Jack Brooks: Monster Slayer (2007)

A troubled young man still mourning the childhood loss of his family now has to deal with his professor being turned into a monster.

Director:

Jon Knautz

Writers:

Jon Knautz (story), Trevor Matthews (story)

Stars:

Robert Englund, Trevor Matthews, Daniel Kash

3 wins & 6 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Robert Englund	...	Professor Gordon Crowley
Trevor Matthews	...	Jack Brooks / Forest Troll
Daniel Kash	...	Counselor Silverstein
David Fox	...	Howard
Dean Hawes	...	Emmet
Rachel Skarsten	...	Eve
James A. Woods	...	John
Ashley Bryant	...	Kristy
Stefanie Drummond	...	Janice
Chad Harber	...	Pat
Patrick Henry	...	Trevor
Meghanne Kessels	...	Suzy
Meg Charette	...	Erica
Kristyn Butcher	...	Celia
Andrew Butcher	...	Raymond

Storyline

As a child Jack Brooks witnessed the brutal murder of his family. Now a young man he struggles with a pestering girlfriend, therapy sessions that resolve nothing, and night classes that barely hold his interest. After unleashing an ancient curse, Jack's Professor undergoes a transformation into something not-quite- human, and Jack is forced to confront some old demons... along with a few new ones.

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Plot Keywords:

canadian horror | forest | backwood slasher | demon | vomiting | 

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Taglines:

...I used to be a plumber

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Genres:

Action | Comedy | Horror | Sci-Fi

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Certificate:

14A

Did You Know?

Trivia

No CGI was used in this film for any of the effects.

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Goofs

The sign on the desk of Dr. Silverstein, Jack Brooks' shrink, misspells "counselor" as "councilor". (Despite various international spellings, a "councilor" is still someone who works for the council, and a "counselor" is someone who counsels.)

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Quotes

[Howard has just told the story about how he buried his possessed uncle after he bit off his hand as a child]
Jack Brooks: So he... he ate your hand?
[Howard shows Jack that he has a hook instead of a hand]
Jack Brooks: How did you dig the hole?
Howard: Well goddammit, it wasn't easy!

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Crazy Credits

No Animals or Monsters were Harmed in the Making of this Film.

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Connections

Featured in WatchMojo: Another Top 10 Scariest Movie Monsters (2017)

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Soundtracks

West Texas Sound
Written by Greg Oblivion and The Deadly Snakes
Performed by The Deadly Snakes
Courtesy of In The Red Records

User Reviews

A fantastic throwback to 50's horror and Army of Darkness.

Sometimes you see a movie at the video store and you decided to take a chance on it, usually you're stuck with a bad movie and out a couple bucks, not the case with Monster Slayer.

Jack seems to be a fairly regular guy, working a thankless job and dating a whiny college girl. But Jack is not a regular guy, when he was a kid he witnessed a terrible tragedy, a tragedy he blames himself for and that fuels his episodes of rage. While doing a job for his science teacher, Professor Crowley (Robert Englund), Jack unintentionally awakens an ancient evil. Soon his entire science class is in mortal danger.

Jack Brooks: Monster Slayer is a slow building monster movie, that really allows the character of Jack to be explored before the crap hits the fan. After the opening scene we don't see a monster for about 2/3 of the movie. But that's fine because the last third makes up for it.

Jack Brooks also does something rarely seen today, effective use of prosthetics. Instead of relying on cheesy cgi like this weeks Sci-Fi original, this movie uses well made monster make up to create realistic hell spawn.

The acting is fantastic for a movie of this level, Trevor Matthews does a fantastic job as the hero. Rachel Skarsten is terrifically annoying and James A. Woods plays the stereotypical wanna be philosopher college kid who smokes too much weed, perfectly.

While this movie is made in the spirit of Army of Darkness, you will not confuse the two movies. Jack Brooks is much more serious, but not too serious. Jack Brooks doesn't throw out classic one liners, or is too cocky for his own good. Jack is just a guy with a lot of anger issues who steps up when he's needed the most.

Details

Official Sites:

Official site Official soundtrack site

Country:

Canada

Language:

English

Release Date:

19 November 2008 (Philippines)

Also Known As:

Cazador de monstruos

Filming Locations:

Ottawa, Ontario, Canada

Box Office

Budget:

CAD2,500,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Brookstreet Pictures, Sound Venture Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

85 min 90 min

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1