The city can be a cruel and often unforgiving place where the uninitiated get preyed upon by the street rats and sewer dwellers, but is it really all that different away from the hustle and bustle. Deep in the fringes of the metropolis where lawnmower engines replace the noise of taxi's and buses dwell's a hidden killer, one which is masked by polite mannerisms and professional employment, in suburbia we have the serial killer. Charles and Deborah are an average couple living their lives happily together with the help of a loving daughter. But appearances can be deceptive and our example of the perfect family unit is, in essence, a complete facade. Don't get me wrong, Charles and Deborah do indeed love each other and couldn't be happier sharing their love of fine food and intellectual conversation with one another, the only issues is that the fine food consists of yesterday's tortured victim and the conversation is about how to dispatch of today's tortured victim. Charles and Deborah and really, really sick.
The quality of the unadulterated horror that is being produced for Independent Cinema's Shock-O-Rama label continues to impress me with both the presentation and substance being of a appropriately high standard for an independent video label. Whilst 'Suburban Nightmare' lack's the popular genre trappings that 'Screaming Dead' managed to deliver, it does have an interesting story with several highlights that make this an intriguing prospect for potential horror viewers. Co-written by horror stalwart and self proclaimed scream queen Debbie Rochon, the story maintains it's focus on the films two central characters as their relationship strains and eventually crumbles in to a sort of 'War of the Roses' for the truly twisted. With very few external influences with the exception of a couple of early victims and a visit by the police, the character driven plot has plenty of time to boil up into one hell of a battle. But here lies a problem, and it's something that blights the run of play to the bitter end. Because the character's interact so intensely, a lot of time is spent getting our serial killing spouses fired up enough till they eventually do something drastic and ultimately entertaining meaning that chunks of screen time will wallow by as a dull domesticated argument ensues.
Whilst the two main cast members will be relatively unknown (except perhaps for Haaga's appearances in several Troma movies), it is a testament to the both of them when scrutinising their acting ability and on screen chemistry which, with out the plausibility of their domestic defectiveness, would have made the whole affair a complete joke. As it is they have a large amount of passionate dialogue to deliver which is done almost faultlessly highlighting the talent involved in both their casting and the performances themselves. Whilst on a high note, the film has a sublimely twisted moment of realisation around the 72 minute mark which you probably won't see coming unless you were extremely observant during some of the very early scene's, but irrespective of the viewers expectation it still remains the high point even if it is a truly somber and frankly heartbreaking juncture.

This film isn't about flashy, graphic gore mixed up with fast paced action sequences. It doesn't try and play with your mind in an attempt to induce an involuntary bowl movement. What it is is an often slow moving character based drama with heavy horror overtones which might appeal to some but I feel true horror fans will be left feeling as empty as a suburban street at midnight.