Ivan Kander

It may be Christmastime, but that’s not going to stop us from featuring a different type of seasonal fare.  Forget decking the halls, get ready for something of the more…ahem…gruesome variety. Crafted by Culprit Creative and directed by David Dinetz and Dylan Trussell, Chainsaw is pure, unadulterated pulp carnage. Grindhouse fans will be thrilled. Everyone else may lose their lunch.

Make no bones about it, Chainsaw isn’t a deep film, nor is it particularly original one. But, it’s hard not to admire the film’s commitment to its genre—a slasher film that feels like the pure essence of its own form. The kills are gory, the sound effects stomach-churning. Subtlety be damned, Chainsaw is the cinematic equivalent of a punk rock moshpit—all killer, no filler. Crank the amp up to to 11 and get ready to drown in buckets of blood.

Created for Eli Roth’s Crypt TV—a new digital network for horror—Chainsaw is clearly a polished production. And, while it may not be cinematically original, the setting feels unique and the villain (nameless and essentially faceless) is incredibly memorable. There’s something fascinating about tailing this lumbering behemoth as he lugs his battered weapon of choice through a boardwalk carnival. He’s the rockstar and us viewers wait with giddy and demented eagerness for him to eventually play his instrument. And, play he does…

Having already featured another Crypt TV short earlier this year with John Ross’s The Thing in the Apartment, we’re excited by the promise of the channel and the original work it will help produce in the short form. The horror genre is oversaturated, so it’s great to see a platform help discover and foster young talented filmmakers so they can get noticed. And, in the case of Culprit Creative’s Chainsaw, we definitely noticed—there’s no doubt that Chainsaw is a film with teeth…lots of metal grinding ones to be exact…