perfect as a tenuous love interest for Sonny, and the various tenants all add a quirky layer to what is otherwise just a comedic monster movie. The effects team behind the monsters have created a creature that looks like Tremors as made by Troma, little worm-like monsters with a taste for human flesh. All the elements come together to make a delightful throwback creature feature that somehow manages to become better than the sum of its parts.
The father-son dynamic between Ogg and Doheny is endearing, and it was a great idea to combine these two very different characters together and creating a team out of them. Sonny's fear of germs makes for some hilarious moments, Don's tough-guy, blue collar attitude is a perfect contrast. The script in general is fantastic, fully exploring these characters while allowing them a little room to play with their characters as well. Like the best films, Scared Shitless continually has callbacks to previous scenes in the film, tightly pacing itself in a way where no scene, or reference, is wasted.
Between the gore, the excellent script, and some outstanding performances from literally everyone in the cast, Scared Shitless becomes a super fun horror film with a lot for genre fans to love. It feels like the type of film that will become a cult classic, a midnight movie with some laugh-out-loud scenes and some amazing creature effects. It's brilliant in its own way, and it's a great watch for horror fans. If you get the chance to check it out, I think you're gonna love it.
Who this movie is for: Creature feature lovers, Horror comedy fans, Blue collar workers
Bottom line: Scared Shitless is fun, well done, and has some stellar performances from a well-rounded cast. The creature effects are cheesy but very well made, and it's genuinely funny throughout. It's a movie that feels like it could've been made in that early-90's sweet spot for campy horror, and I hope that it attains the same cult status that so many of those films did. If you get the chance to check it out, do so.
