Engine Trouble (2002/I)

User Rating:

2.2/10   

Director:

Marc Ickx

Writers:

Liam Bradley (writer)
Marc Ickx (writer)

Genre:

Horror | Thriller

Tagline:

Two beautiful women... One wrong turn... A collision with a killer...

Plot:

Rebecca and Sandra borrow a car and decide to go on a road trip. Soon after they have stopped at an isolated gas station...

Plot Keywords:

Car | Disembodied Head | Car Trouble | Killer | Independent Film

Cast

Cecilia Bergqvist	...	Rebecca
Bob Dougherty	...	Robert Brink
Marcel Romeijn	...	Creature
Marlene Simons	...	Sandra
Christa De Vries	...	Martha
Corine Boon	...	Belinda
Arlette Adriani	...	Melissa
Ron Smoorenburg	...	Mark
Karin Van Duuren	...	Chrissie
Sharon Gosler	...	Ellie

Also Known As:

Junior (USA) (video title)

MPAA:

Rated R for strong violence/gore and language.

Runtime:

Netherlands:94 min | USA:92 min

Country:

Belgium

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Certification:

Germany:18 | USA:R

Filming Locations:

Kortrijk, Belgium

Company:

Idep Bvpa

Plan 9 from Belgium.

Very rarely does a film come along that's so bad it's good. Most bad (big budget) films simply are tedious, lame and boring, and no matter how hard you try, they simply can't be enjoyed. I'm not going to name names here, but I'm sure we've all seen our share of big budget crap. The strange thing about (bad) low budget films is, that the film-makers put a lot more enthusiasm into their films and try to make up for the lack of budget. So no matter if the film turns out to be garbage, the audience can still laugh at the enormous amount of bad dialogue, continuity errors and campy performances.

"Engine Trouble" fits right into that mold. It was produced in Belgium for about 25 dollars, and it really shows. But besides from simply being crap, "Engine Trouble" actually manages to be quite entertaining. Not entertaining in a "Back to the Future" kind of way, but more in a "Plan 9 From Outer Space" kind of way. Obviously, dialogue and acting are extremely over the top, the production values are depressingly cheap and the plot has been done a million times before. But somehow this didn't really matter. I was surprised how much I enjoyed this film. As a matter of fact, I can't remember the last time I laughed so hard during a movie, even though the humor was entirely unintentional. I guess it was sheer disbelief that cracked me up. I mean, can a film really be this bad?

So, if like me you are a fan of trash-cinema, Ed Wood and Troma, you certainly are going to enjoy this puppy. Just make sure you don't watch it alone! Ask your buddies to come over, have a few drinks and enjoy. However, if bad movies are not your bag, you might want to stay away. After all, no matter which way you turn it, "Engine Trouble" still is unadulterated crap!