Club Dread
Encyclopedia
Club Dread is a 2004 comedy horror
film written by the comedy group Broken Lizard
, who also created Super Troopers
. It is directed
by Jay Chandrasekhar
, one of the group members.
Though the story is set on an island in Costa Rica
, filming took place in Mexico
.
The opening overhead shots of the island were actually clips lifted from Danny Boyle
's film The Beach
.
) private party island, Rolo (Dan Montgomery Jr.), Stacy (Elena Lyons) and Kellie (Tanja Reichert
) sneak off to an mausoleum
to make out. While there, a masked killer stabs Rolo to death. The two girls run through the jungle and eventually split up, but Kellie is thrown off a cliff and Stacy decapitated before they can reach help.
As Lars (Kevin Heffernan) arrives on 'Pleasure Island', he is introduced to the staff, including Jenny (Brittany Daniel
), Juan (Steve Lemme
), Putman (Jay Chandrasekhar
), Dave (Paul Soter
), Sam (Erik Stolhanske
) and Yu (Lindsay Price). As the staff and guests, including Penelope (Jordan Ladd
), Carlos (Julio Bekhor
), Dirk (Samm Levine
) and Hank (M.C. Gainey) party, Carlos is lured outside where he is swiftly murdered. Meanwhile, Dave tells other partiers the story of an insane partier who murdered the staff of the island and disappeared years previously. The next day, as the party continues, Cliff (Richard Perello) is violently murdered in a maze. As Jenny and Lars bond, they discover Carlos' body, while Cliff's body is also found.
The staff band together where they find that the killer is targeting the staff, and also all communication and transportation off the island have been destroyed. Hank convinces the staff to continue with their jobs and allow him to catch the killer. As the other workers get on with their jobs and attempt to help find the killer, Yu remains persistent to tell the guests, despite warnings not to do so from the killer. As she gathers people to make the announcement she is attacked and chased by the killer. Hank attempts to save her, but has his throat slit before Yu is also murdered.
The next day, the group find the bodies and believe the killer is murdering people according to one of Pete's songs. As they split up to try and identify the killer, suspicion falls on Penelope who seduces Juan into her room. Jenny, Sam and Dave hide in the closet to save Juan if Penelope attempts to murder him but the pair instead have sex, taking suspicion off Penelope. While Lars and Putman camp on the beach, Putman has a nightmare and runs off into the jungle. Meanwhile Sam and Dave find a shrine
to Pete in Lars' room. Due to the shrine and disappearance of Putman, the group believe Lars to be the killer and lock him in a room.
That night Jenny goes swimming where she is interrupted by Dirk. The killer soon turns up and electrocutes Dirk, causing the electricity on the island to fail. Jenny runs away, and bumps into Putman and Sam. They realize Lars is not the killer, but when entering the room he was locked in, find him gone. The trio then go to Pete's house where they find Juan, Lars and Dave. When the group find Pete's body, the are quick to turn on one another, however group together to survive through the night until the boat comes the following day to take them back to the main land. Despite this plan, the group all decide to split up from each other. Dave ventures to a hut where he manages to turn on the electricity. Jenny and Lars hear the music playing and go to the hut, only to find Dave's decapitated head. Jenny and Lars then hide from who they believe to be the killer and handcuff their foot to a bed. However it is revealed it was in fact, Putman. Before long the killer appears and a trapped Putman is killed.
Meanwhile, a party is being held in the club. As Jenny and Lars arrive, the dead bodies of the staff are shown to the guests, causing them all to flee, except Penelope. Juan also arrives, before the group rush off to rescue Sam, whom they see at a nearby window. They arrive and find a presumed dead Sam in a mud bath, however he soon holds Lars hostage, revealing himself as the killer. Sam goes on to explain he began murdering the staff after Pete sold the island to Dave, despite the fact he believed he should have gotten the island. Lars manages to overcome Sam and allow the others to get away. As they run to the club, Penelope is carried away by other partiers, while Jenny and Juan lock themselves in the club. Soon after, the pair find Sam drowning Penelope in a large tank. Juan manages to smash the tank, saving Penelope. As Sam is about to kill the group, Lars arrives and stabs Sam, allowing himself, Jenny, Penelope and Juan to escape. However as they are leaving, they realize Sam is following them.
The group runs through the jungle, and comes to a cliff which they jump off to escape. They realize one of the islands sunk boats, and decide to try and take the propeller off it and attach it to another boat that had lost its propeller. As Jenny, Lars and Penelope swim to the afloat boat, Juan retrieves the propeller off the sunk boat. As Juan arrives with the propeller, Lars begins to attach it. However it is revealed Juan has been stabbed and soon dies, before Sam attacks Jenny and Penelope. Lars comes to their rescue and together the group finally manage to defeat Sam, cutting him in half. As Jenny and Lars start a relationship, Penelope drives the survivors away in the boat.
, who was so amused that he requested permission to sing some of the film's songs on one of his live tours.
. This version of the film contains an additional 15 minutes of footage for a 118-minute running time. It features several extended scenes, and also restores a subplot involving two cops (played by Paco Mauri and Tony Amendola
) that was absent in the theatrical edition. Director Jay Chandrasekhar
states in one of the disc's commentary tracks that the original R-rated version is still the director's cut.
based on 28 critics reviews, and 29% on Rotten Tomatoes
based on 96 reviews. According to Rotten Tomatoes
the overall consensus was "Comedy is too hit-or-miss in this slasher spoof".
Comedy horror
Comedy horror, also known as horror comedy, is a literary and film genre, combining elements of comedy and horror fiction. The comedy horror genre almost always inevitably crosses over with the black comedy genre; and in some respects could be considered a subset of it.The short story "The Legend...
film written by the comedy group Broken Lizard
Broken Lizard
Broken Lizard is an American comedy troupe, consisting of five friends, best known for its films, including Super Troopers and Beerfest. Its five members are Jay Chandrasekhar, Kevin Heffernan, Steve Lemme, Paul Soter, and Erik Stolhanske. They collaborate on the screen-writing, acting and...
, who also created Super Troopers
Super Troopers
Super Troopers is a 2001 crime-comedy film directed by Jay Chandrasekhar, written by and starring the Broken Lizard comedy group . Marisa Coughlan, Daniel von Bargen and Brian Cox co-star while Lynda Carter has a cameo appearance...
. It is directed
Film director
A film director is a person who directs the actors and film crew in filmmaking. They control a film's artistic and dramatic nathan roach, while guiding the technical crew and actors.-Responsibilities:...
by Jay Chandrasekhar
Jay Chandrasekhar
Jayanth Jambulingam "Jay" Chandrasekhar is a Tamil American actor, comedian, writer, and film director with the comedy team Broken Lizard.-Life and career:...
, one of the group members.
Though the story is set on an island in Costa Rica
Costa Rica
Costa Rica , officially the Republic of Costa Rica is a multilingual, multiethnic and multicultural country in Central America, bordered by Nicaragua to the north, Panama to the southeast, the Pacific Ocean to the west and the Caribbean Sea to the east....
, filming took place in Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
.
The opening overhead shots of the island were actually clips lifted from Danny Boyle
Danny Boyle
Daniel "Danny" Boyle is an English filmmaker and producer. He is best known for his work on films such as Slumdog Millionaire, 127 Hours, 28 Days Later, Sunshine and Trainspotting. For Slumdog Millionaire, Boyle won numerous awards in 2008, including the Academy Award for Best Director...
's film The Beach
The Beach (film)
The Beach is a 2000 adventure drama film directed by Danny Boyle and based on the 1996 novel of the same name by Alex Garland, which was adapted for the film by John Hodge. The film stars Leonardo DiCaprio and features Tilda Swinton, Robert Carlyle, Virginie Ledoyen and Guillaume Canet...
.
Plot
On Coconut Pete's (Bill PaxtonBill Paxton
William "Bill" Paxton is an American actor and film director. He gained popularity after starring roles in the films Apollo 13, Twister, Aliens, True Lies, and Titanic...
) private party island, Rolo (Dan Montgomery Jr.), Stacy (Elena Lyons) and Kellie (Tanja Reichert
Tanja Reichert
Tanja Reichert is a Canadian actress. She got into acting when she was 15 years of age, but she first appeared on the TV only seven days after she turned 17 years old, when she had the role of "Shelley-Girl #2" in Breaker High for two episodes ; and she has appeared in many...
) sneak off to an mausoleum
Mausoleum
A mausoleum is an external free-standing building constructed as a monument enclosing the interment space or burial chamber of a deceased person or persons. A monument without the interment is a cenotaph. A mausoleum may be considered a type of tomb or the tomb may be considered to be within the...
to make out. While there, a masked killer stabs Rolo to death. The two girls run through the jungle and eventually split up, but Kellie is thrown off a cliff and Stacy decapitated before they can reach help.
As Lars (Kevin Heffernan) arrives on 'Pleasure Island', he is introduced to the staff, including Jenny (Brittany Daniel
Brittany Daniel
Brittany Ann Daniel is an American television and film actress. She is the twin sister of actress and photographer Cynthia Daniel...
), Juan (Steve Lemme
Steve Lemme
Steven "Steve" Lemme is an American actor, writer, and producer, and one of the members of the Broken Lizard comedy group. He attended The Dalton School, a high school in New York, but after one year transferred to Fountain Valley School in Colorado, graduating in 1987. He attended Colgate...
), Putman (Jay Chandrasekhar
Jay Chandrasekhar
Jayanth Jambulingam "Jay" Chandrasekhar is a Tamil American actor, comedian, writer, and film director with the comedy team Broken Lizard.-Life and career:...
), Dave (Paul Soter
Paul Soter
Paul Soter is an American actor, writer, and director, and one of the members of the Broken Lizard comedy group. As a child, he lived in Sacramento, Anchorage, Phoenix, and Denver. He graduated from Colgate University and was a member of the Beta Theta Pi fraternity...
), Sam (Erik Stolhanske
Erik Stolhanske
Erik Stolhanske is an American actor, writer, and producer, and one of the members of the Broken Lizard comedy group. He graduated from Breck School, then Colgate University. At Colgate he was part of the troupe Charred Goosebeak, which included the others of Broken Lizard.He is a member of Beta...
) and Yu (Lindsay Price). As the staff and guests, including Penelope (Jordan Ladd
Jordan Ladd
Jordan Elizabeth Ladd is an American actress. She began taking small film roles before landing her first high-profile role in Never Been Kissed . Since then, Ladd has portrayed supporting as well as lead roles in films, including Cabin Fever , Club Dread , and Death Proof...
), Carlos (Julio Bekhor
Julio Bekhor
-Early life:Julio was born Julio Cadena Cardenas in Mexico City, he began taking acting at age 16 at the Strasberg's Method Studio with teacher Rene Pereyra, there he appear on various plays including After Death and Midnight's Summer Dream...
), Dirk (Samm Levine
Samm Levine
Samuel Franklin "Samm" Levine is an American television and film actor. He is known for his portrayal of Neal Schweiber on NBC's short-lived Freaks and Geeks and PFC Hirschberg in the hit 2009 film Inglourious Basterds...
) and Hank (M.C. Gainey) party, Carlos is lured outside where he is swiftly murdered. Meanwhile, Dave tells other partiers the story of an insane partier who murdered the staff of the island and disappeared years previously. The next day, as the party continues, Cliff (Richard Perello) is violently murdered in a maze. As Jenny and Lars bond, they discover Carlos' body, while Cliff's body is also found.
The staff band together where they find that the killer is targeting the staff, and also all communication and transportation off the island have been destroyed. Hank convinces the staff to continue with their jobs and allow him to catch the killer. As the other workers get on with their jobs and attempt to help find the killer, Yu remains persistent to tell the guests, despite warnings not to do so from the killer. As she gathers people to make the announcement she is attacked and chased by the killer. Hank attempts to save her, but has his throat slit before Yu is also murdered.
The next day, the group find the bodies and believe the killer is murdering people according to one of Pete's songs. As they split up to try and identify the killer, suspicion falls on Penelope who seduces Juan into her room. Jenny, Sam and Dave hide in the closet to save Juan if Penelope attempts to murder him but the pair instead have sex, taking suspicion off Penelope. While Lars and Putman camp on the beach, Putman has a nightmare and runs off into the jungle. Meanwhile Sam and Dave find a shrine
Shrine
A shrine is a holy or sacred place, which is dedicated to a specific deity, ancestor, hero, martyr, saint, daemon or similar figure of awe and respect, at which they are venerated or worshipped. Shrines often contain idols, relics, or other such objects associated with the figure being venerated....
to Pete in Lars' room. Due to the shrine and disappearance of Putman, the group believe Lars to be the killer and lock him in a room.
That night Jenny goes swimming where she is interrupted by Dirk. The killer soon turns up and electrocutes Dirk, causing the electricity on the island to fail. Jenny runs away, and bumps into Putman and Sam. They realize Lars is not the killer, but when entering the room he was locked in, find him gone. The trio then go to Pete's house where they find Juan, Lars and Dave. When the group find Pete's body, the are quick to turn on one another, however group together to survive through the night until the boat comes the following day to take them back to the main land. Despite this plan, the group all decide to split up from each other. Dave ventures to a hut where he manages to turn on the electricity. Jenny and Lars hear the music playing and go to the hut, only to find Dave's decapitated head. Jenny and Lars then hide from who they believe to be the killer and handcuff their foot to a bed. However it is revealed it was in fact, Putman. Before long the killer appears and a trapped Putman is killed.
Meanwhile, a party is being held in the club. As Jenny and Lars arrive, the dead bodies of the staff are shown to the guests, causing them all to flee, except Penelope. Juan also arrives, before the group rush off to rescue Sam, whom they see at a nearby window. They arrive and find a presumed dead Sam in a mud bath, however he soon holds Lars hostage, revealing himself as the killer. Sam goes on to explain he began murdering the staff after Pete sold the island to Dave, despite the fact he believed he should have gotten the island. Lars manages to overcome Sam and allow the others to get away. As they run to the club, Penelope is carried away by other partiers, while Jenny and Juan lock themselves in the club. Soon after, the pair find Sam drowning Penelope in a large tank. Juan manages to smash the tank, saving Penelope. As Sam is about to kill the group, Lars arrives and stabs Sam, allowing himself, Jenny, Penelope and Juan to escape. However as they are leaving, they realize Sam is following them.
The group runs through the jungle, and comes to a cliff which they jump off to escape. They realize one of the islands sunk boats, and decide to try and take the propeller off it and attach it to another boat that had lost its propeller. As Jenny, Lars and Penelope swim to the afloat boat, Juan retrieves the propeller off the sunk boat. As Juan arrives with the propeller, Lars begins to attach it. However it is revealed Juan has been stabbed and soon dies, before Sam attacks Jenny and Penelope. Lars comes to their rescue and together the group finally manage to defeat Sam, cutting him in half. As Jenny and Lars start a relationship, Penelope drives the survivors away in the boat.
Soundtrack
On one of the disc's commentary tracks the filmmakers state that they screened the film for Jimmy BuffettJimmy Buffett
James William "Jimmy" Buffett is a singer-songwriter, author, entrepreneur, and film producer. He is best known for his music, which often portrays an "island escapism" lifestyle. Together with his Coral Reefer Band, Buffett's musical hits include "Margaritaville" , and "Come Monday"...
, who was so amused that he requested permission to sing some of the film's songs on one of his live tours.
Alternate version
In 2005 an unrated edition was released to DVDDVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
. This version of the film contains an additional 15 minutes of footage for a 118-minute running time. It features several extended scenes, and also restores a subplot involving two cops (played by Paco Mauri and Tony Amendola
Tony Amendola
Tony Amendola is an American actor who is best known for his recurring role as the Jaffa master Bra'tac in Stargate SG-1.-Career:Major movie roles include Blow, The Mask of Zorro and its sequel, The Legend of Zorro...
) that was absent in the theatrical edition. Director Jay Chandrasekhar
Jay Chandrasekhar
Jayanth Jambulingam "Jay" Chandrasekhar is a Tamil American actor, comedian, writer, and film director with the comedy team Broken Lizard.-Life and career:...
states in one of the disc's commentary tracks that the original R-rated version is still the director's cut.
Critical reception
Club Dread has received mixed reviews, scoring 45% on review aggregator site MetacriticMetacritic
Metacritic.com is a website that collates reviews of music albums, games, movies, TV shows and DVDs. For each product, a numerical score from each review is obtained and the total is averaged. An excerpt of each review is provided along with a hyperlink to the source. Three colour codes of Green,...
based on 28 critics reviews, and 29% on Rotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes is a website devoted to reviews, information, and news of films—widely known as a film review aggregator. Its name derives from the cliché of audiences throwing tomatoes and other vegetables at a poor stage performance...
based on 96 reviews. According to Rotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes is a website devoted to reviews, information, and news of films—widely known as a film review aggregator. Its name derives from the cliché of audiences throwing tomatoes and other vegetables at a poor stage performance...
the overall consensus was "Comedy is too hit-or-miss in this slasher spoof".
Cast
- Brittany DanielBrittany DanielBrittany Ann Daniel is an American television and film actress. She is the twin sister of actress and photographer Cynthia Daniel...
as Jenny - Jay ChandrasekharJay ChandrasekharJayanth Jambulingam "Jay" Chandrasekhar is a Tamil American actor, comedian, writer, and film director with the comedy team Broken Lizard.-Life and career:...
as Putman - Kevin HeffernanKevin Heffernan (comedian)Kevin Heffernan is an American actor, writer, producer, and director, and member of the Broken Lizard comedy group.Heffernan was born West Haven, Connecticut...
as Lars - Steve LemmeSteve LemmeSteven "Steve" Lemme is an American actor, writer, and producer, and one of the members of the Broken Lizard comedy group. He attended The Dalton School, a high school in New York, but after one year transferred to Fountain Valley School in Colorado, graduating in 1987. He attended Colgate...
as Juan - Paul SoterPaul SoterPaul Soter is an American actor, writer, and director, and one of the members of the Broken Lizard comedy group. As a child, he lived in Sacramento, Anchorage, Phoenix, and Denver. He graduated from Colgate University and was a member of the Beta Theta Pi fraternity...
as Dave - Erik StolhanskeErik StolhanskeErik Stolhanske is an American actor, writer, and producer, and one of the members of the Broken Lizard comedy group. He graduated from Breck School, then Colgate University. At Colgate he was part of the troupe Charred Goosebeak, which included the others of Broken Lizard.He is a member of Beta...
as Sam - Jordan LaddJordan LaddJordan Elizabeth Ladd is an American actress. She began taking small film roles before landing her first high-profile role in Never Been Kissed . Since then, Ladd has portrayed supporting as well as lead roles in films, including Cabin Fever , Club Dread , and Death Proof...
as Penelope - Bill PaxtonBill PaxtonWilliam "Bill" Paxton is an American actor and film director. He gained popularity after starring roles in the films Apollo 13, Twister, Aliens, True Lies, and Titanic...
as Coconut Pete - Greg CipesGreg CipesGregory Michael Cipes is an American voice and film actor. He is also a singer, musician, composer, and professional surfer.-Early life:Cipes was born in Coral Springs, Florida, the son of Robin Mrasek and Geoff Cipes.-Career:...
as Trevor - M.C. Gainey as Hank
- Lindsay Price as Yu
- Julio BekhorJulio Bekhor-Early life:Julio was born Julio Cadena Cardenas in Mexico City, he began taking acting at age 16 at the Strasberg's Method Studio with teacher Rene Pereyra, there he appear on various plays including After Death and Midnight's Summer Dream...
as Carlos - Samm LevineSamm LevineSamuel Franklin "Samm" Levine is an American television and film actor. He is known for his portrayal of Neal Schweiber on NBC's short-lived Freaks and Geeks and PFC Hirschberg in the hit 2009 film Inglourious Basterds...
as Dirk - Dan Montgomery Jr. as Rolo
- Elena Lyons as Stacy
- Tanja ReichertTanja ReichertTanja Reichert is a Canadian actress. She got into acting when she was 15 years of age, but she first appeared on the TV only seven days after she turned 17 years old, when she had the role of "Shelley-Girl #2" in Breaker High for two episodes ; and she has appeared in many...
as Kellie - Richard Perello Cliff