When your father is one of the best horror directors of all time and an innovator of the zombie film, trying to follow in his footsteps is going to be one hell of a tough gig. In 1968 when Cameron Romero’s father, George Romero, made a little independent film called Night of the Living Dead, producing films was not as easy as it is today. Now, anyone can make a movie. Proof of that can be found by the majority of crap anyone can rent at any movie rental store. In order for Cameron Romero to be like his father, he has to deal with fifty times the number of horror filmmakers with whom his father competed. The younger Romero’s first film, Staunton Hill is full of clichés and borrows a lot from some of the classic films of the past and some of the not-so-classic films of the present. Nonetheless, where countless reviewers have pawned this one off as another ripoff film, I for one, found one thing about the film’s storyline that makes Staunton Hill stand out from all the rest. Just as in his father’s films, Cameron incorporates a social issue into his story that makes this film stand out a little more from the movies from which it borrows.
Any horror fan that has seen the original Texas Chainsaw Massacre and its remake is going to see the similarities to the villains in this film immediately. Couple that with films like Wrong Turn, the Hostel films and House of 1000 Corpses and you will be able to point out where director Cameron Romero either borrows from or pays homage to these films.
Staunton Hill starts off as the majority of horror films do. A group of college-aged kids is traveling though a remote part of the country when their car breaks down. No phones or civilization is in sight, so they decide to crash in a barn till morning, when they run into Buddy, a mentally-challenged guy, his overweight redneck mother and his wheelchair-bound grandmother. At first, all seems fine, but that is until the family starts picking them off one by one and starts harvesting their body parts.
Now the story does have a bit of a loop to it, where you know there is a twist at a certain point. The social issue that seems to be the focus of the film is of the body organ trade and how certain body parts cold potentially get onto the black market. That’s what I took away from this film, and although it doesn’t really cram that issue down your throat, it does hint that this film does have a simple meaning to it other than being just another run-of-the mill horror film that borrows and pays tribute to similar films.
Staunton Hill is as independent as a horror film can get. The film’s production value is not all that great. The camera work is a bit shaky and the editing is a bit choppy. While it is obvious that the majority of the film was shot on location, the way certain sets were dressed, I felt looked bit too clean for the characters’ residence.
The film does, however, have some great acting. Cameron Romero has a knack for directing actors and put together a talented cast. I found it funny that he cast Kathy Lamkin who was the overweight woman in the trailer of the Texas Chainsaw Massacre remake. She has a bigger and better role in this film, but still is typecast in the part.
If you can get over the many horror clichés and tributes to other horror films, and don’t mind a story that we’ve all seen a million times in horror films, you may enjoy this one. Like his father, Cameron Romero does try to incorporate a kind of social issue in this film. It is just that the clichés overshadow the story and the point he is trying to make. The film starts very slowly, but overall, it is not a bad film. Just as with any new filmmaker, it takes a lot of time to develop the required skill set. I see a lot of Cameron’s father in his work, and in time, I think he could make some great horror films.
– Horror Bob
- Interview with J.R. Bookwalter - January 22, 2015
- Interview with Andrew J. Rausch - January 22, 2015
- Interview with Rick Popko and Dan West - January 22, 2015
- Interview with Director Stevan Mena (Malevolence) - January 22, 2015
- Interview with Screenwriter Jeffery Reddick (Day of the Dead 2007) - January 22, 2015
- Teleconference interview with Mick Garris (Masters of Horror) - January 22, 2015
- A Day at the Morgue with Corri English (Unrest) - January 22, 2015
- Interview with Writer/Director Nacho Cerda (The Abandoned, Aftermath) - January 22, 2015
- Interview with Actress Thora Birch (Dark Corners, The Hole, American Beauty) - January 22, 2015
- Interview with Actor Jason Behr, Plus Skinwalkers Press Coverage - January 22, 2015
