Shaky Shivers movie review

MOVIE TITLE: Shaky Shivers

This comedy/horror movie releases in theaters on September 21, 2023.

RATING: R

LENGTH: 1 hour 32 minutes

MOVIE REVIEW MOM GRADE: C

IN A NUTSHELL:

Two young women find themselves at an abandoned camp in the woods with a book of magical spells surrounded by classic monsters in this comedy in the style of an ‘80s horror movie. It almost feels like a Goosebumps episode.

This is the directorial debut of Sung Kang, who is known for his role in the Fast and Furious franchise.

THINGS I LIKED:

The timing of this is perfect to get Americans in the mood for Halloween next month.
Brooke Markham is a natural. I really got a kick out of her performance.
Other cast members include Vyvy Nguyen, Jimmy Bellinger, Erin Daniels, Skyler Day, and Herschel Sparber.
The movie was filmed in Washington state. It made me laugh that there were stand-up posters of Big Foot in the “Friendly Freeze” ice cream shop. One of my sons just moved to Washington a couple of months ago and when we went out there to visit, we saw Big Foot merchandise everywhere. While Bigfoot claims come from all over the USA, Washington state has officially claimed him. Her?
The movie is super campy and features a few of the classic monsters from the 80s.
There is a lot of quirky, sarcastic humor that will make you laugh out loud.
Keep watching until the end of the rolling credits for a final, funny clip.

THINGS I DIDN’T LIKE:

It definitely looks like a low-budget movie.
The costumes and makeup-design are very amateur.
Some scenes just last way longer than they need to.
Some really bad acting moments.

TIPS FOR PARENTS:

Profanity, including F-bombs
A girl has a gun so her friend can shoot her in case she turns into a werewolf.
Some crude conversations.
A surprising amount of blood and gore
A guy gets shot in the face and we see it.
A zombie eats another zombie

THEMES:

Friendship
Monsters

FUNNY LINES:

“He was bald with a ponytail.” – Lucy (Brooke Markham) “That takes effort.” – Karen (VyVy Nguyen)
“Okay, you’re not going to get free ice cream. You’re going to have to pay for it. That’s how life works.” – Karen (VyVy Nguyen)
“We have moved on from high school.” – Karen (VyVy Nguyen)
“This is weird, right?” – Karen (VyVy Nguyen) “It’s only weird if you make it weird.” – Lucy (Brooke Markham)
“What could go wrong?” – Lucy (Brooke Markham) “I don’t think you should say that.” – Karen (VyVy Nguyen)