Dreaming Purple Neon Review from Unearthed Films!
Todd Sheets is no stranger to the indie horror scene and has delivered a plethora of titles. The man knows a thing or two about the do-it-yourself attitude and determination that it takes to make a low budget horror feature. He not only knows the ins and outs of the indie gauntlet but the man knows how to make it work like a well-oiled savage monster of a machine. Countless hours of hard work, blood, sweat, fucking tears and beyond. With his latest project, Dreaming Purple Neon, which might possibly be his most ambitious yet, he has laid all the cards on the table.
With his previous film House of Forbidden Secrets, Sheets told me he made his tribute to Italian horror, and rightfully so, by even having Fabio fucking Frizzi score the son of a bitch for him. With Dreaming Purple Neon, Sheets has made his gory love letter to the crazy flicks of eighties horror cinema, or VHS horror in general, where no fucks were given and filmmakers pulled out all the stops. Think crazy drug-fuelled satanic gore madness and Dreaming Purple Neon is the final product that is created from those nasty ingredients.
Dreaming Purple Neon begins with small-time hoods Tyrone (Ricky Farr) and Ray Ray (Antwoine Steel lookin’ hilarious with this crazy curly black bouffant of a hairstyle), who are taking care of some business when things get messy. Tyrone gets his assistant Catriona (Millie Milan) to get the “cleaners” to take care of the mess in his office. Millie decides she has had enough of Tyrone’s criminal activity and steals some of the valuables hidden in his office, including his stash of a valuable new street drug called “Purple Neon.” We also get another storyline involving Dallas (Jeremy Edwards), who has returned to his hometown to set things straight with his lost love interest Denise (Eli DeGeer). To make a long story short, all the characters end up at a dental office which is owned by Cyrus Archer (Jack McCord), who is doing some pretty fucked up shit in the basement, unbeknownst to anyone.
Sheets really raised the bar in the splatter department with this one because he lays it on thick throughout, especially when shit gets real about 30-minutes into the movie. There is lots of blood, nudity and gore in this one to appease your appetite. My only qualms would be the acting which suffers in certain parts and can be dull performance-wise and it takes a while into the movie to get the story set up. Overall, Dreaming Purple Neon is a wild and entertaining ride that goes for the balls with its visceral display of grue on-screen. Sheets has definitely succeeded in doing what he wanted by giving fans a throwback of extreme cinema from the video store era.
Sheets has practically financed Dreaming Purple Neon himself, made for hardly no money and starring friends he has made along the way in his filmmaking endeavors — people who have put in long gruelling hours to make this a reality for the fans. We commend your dedication, humble attitude and dedication to the craft! Support true indie horror. Support Todd Sheets and Extreme Entertainment. I also have to give props for the cool as balls Marvel-esque movie intro used for Extreme Entertainment, as I myself am a big fan of all things comic book related. Very cool shit indeed. Radio Host and Horror Movie Director going strong since 1988 — support this legend!
Directed by: Todd Sheets | Written by: Todd Sheets | Produced by: Amanda Payton | Cinematography by: Todd Sheets | Editing by: Todd Sheets | Special Effects by: Stacy Weible | Cast: Jeremy Edwards, Eli DeGeer, Millie Milan, Grant Conrad, Jack McCord, Nick Randol, Antwoine Steele, Ricky Farr, Jolene Loftin, Ana Plumberg, Daniel Bell | Year: 2016 | Country: USA | Colour: Colour | Language: English | Runtime: 1h 51min
Studio: Extreme Entertainment
Distributor: Unearthed Films
