When I was treated to photos from the Dallas-based, fan production, Neon Fear (produced by Heavy Metal Home Video and Laser Blade Media), I expected it would be good, but after experiencing the completed product, I can say with utmost conviction, it's a labor-of-love triumph.
The film, written/directed/produced by Haley HeavyMetal, with directorial accompaniment from Jennifer Stone, is a Friday the 13th/Jason Voorhees reinvention, which in addition to paying homage to Sean S. Cunningham and Victor Miller's campgrounded mythology, incorporates themes from the works of Philip K. Dick and Harlan Ellison, with dashes of Evil Dead (Jason is a Deadite, as we learned from Jason Goes to Hell), Hellraiser, RoboCop 1 & 2, The Running Man, Re-animator and The War of the Worlds. This establishes a clever concoction of juxtaposing parts that spurs fear within a spellbinding, dystopic atmosphere. (Much of the menacing splendor comes via effects wizard/costume designer, Brandon Parmley, makeup maestros Lew Morris and Cindy Keith, and cinematographers Benjamin Ward and Remy St. John, who give the production a glossy quality that far exceeds its modest budget.)
The premise: In 2049, androids, modeled after the supernatural slayer, Jason Voorhees, suppress a beleaguered populace that's influenced by a Camp Crystal Lake culture. (This is most evident in a splatter-drenched, fight-for-your-life game show, F13.) To add to the bread-and-circuses mayhem, time-trippers trek to 1984 to seize Jason to combat the ubiquitous replicants. Of course, matters hit a raucous pitch, due to Jason's brutal nature.
The movie features the aforementioned Haley HeavyMetal as Pamela Voorhees and Blade Runner's Pris, and Jennifer Stone as Trish, the fable's scientific protagonist, joined by a competent cast of quirky characters who make the genre splicing as sardonic as it's unique.
Also, as a result of its sleek direction (and Carlos Esquivel's spiffy editing), Neon Fear moves at a fierce clip, which pulls one in and never lets go. On this basis, I recommend the film not only to Jason connoisseurs, but anyone who appreciates high-tension hijinks. In other words, Neon Fear was made by horror-action fans for horror-action fans, and perhaps this, above all, is why it succeeds.
Neon Fear should be making the rounds in fandom circles, so please be wise and catch it if it crosses your path. And here's hoping that Haley and Jennifer don't stop with this warm-up chapter. There's so much more story to tell and so much more high-tech carnage to behold.
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