Awakening the ‘Monster Kid’ in All of Us: A Review of ‘Vapor Green’ from Box Creep Films!

Growing up, I absolutely adored monster movies. Some of my earliest memories are ones of my grandparents taking me to the library or the local movie rental store to get VHS tapes. While other kids wanted to be astronauts or doctors when they grew up, I wanted to be an actor or a filmmaker. From Kaiju flicks like Godzilla, to the Universal classics like Frankenstein and The Wolfman, I loved it all. That love of the macabre and otherworldly has followed me all the way through adulthood. However, despite watching countless horror films over the years it is rare that I have found a film that brought back that sense of childlike wonder. Sure, there have been great films with some truly hideous creatures, but there are almost no films that I can think of that have rivaled the sense of awe that I had when I saw Frankenstein for the first time for example. Here, dear reader, is where Box Creep Films entered my life. 

The brainchild of filmmaker Stephen Grischuk, Box Creep Films delivers DIY micro-budget horror films that have more heart, passion, and fun put into them than any other films in underground horror. While Stephen had worked on projects before Box Creep Films, his first real break into the scene was with his film Color Space Blood Red, a sci-fi/horror romp that showed his talent as a filmmaker through its creative set design and story beats involving a lone space traveler encountering hostile extraterrestrial life. With his follow-up film Vapor Green, the second film in a planned trilogy, Stephen takes aim at a different monster altogether. The human mind. Remember that commercial that compared your brain on drugs to a fried egg? With Vapor Green Stephen Grischuk cuts out the middleman. By posing the question, “why use drugs to alter your brain, when you can just use an actual brain?”

The film follows a drug dealer named Ricky (Ian Johnson) as he supplies clients with a new and bizarre drug that involves consuming a human brain. You see, it has been discovered that if you dissolve a human brain, it will release fumes that can then be inhaled, which in turn allows the user to experience memories of the person who’s brain they are inhaling and alter the memory however they would like. There’s no hangover, no munchies, and no side effects. Just an otherworldly experience only limited by the constraints of the memory being inhabited. However, there is a slight catch. To get the vapor from the brain the organ must be dissolved in what is simply referred to as “acid.” Dissolve the brain in too much acid and there are deadly side effects for the user, which later causes them to return from the dead as a zombie. What follows is smoking brains, zombies, skateboarding, and cemetery visits as we follow Ricky as he tries to make the best of a worsening situation that involves the dead rising from their graves.

While the budget Stephen and crew worked with on the film was evidently low, the special effects in the film are quite good. Guts, melted faces, and dissolved brains abound, and the set designs and props created by Grischuk for the film are nothing short of inspired. Using the tools available at his disposal, Stephen delivers one bizarre set piece after another. While these instances may not look as realistic as a larger budget film, the technical skill involved is evident and brings with it its own homemade charm. If I were to compare the set and effects design to a singular film it would be Geek Maggot Bingo from Nick Zedd, another film made on a very low budget with a huge amount of charm. The practical effects and set design are part of what truly separates not just this film, but Box Creep Films in general, away from the pack and are certainly an attribute that will be looked back upon in the future fondly by cult film fans. The other major element of Stephen’s films that sets them apart is the comedic writing and acting performances by a cast that truly shine.

While Vapor Green is a horror film first and foremost, it cannot be discussed without mentioning the comedic writing and acting as well. The film’s premise is silly and strange, and everyone in the film seems to know this and fully plays into it. One such example is the performance delivered by Stephen’s real-life father, who plays a vapor user who is Ricky’s self-proclaimed “best customer” (a point to which Ricky argues against vehemently). The performance feels like something pulled straight from a Troma film and is a great representation of the film’s firmly tongue in cheek nature. Everyone in the film delivers a solid performance, with no single actor outshining the others. However, while the characters are all fun to watch I do wish we got more background on the characters in the film. With a runtime of 43-minutes, the film flies by at a brisk pace and while I appreciate the film respecting the viewers time, I do believe it would benefit from having a little bit more fleshing out of characters. Still, this does not make Vapor Green any less enjoyable. It is a testament to the film’s quality that the viewer wants to spend more time in the world that Stephen has created.

Vapor Green is a film that will be looked back on in the future as a cult classic. Filled with weird and fun set pieces, great acting performances, sharp writing, and a charm that rivals any film in independent cinema this is a film that viewers of all stripes will enjoy. With Vapor Green, Stephen Grischuk has proven once again to be a filmmaker to watch going forward. He has once again delivered a charming piece of cinema that will be enjoyed for years to come. Thank you Stephen, for you awakened the “monster kid” in me that seemed to have been forgotten.

Vapor Green is available on DVD from Box Creep Films here.

Directed by: Stephen Grischuk
Written by: Stephen Grischuk
Produced by: Stephen Grischuk
Cinematography by: Stephen Grischuk
Editing by: Stephen Grischuk
Music by: Steve and the Crypt Keepers
Special Effects by: Stephen Grischuk
Cast: Nicholas Grischuk, Ian Johnson, Rachel Kepler, Shane Kepler, Jonah Azlin McLendon
Year: 2022
Country: USA
Language: English
Colour: Colour
Runtime: 43min

Studio: Box Creep Films