JOHN JOHNSON'S SHADOWHUNTERS (2004)

The fashion police are on high alert today after witnessing horrific scenes of blatant overcoat donning and outrageous trilby wearing during John Johnson’s horror romp Shdowhunters, a fun little flick which mixes the style of 1920’s prohibition law enforcement with evil spirits and naked chicks. Think The Untouchables meets Sorority House Massacre 2 and you won’t go far wrong with this Jackyl and Hyde feature which never seems completely content with its own identity but does offer the odd hoot or two.

Now, stay with me whilst I describe the plot, it may appear as though I’m describing two entirely different stories but trust me, this is a two-for-one deal. There is something evil lurking within the bowls of a decrepit hospital, an ancient spirit known as Malphaedor hell bent on revenge after years of imprisonment and now his time has come to unleash his twisted essence on the world. Enter the ‘Shadowhunters’, a group of bickering ghost busters whose job it is to bring down the forces of evil and banish them back to the nether world. Coincidentally, a group of sorority girls head into the abandoned hospital, dressed in nothing more than revealing underwear, they are forced to spend the night as part of their pledge initiation. As the evening draws on the girls begin to succumb to Malphaedor’s power, turning the shadowy wards and corridors into an orgy of flesh, blood and gunpowder.
It’s clear to see why John Johnson has added his moniker to the front of his film. As egotistic as it may initially seem, a quick glance at the crew list reveals that John had his finger in many steaming pies during the course of the production. Writer, director, actor, makeup and editor to name but a few of the tasks he had to endure, so perhaps we can forgive Mr. Johnson for his eagerness to stamp his title on the film, after all, this is his baby so why the hell not. Shadowhunters, as already stated is a genre mix that, even on paper would have appeared a chaotic little number. It’s the kind of film that would never have seen the light of day if it wasn’t for the independent nature of the films financing and it’s because of people like John that we get to enjoy the type of straight to DVD film that bigger studios wouldn’t look twice at. OK, so not all indies are any good and even this one has its weak points, but on the whole Shadowhunters is an enjoyable action/horror romp.

The four principal cast members who form the films hunters initially seem to take their rolls way too seriously to the point that it almost becomes humorous as they stare pensively at one another from beneath furrowed brows. However, after 10 minutes or so, the film takes on a different persona and a much lighter and more, errmm, camp atmosphere is adopted. The hunters, especially Hudson (John Johnson) and Goose (David Simmons), deliver the first of many deadpan funny lines regarding the bizarre circumstances of a hospital full of lingerie wearing females. Head-hunter Murphy (Ted Taylor) has a torrid time delivering his oh-so profound lines and ends up over hamming most of his dialogue whilst Ray (Wil Smith) melts into the background until the second half of the film where he suddenly erupts in to a ball of evil after being possessed by the spirit of Malphaedor. Our evil spirit also has a hand in generating the films only real source of tension when he starts to posses our sorority girls, turning them from timid victim to horny sex starved killers in the blink of an eye.
The production values are extremely good for an independently funded feature such as this. I have seen so many low-budget horror films completely ruined thanks to poor sound, lighting and a general lack of finesse in the camera department but Johnson and his crew have kept a close eye on the technical aspects whilst ensuring the story is at least half entertaining. Lighting director Bob Smith has done a wondrous job at created a spooky atmosphere within the awkward confines of the hospital and moves on latter in the film to more elaborate lighting during several ‘zombie’ sequences. Dave Smith’s cinematography employs some interesting angles and techniques and he never resorts to waving the lens round like a lightsaber in an effort to make up for a clear lack of talent. Instead he utilises a combination of standard static shots mixed with low angles for the action and close-ups for the bloody, fleshy bits. It’s not extravagant by any means, but it works and that’s what counts.

In simple terms, Shadowhunters is a wisecracking action film mixed with cheesy horror elements. It’s not a traditional fully-fledged fright flick in terms of terror and tension and it’s not even that competent when it comes to the action parts. Either element on its own would fail to impress but, like cheese and crackers, Johnson and his team have managed to pull together the right ingredients to put on a fun and enjoyable show. Definitely worth checking out.