“HECKLE” (2020) SHOWS US THERE IS MORE TO STAND-UP COMEDY THAN LAUGHS
Very few movies have an original take these days. As they say, “It’s all done before”. Countless slasher movies, movies that revolve around something paranormal (sometimes a ghost or an evil entity killing you in your dreams), or reawaking some kind of old-time curse. Sure, we have seen these types of movies hundreds of times but no matter what new one comes out hardcore horror fans are going to give it a watch. It is very few times that a horror fan (even one who has seen so many movies I can’t even count) is surprised by the main plot where it is the foundation of what is ahead of us.
This movie I am going to be reviewing is a premise I have never heard of before. It is a horror movie revolving around a stand-up comedian. As someone who personally has done stand-up comedy for over 12+ years, I have never seen a horror movie be revolved around a comedian. The concept of a stand-up comedian being stalked by a killer was an interesting concept to me. I would be scared out of my damn mind if I did a comedy show and someone unknown face in the audience started stalking me and wanting to kill me for an unknown reason.
The thing most people don’t realize is comedians (most not all) tend to be a little anxious before going on stage. It is a tough gig. You basically have 2 seconds to get the crowd on your side before they destroy you. Not to mention you have these blinding lights shining at you and only being able to see the silhouette of a sea of people. That on its own is horrifying at times.
Recently I got a chance to watch the comedian-based mystery thriller “Heckle” from Uncork’d Entertainment. This movie is written by Airell Anthony Hayles and directed by Martyn Pick. The movie stars Steve Guttenberg, Guy Combes, Lewis Selwyn, Helena Antonio, Stephanie Leigh Rose, and Natasha Starkey. The movie revolves around Ray Kelly (played by Steve Guttenberg) and a present-day famous comedian Joe Johnson (played by Guy Combes). Ray Kelly is an angry, hateful and but beloved famous comedian who ends up being murdered in his home. We get flashes back to Ray Kelly and his life, as well as the night of his death.
I found Steve Guttenberg’s character quite interesting. Not with the fact that he is a disgruntled comedian (those are a dime a dozen) but the choice he used for the character’s voice. “The Guttes” the nickname I bestowed upon one of my favorite 80’s actors Steve Guttenberg, who seemed to be doing a rough and tough impression of Bruce Willis for his character. I honestly didn’t hate it. It was interesting to see him play a gritty and constantly angry character. In my opinion, he knocked it out of the park.
After the first initial flashback from Ray Kelly’s death, we are introduced to our movie’s main character Joe Johnson on stage at a huge sold-out show. Things are going great until he is heckled by an unknown man in the crowd. They have a few minutes of back-and-forth insults before the Heckler says something that throws Joe off. After the show, Joe meets up with his friends David (played by Louis Selwyn), Laura (played by Helena Antonio), and Janine (played by Natasha Starkey) to go out to dinner. There is a great scene here where the waiter asks Joe if he is playing Ray Kelly in an upcoming movie, based on rumors he has heard. Joe ends up telling him he is, and the waiter says that Ray Kelly used to come in all the time. This leads to one of many flashbacks to show the intense rudeness that comes from the “charming” personality of Ray Kelly.
The majority of the second act of the movie is Joe getting creepy calls from the Heckler, who clearly has been stalking him everywhere he goes throughout the movie. Things slowly escalate more and more with each call. You can see Joe’s decline into insanity with each harassing call that he gets. His friends finally decide to go to the country and have an 80’s party in hopes to enjoy the news of Joe’s career-making role. Things are going great at the party until Joe’s ex-wife shows up to crash their party. They go into another room to argue (which clearly gives a sign as to why they are no longer together) while everyone is left in the other room hearing the shouting match that they are having in the other room.
The final act of this movie has so many twists and turns. The reveal of who the “Heckler” or aka the killer is and the reasons behind the plot of this movie are more intense than the movie leads on to. I won’t go over the spoilers of course because it is one you must see for yourself. I will say this, there are twists within twists of this reveal that goes back over a span of 20 years. The last few minutes of this movie may stack up perfectly, but there are a couple of moments that you will have to collect your thoughts after the credits roll in order to really absorb what was just put in front of you.
All in all, I will say this movie had a lot going for it and didn’t disappoint. Sure, I am a bit biased when it comes to stand-up comedian stuff, but it is in a realm of entertainment like I have never seen before. The sheer fact of combining my two favorite things (stand-up comedy and horror) was something I thought I would never see in my lifetime. The moments of thrills in this movie and suspense landed perfectly and every one of the cast members brought their all to this movie. They used what they had and really ran with it, which you have to respect when it comes to acting in a horror movie. Most of all, I enjoyed seeing Steve Guttenburg (aka The Guttes) in a genre that I have never seen him in before. This is a high recommendation for me. I feel that anyone who watches this will find something they like in this movie, even if it is just the horror aspect and kills.
“Heckle” from Uncork’d Entertainment is currently available on VOD. Be sure to get your copy today and enjoy the movie.
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