Go Back  DVD Talk Forum > Entertainment Discussions > Movie Talk
Reload this Page >

Fender Bender (2016) -- Direct to Video Horror movie from Shout Factory

Community
Search
Movie Talk A Discussion area for everything movie related including films In The Theaters

Fender Bender (2016) -- Direct to Video Horror movie from Shout Factory

Thread Tools
 
Search this Thread
 
Old 09-26-16, 01:07 AM
  #1  
DVD Talk God
Thread Starter
 
DJariya's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2002
Location: La Palma, CA
Posts: 78,972
Received 3,640 Likes on 2,613 Posts
Fender Bender (2016) -- Direct to Video Horror movie from Shout Factory





Trailer:




In a small New Mexico town, a 17-year-old high school girl who just got her driver’s license gets into her first Fender Bender, innocently exchanging her personal information with an apologetic stranger. Later that stormy night, she is joined in her desolate suburban home by a couple of her school friends who try their best to make a night out of it, only to be visited by the stranger she so willingly handed all of her information to — a terrifying and bizarre serial killer who stalks the country’s endless miles of roads and streets with his old rusty car, hungrily searching for his next unsuspecting victim.

Anyone heard about this direct to video horror movie coming from Shout Factory? I saw the trailer and I'm intrigued. It's coming out October 11th.


One of the bonus features on the upcoming BD sounds really cool:


"Retro VHS" Version Of The Film In Which You Can Watch The Film In A Re-created Mode That Takes You Back To The 1980's And The Heyday Of VCRs

Is this Shout's 1st original movie?

Apparently this aired on Chiller TV back in June, but hardly anyone gets that channel and it's not in HD, so I don't expect anyone here to have seen it on TV.
Old 09-26-16, 01:18 AM
  #2  
DVD Talk Legend
 
TheMovieman's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2006
Location: Oregon
Posts: 13,287
Received 211 Likes on 178 Posts
Re: Fender Bender (2016) -- Direct to Video Horror movie from Shout Factory

I saw it but I didn't care for it, the director in one of the features said he's a fan of Carpenter and Halloween and in that regard, it really failed) There were some laughable moments that I'm not sure were supposed to be...

(Note, these are major spoilers so I realize anyone interested won't be able to post until after the release).

Spoiler:
There's one scene in which our main heroine (played by Mackenzie Vega) is taking a shower, the door opens slightly so we know it's the killer. She gets out, finds her phone in her bedroom was moved, she looks at the pictures and finds a few of her in the shower. Does she freak out right away and call 911? Nope. She proceeds to go to the bathroom door and compare, I guess to confirm that was indeed her in those pics.

Edit:
The other scene that stood out was, Vega is home alone (her parents leave without her on a trip), and during a wind/thunderstorm (of course), she looks outside and sees something on top of the car she got in a fender bender earlier. She goes out and discovers its a cake with the word "sorry" on top. Now, later she debates whether its from the creepy driver who mentions a cake following the "accident" or her ex-boyfriend. Why she even had to debate is one thing, it's entirely something else that it didn't go straight into the trash. Nope, she kept it so when her two uninvited friends stop over and one eats a big piece, finds it's poisoned... Shocker. Really, really dumb characters.

Oh, and she mentions the shower pics and the friends, smartly for once, suggest calling 911 but she declines as she didn't want to cause any more problems for her parents. For fuck's sake.


Oh, and this might've been done as a joke (at least I hope so):
Spoiler:
At the end, we get a close-up of the licenses in the Driver's inner car roof and of his last two victims. Thing is, the one at the opening (played by the beautiful Cassidy Freeman; born IRL in 1982) has her date of birth as 2001 making her 14-15 in this movie and issued the license in 2013... when she was 12. Like I said, I hope this was done as a joke. FWIW, the dates for Vega's character checks out, born in 1999, licensed issued in 2015.


As far as the Retro VHS version, it is kind of cool, just a full frame version of the movie with tracking over-layed, crappy image quality and poor sound.

Last edited by TheMovieman; 09-26-16 at 01:31 AM.
Old 09-26-16, 01:32 AM
  #3  
DVD Talk Legend
 
Norm de Plume's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2000
Location: Toronto
Posts: 20,047
Received 799 Likes on 567 Posts
Re: Fender Bender (2016) -- Direct to Video Horror movie from Shout Factory

Looks pretty good. Thanks for the notification.
Old 09-26-16, 01:43 AM
  #4  
DVD Talk God
Thread Starter
 
DJariya's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2002
Location: La Palma, CA
Posts: 78,972
Received 3,640 Likes on 2,613 Posts
Re: Fender Bender (2016) -- Direct to Video Horror movie from Shout Factory

Thanks for your thoughts The MovieMan. Hopefully I can rent the disc 1st and see if I like it. I don't want to blow $18 on a blind buy for a B horror movie that may suck. Although I do enjoy a trashy B horror movie every now and then.
Old 09-26-16, 02:12 AM
  #5  
DVD Talk Legend
 
TheMovieman's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2006
Location: Oregon
Posts: 13,287
Received 211 Likes on 178 Posts
Re: Fender Bender (2016) -- Direct to Video Horror movie from Shout Factory

Originally Posted by DJariya
Thanks for your thoughts The MovieMan. Hopefully I can rent the disc 1st and see if I like it. I don't want to blow $18 on a blind buy for a B horror movie that may suck. Although I do enjoy a trashy B horror movie every now and then.
Certainly has B-movie moments and it's not all bad (Bill Sage is good as The Driver), just the stupid ass characters I couldn't stand, lol.
Old 09-26-16, 03:45 PM
  #6  
DVD Talk Legend
 
Join Date: Oct 2001
Posts: 19,684
Received 650 Likes on 450 Posts
Re: Fender Bender (2016) -- Direct to Video Horror movie from Shout Factory

Originally Posted by DJariya
Is this Shout's 1st original movie?
Yes:
http://variety.com/2015/film/news/sh...er-1201621943/
It’s moving into producing its own content and it’s decided on its first project, a horror thriller titled “Fender Bender.”

.....Going forward, it hopes to produce one or two films annually.

“We’re hoping that it’s the first of many,” said Shout! Factory founder Garson Foos. “We have been in discussions and negotiations on other original projects, but ideally we’d like to get this one finished before we greenlight another one.”
A Press release from last October:
http://www.dreadcentral.com/news/134...riginal-films/
Old 09-27-16, 09:17 AM
  #7  
DVD Talk Legend
 
Mike86's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2009
Location: South Dakota
Posts: 24,744
Received 1,156 Likes on 902 Posts
Re: Fender Bender (2016) -- Direct to Video Horror movie from Shout Factory

I saw a review of the Blu-ray from a guy I watch on YouTube and it sounded decent. I might check it out.
Old 10-04-16, 10:20 PM
  #8  
DVD Talk God
Thread Starter
 
DJariya's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2002
Location: La Palma, CA
Posts: 78,972
Received 3,640 Likes on 2,613 Posts
Re: Fender Bender (2016) -- Direct to Video Horror movie from Shout Factory

FYI

This is on sale for $14.99 at Amazon and available in store at Best Buy for $14.99 as well (at least the one near where I live)
Old 10-04-16, 10:59 PM
  #9  
Senior Member
 
Tabletopjoe's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2012
Posts: 261
Received 1 Like on 1 Post
Re: Fender Bender (2016) -- Direct to Video Horror movie from Shout Factory

Big fan, of Bill Sage. Will definitely check this out.
Old 10-17-16, 12:58 PM
  #10  
DVD Talk God
Thread Starter
 
DJariya's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2002
Location: La Palma, CA
Posts: 78,972
Received 3,640 Likes on 2,613 Posts
Re: Fender Bender (2016) -- Direct to Video Horror movie from Shout Factory

So I bought this from Best Buy a few weeks ago. I was originally hoping to rent the disc, but no one seems to carry it.

I was really hoping this would be a blast and have the schlocky 80's horror movie factor about it.

Overall, I thought it was moderately entertaining at best. Some really bad writing by the director Mark Pavia. No wonder this guy hasn't made a movie in almost 20 years. He's not a very good writer/director. I laughed in the extras at how he thought this was a good homage to Halloween. He created some really stupid characters, especially Makenzie Vega, who is the lead. I agree with a lot of The MovieMan's points that he posted above:

Spoiler:
Vega's character picking up the cake sitting outside on her car and letting her friends consume it was just eye rolling. You don't know where that cake came from. Why the hell would you even consume a cake from a creepy guy who rear ended you earlier or even your dickhead ex-boyfriend who cheated on you? Same goes with her shower scene and seeing that someone took photos of her on her phone.


Some really bad acting from the ex-boyfriend character and even the 2 best friends. I do like Vega though. She was on The Good Wife for 7 years and is a talented young actress. Hope she picks a better script for her next movie.

Bill Sage was good as "The Driver", but I think showing his face right off the bat ruined the sinister/mysterious value of his character. But, I understand that was the whole point of the movie was him causing the Fender Bender and getting the address of the victim.

I watched a little bit of the retro VHS version. It's supposed to be like you recorded it on VHS from a cable broadcast. There was the old school logos and even an old school disclaimer before it (Viewer Discretion Advised) I thought that was kind of neat.

Last edited by DJariya; 10-17-16 at 01:12 PM.
Old 10-24-16, 10:50 PM
  #11  
DVD Talk Legend
 
Norm de Plume's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2000
Location: Toronto
Posts: 20,047
Received 799 Likes on 567 Posts
Re: Fender Bender (2016) -- Direct to Video Horror movie from Shout Factory

I enjoyed this flick quite a bit as a sort of throwback (no tiresome teen gorn/torn for miles). I agree it has its problems in the verisimilitude department (cited already, the blase reaction to the shower pics, among other thngs), but at its suspense/horror core, it worked for me. I found it sinister and relatively scary. It's certainly better - albeit more conventional - than Pavia's Night Flier.
Old 10-29-16, 09:57 PM
  #12  
DVD Talk Legend
 
Norm de Plume's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2000
Location: Toronto
Posts: 20,047
Received 799 Likes on 567 Posts
Re: Fender Bender (2016) -- Direct to Video Horror movie from Shout Factory

I watched this flick again with my brother-in-law tonight, and have to revise my modestly enthusiastic reaction a notch downward. I've decided not to waste my dosh on the DVD, despite admiring some of the tension and other elements of the picture. The script just has too many implausible moments. Pavia is a much better director than writer. His suspense technique calls to mind Fred Walton, which is a high compliment, but Pavia's isn't as tight. I also thought the music and opening and end credits were well done, and the opening scene with the woman in the bathtub is close to dynamite.
Of the actors, Sage clearly fared best, and the movie could have been a minor classic of the serial killer genre with a reworking of the script and a recasting of most roles. The Driver character is an intriguing one, if also one who could not exist for long in real life, certainly not long enough to kill the dozens of women whose licenses he keeps as trophies in his car.
I was not quite as bothered by the "cake" part, but I agree
Spoiler:
that the entire "phone shower pics" aspect was badly handled, to say the least. What real-life human being would react that way? A normal person would have, upon seeing the pics (and the erasure of the accident pics), immediately looked around with fright, wondering who the hell was in the house. Instead, this slow-witted girl lines up the sightline with the bathroom and shower, as if there's any question as to what's going on. That's a dumb, time-wasting drag. Then the script continues to mishandle the issue by having her noncommitally question her friends once they arrive. Let's have a pizza party instead!

The script has Hilary behaving unbelievably throughout, such as when Sage shuts off the power and she, instead of phoning 911 from the safety of her bedroom, picks up the bat and calls out down the darkened hallway. Run-of-the-mill slasher-flick idiocy, sure, but let's try to have some better writing people!
Vega and her wimpy friends also open the door when someone begins pounding on it. Of course, there's no peephole, like most post-1950 front doors have.
When the Driver attacks the three friends in the kitchen, Hilary thoughtlessly abandons her female friend, Rachel, and shepherds the drugged Mario downstairs to the room with the conveniently horroristic drop cloths hanging from the ceiling.
In a ridiculous sequence, Driver stabs Rachel with his specialty "grass shears" switchblade, pushes her across the room and thrusts her out the window, then the takes the time to leave the house, get into his car, and run her over in the driveway. An excessively roundabout way to despatch a victim.
Later, Hilary becomes an Amazon woman (remember the zoom in to her determined face), and the predator becomes the prey for a spell. She stabs Driver deeply in the shoulder (no disabling sign of that injury later) and has the wherewithwal to pour gas onto him. Matches, naturally, don't create fire when needed (Horror Rule #273), but Hilary smashes Driver several times with a tire iron. Other than a small facial scratch, no indication of injury later.
Having beaten Driver to the ground, does Hilary run to neighbouring houses screaming for the cops? Why, no, she creeps over to grab her phone from his pocket, then gets into his car and (I'm not making this up!) presses the cigarette lighter, imploring the lighter to "Come on, come on", hurry up, damn it!
The final idiotic character move is after she has left BDSM-clad Driver a smouldering mass on the driveway (no burns evident later). Once again, no running away for help for addle-pated Hilary. No, let's shuffle indoors and try to call 911 on a phone that doesn't work, while absently looking out the window to see if Driver is still prone on the ground. Next thing you know, he's in her bedroom finishing her off. A well-deserved demise for such a stupid character.

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is On
Trackbacks are Off
Pingbacks are Off
Refbacks are Off



Archive - Advertising - Cookie Policy - Privacy Statement - Terms of Service -

Copyright © 2024 MH Sub I, LLC dba Internet Brands. All rights reserved. Use of this site indicates your consent to the Terms of Use.