Woodyanders Review of Triloquist

Triloquist (2008)

A gloriously depraved and demented doozy of a horror black comedy

[8/10 · 5 October 2012]

Lovely, but lethal psychotic Angelina (an incredibly fierce, fearless, and foul-mouthed performance by gorgeous blonde stunner Paydin LoPachin) and her meek mute ventriloquist brother Norbert (well played by Rocky Marquette) are a couple of crazy teenagers who embark on a road trip to Las Vegas. Norbert's creepy and evil ventriloquist dummy (robustly voiced with jolly cracked gusto by Bruce Weitz; Belker on "Hill Street Blues") tags along for the loopy ride. Naturally, our merry insane trio commits all sorts of murderous mayhem during their pilgrimage across the country. Writer/director Mark Jones brings a hardcore sick, nasty, and twisted no-holds-barred outrageous sensibility to the gleefully nutty premise that goes way overboard on the tasty female nudity, in-your-face brutal violence, and hilariously warped pitch-black humor with always entertaining and often sidesplitting results. Why, Jones even tosses in some alarming sibling incest into the hysterically offensive mix for good ghastly measure. Yep, this extremely messed-up movie is rude, crude, and vulgar beyond belief -- and that's exactly why it's such a terrifically tasteless riot. The two leads do amazing work in their roles, with LoPachin a particular stand-out throughout. Katie Chonacas likewise impresses as hapless hostage Robin. "Magnum P.I." TV series regular Larry Manetti has a funny cameo as himself. Mark Melville's stylish cinematography neatly alternates between bright color and grainy black and white. Kudos are also in order for the cool eclectic soundtrack and Geoff Levin's lively whimsical score. An absolute unhinged hoot.