Reviewing the experience by Robert Long II ©2022

Starring Felissa Rose, George Stover, Tuesday Knight, Chris O’Brocki, Beverly Randolph, Lyon Beckwith, Rick Jermain, Rebecca Rinehart, Alfred Guy, Frederick Cowie, Vanessa Rae Bent, Julio Bana Fernandez, Luba Hansen, Sasha Graham

Written by Brad Twigg, Chris O’Brocki, Todd Martin, Douglas Snauffer

Produced by Daniel Brooks, Kevin Kangas, Chris O’Brocki, Brad Twigg

Directed by Brad Twigg

On February 27, 2022 I attended the World Premiere of Brad Twigg’s SHRIEKSHOW. It was well attended considering COVID-19 conditions. I wasn’t happy to see so few people wearing masks, but was glad to see that Twigg – the man of the hour – was. Good for you, sir. Lead actor Chris O’Brocki hosted the festivities and the movie promptly started at 6PM. Most of the cast and crew were present at the small town theater in PA that it was held at.

This is a comedy/horror/anthology movie. The story goes that four young people head out to an abandoned circus sideshow tent on Halloween night. Ignoring obvious red flags (lights still work, the clown tunnel is spinning), the group encounter a flashy character who calls himself the Ringmaster (Chris O’Brocki). While waiting for others of his group to appear, he proceeds to tell them three tales of terror.

The first story is about a couple of FBI agents (Lyon Beckwith and Vanessa Rae Bent) that are sent out into the field to try to locate several missing people that have vanished near a small town. What they encounter is more than they bargained for.

Beckwith and Bent have great chemistry on screen and were the highlight of the performances in this section. There is also a lot of action, fights, and special effects worked into this piece. For this viewer, it also felt like the most complete story. I think I enjoyed the first half over the second half.

The second story deals with a group of gents (Including Alfred Guy and Frederick Cowie) going on a weekend fishing trip. A farmer (Rick Jermain) in town shows them a great spot – way out in the country. Things get kind of nuts from there on out.

Outside of some dodgy OTT acting in the opening scene, this one was a lot of fun to watch. It has a funny cameo from Felissa Rose (Sleepaway Camp) and it was packed with nudity, blood and guts. I wish certain aspects of the story had been fleshed out better, but overall it was a lot of fun.

Bear in mind the wraparound story with the Ringmaster and the group of young people is happening between stories. More on that later.

The last story has more of a serious tone to it. With wonderful cameos from Tuesday Knight (Nightmare on Elm St 4) and the legendary George Stover (countless genre movies), this one deals with a young man (Julio Bana Fernandez) haunted by the nightmares of a killer clown that’s stalked him since his fated birthday party as a child.

This has a great feel and look to it, and the acting is quite good. Brad Twigg and his production crew have really stepped up to the plate on this movie, and it has a superb polish and sheen to it. My only complaint would be that the clown’s backstory needed to be filled in some.

We end up at the finale with the wraparound story. No spoilers other that it involves a gaggle of grisly clowns and some excellent drone camera work. Because the driver of the car had to be the one that carried the idiot ball in the story, he’s gotten himself and the other young adults in a heap of trouble.

If you’ve ever watched Twigg’s first movie “MILFs VS Zombies,” you should know that this current movie is as different as night and day from that one. Twigg has grown much as a filmmaker, and Shriekshow boasts good lighting, cinematography, editing, pacing, and some excellent locations and production values. Aside from a couple of bad performances, the acting is rock solid.

As of this writing, the movie has just premiered. I believe the plans are for it to hit streaming services, as well as blu-ray and DVD in the near future. Let’s hope the hardcopies come loaded with extras. At the end of the day I really enjoyed the movie, and was happy to see everyone involved climbing up the skill ladder and improving themselves.

6.5/10 stars. Catch it when it comes out.