It’s hard to really grasp how self aware this Italian gore-a-thon really is.  Not only does the title remind you of much better horror flicks of years past, it also borderline steals scenes directly from them, and in the most unsubtle way imaginable.  It opens just like Silent Night, Deadly Night (1984), minus the crazy grandpa, with a kid whining in the back seat of his parents car, moments before witnessing them die.  Except instead of seeing where the kid ends up, we jump to seemingly unrelated events concerning an awkward couple’s relationship squabbles.  After having sex in a parked car, the couple is attacked by three psychotic frat looking boys who treat rape with the seriousness of whacking a mailbox with a baseball bat.  Lucky (or not) for the couple, a passing older couple show up at just the right time and manage to scare off the thugs.  They then insist the hysterical couple come back to their home in the woods to recuperate.  Thus begins what is like a cross between The Last House on the Left (1972), The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974), and Cannibal Campout (1988).

Naturally, the older couple are nutjobs too, and promptly reveal themselves as deranged killers, complete with flesh eating son and chainsaw wielding hillbilly twins.  Making matters even nuttier, the psychotic frat boys return and become…the heroes?

Well, sort of, not really, but by the time they show back up you’re sure to be done nitpicking the irrational storytelling at work here.  You’ll also probably not care how the opening car accident relates to any of this, and once it is revealed, you’ll wish it would’ve stayed secret.

Crazy thing is I kinda dug this movie.  While ultimately not very scary, it never stops trying, and as a horror fan, you can tell they meant well.  It’s difficult to take seriously, but I think that depends on how you approach it.  The version I saw was poorly dubbed in English, which added a level of unshakable goofiness you couldn’t get away from, and I’m curious how the tone differs when viewed in its original language.