What can we say about Death Pool? Well…the words ‘What the fuck?’ are the first that spring to mind. By the time the end credits roll, the question of whether you’ve just witnessed a comedy or a serious attempt at horror will be swirling round your head like a vicious migraine. A tonally confused mess, Jared Cohn (Little Dead Rotting Hood, The Horde) has written and directed a film so bad that it’s almost good.
The acting is wooden, the script is feeble and the premise is nothing short of gobsmackingly dumb. Don’t believe us? Okay, let us give you a brief synopsis. After nearly drowning at the hands of his babysitter, Johnny Taylor (Randy Wayne) grows up to be a man plagued with an irrational fear of water. However, one day he manages to face up to those fears and by doing so, starts to feel a strange compulsion for drowning pretty women. Bathtubs, kitchen sinks, swimming pools – it doesn’t matter which.
Now one of the many problems Death Pool encounters is the awkward looking death scenes in which we see his helpless victims flail about in the water for a couple of seconds before succumbing to their eventual demise. It all looks a little off. There’s something almost schizophrenic about Death Pool which could be attributed to the bizarre interactions between its characters and the tonally erratic inconsistencies that run throughout its 95 minute running time. This is mostly down to the undercooked script which lacks both pacing and structure. What we’re left with instead is a series of sporadic killings that instill neither fear nor revulsion.
It’s bewildering as to why the film never really plays up to its horror aspects and instead tries to shock the viewer to no avail. Death Pool is a strangely put together mess, full of uneven editing and poor directing. With a premise that doesn’t really have much going for it, it’s hardly surprising to see how fast the whole thing falls apart.
Overall, Death Pool is a strange oddity with some genuinely laugh out loud moments. Although we may not be laughing with the film (or are we!?) it doesn’t stop it from providing us with some much needed entertainment…With a comically abrupt ending and plenty of head scratching moments throughout, this’ll appease those who enjoy a bad film. So if you’re one of those people then crack open a few cold ones, sit down with a couple of friends and prepare to be baffled by this peculiar trainwreck.
DEATH POOL / CERT: TBA / DIRECTOR & SCREENPLAY: JARED COHN / STARRING: RANDY WAYNE, SARA MALAKUL LANE, DEMETRIUS STEAR, SHAWN C. PHILLIPS, JAMES CULLEN BRESSACK / RELEASE DATE: 11TH SEPTEMBER
