Attacked On Set
Tom Novell
Alicia Clark, Joshua Evans, Dominic Gabriel, Lauren Iovan
With film-making tools at the disposal of just about everyone, it only stands to reason that there would be a new renaissance comparable to the DIY horror boom of the ’80s/early ’90s VHS generation. Generally horror is the first genre for beginning filmmakers, because the genre is both widely open to interpretation, fairly easy to attempt, and always salable.
Is there a current DIY horror movie boom? I don’t know, but writer/director Tom Novell’s new release Attacked on Set makes me want to believe there is one.
Attacked on Set tells the story of the cast and crew of an unnamed horror movie stranded without cellphone coverage or transportation at a remote studio, most of which is luckily filmed by a behind-the-scenes-photographer. It doesn’t take long for the clothes to come off, the drugs to come out, and the killings to start. But who exactly is offing the cast and crew? Jealous lovers? Rabid environmentalists? Creepy studio owners? Whoever it is, they do it with a wide variety of weapons, all lovingly captured on camera.
Gleefully offensive, there is no gore or bodily fluid that Attacked on Set doesn’t delight in showing. Novell’s writing keeps the audience guessing while groaning at the latest offense to good taste, and never falls to the hallmark of late ’80s DIY horror filmmaking, “This is real life, not one of your horror movies.” The actors acquit themselves well, even if some of them, like the cop at the end are (hopefully) supposed to be intentionally annoying.
A love letter to viewers who remember late ’80s nights huddled around the family VHS waiting for the next gruesome killing or flash of nudity, Attacked on Set will please horror fans and fans of DIY cinema. The easily offended should probably steer clear.
