Theater Whore: Red State

“How much do you think a cross like that costs?”


“In dollars or common sense?”


“Ah. Zing!”

I need this start this off by saying that I have been a fan of Kevin Smith and his films for years. From Clerk’s, which only got funnier after working behind a cash register and being named Dante, to his latest film, Red State.

I listen to Smith’s and Ralph Garman’s (Family Guy, Sharktopus, Kevin & Bean Show) podcast Hollywood Babylon every week for laughs. I remember when they first started talking about making this movie and Ralph being gone while it filmed. Smith actually edited the movie while making it and at the wrap party was able to pretty much show the cast and crew a damn near finished product.

Red State is being advertised as a horror film. Yeah, horrible things happen in it but I wouldn’t classify it as horror. Suspense, yes. Action, yes, Drama, yes. Violent, god yes. It centers around three friends who find an ad online where they can have sex with a girl. They arrive and are drugged and wake up surrounded by religious fanatics killing in the name of God.

John Goodman (Roseanne, The Big Lebowski, Monsters Inc.) plays a agent who has to go and take down these lunatics. The church family is led by their father who has a shit load of weapons to use against the agents, and boy do they! One of the younger members finds the only surviving victim and wants him to help her and the children escape.

I know I am usually all about spoilers but I just cant with this movie. I want people to see this and be genuinely shocked and surprised when they watch it. A great film with great performances. I wont even say I haven’t seen a film like this in a while because I cant even figure out how to describe it. All I can say that Kevin Smith, besides making me laugh off just by speaking, is an even better director than I could have ever imagined.