Punk Rock Party Slasher on Purge Streaming. A must watch for fans
Pa Robert Succi
| Published
There’s only one thing more violent than a killer mob in a mosh pit, and that’s a group of murderous straight-edgers ready to wreak havoc at a house party full of booze, drugs, and a bunch of losers trying to blow off some steam. Although I’ve only elbowed myself in the back of the head a couple of times trying to jump at hardcore gigs (it’s fun, but not a lifestyle I’ve ever fully embraced), I can’t deny that Straight Edge Kegger it’s the cinematic version of getting concussed while wearing a pair of Chuck Taylors, but a whole lot bloodier.
Writer/director Jason Zink may be about to begin his found footage era with the release of Looky-Loo, but Straight Edge Kegger is the highest score of his films to date, and is the perfect combination of guitar feedback and powerful chords that only crescendo as the house party turns into Cleaning in the blink of an eye.
Survival Horror with a twist
Straight Edge Kegger has all the makings of a perfect B-movie; the actors are unknown, the plot is simple, the gore is completely homemade, and it looks like Zink and company had a lot of fun putting it together after crowdfunding the entire project. Straight Edge Kegger was made by punks, for punks, has an estimated budget of $40,000 and a soundtrack featuring the likes of Uglybones (who gave a stunning opening performance), Shannon and the Clams, xRepresentx, Noose, Sluts, Televised Suicide and Fritsy. If you haven’t heard any of these bands before, you’re rightfully warned that “THIS MOVIE NEEDS TO BE PLAYED LOUD” before the credits roll.
Old habits die hard
Straight Edge Kegger introduces Brad (Corey Case), a 20-year-old punk who embodies the straight-edge lifestyle; do not smoke, do not drink alcohol, do not use drugs and take a vow of celibacy. His group of like-minded friends, led by James (Julio Alexander), started attending concerts in the area with pure intentions because they wanted to keep skinheads and other hate groups away from kids who just want to see live music without the threat of unnecessary violence. Brad, the most level-headed friend in the group, begins to distance himself from the simple way of life as James becomes increasingly aggressive towards anyone who dares to contradict his ethics.
To illustrate this point, James punches Uglybones lead singer Leo Ero in the face for simply singing a song called “Booze Hound” at the end of their set.
Fed up with James’ unwavering commitment to being a total killer, Brad seeks out Sean (Sean Jones), one of the neighborhood partygoers, to embark on a journey of self-discovery. This unbridled self-exploration leads to Shawn embarking on a huge bender (complete with throwing up behind a dumpster) and realizing that maybe it’s not so bad to cut loose.
Punk rock meets the Purge
Enjoying his new love of life and partying after abandoning his simple ways, Brad is invited to a kegger at one of the local punk houses where he meets his crush Maybe (Evie Reidy) and the two hit it off instantly. At first everything was going great – the band was loud, the girls were playing Edward’s 40s, and Brad was accepting it all, because all the aspects of youth life that he had denied himself up to this point were available for him to indulge.
It doesn’t take long for a bunch of masked thugs (led by James) to crash the party. Armed with rocks, knives, crossbows and blinded by rage, the attackers use a jammer to render everyone’s cell phones useless and begin to systematically kill everyone in the house.
Caught in the middle of a house party with no access to help, Brad, Shawn, and Maybee realize they must fight fire with fire and get the house back before James and his thugs claim more lives.
A self-aware B-movie bloodbath
It takes a certain kind of person to enjoy these kinds of movies Straight Edge Keggerand I am definitely one of them. While I’m far from telling anyone what “real punk” is, I’m inclined to say that launching a passion project that’s so hard-hitting and still has a sense of humor, is about as punk rock as it gets.
If you have seen any of the movies in Cleaning franchise, Straight Edge Kegger doesn’t really offer anything new. But if you’re already a fan of quick and dirty survival horror movies and want to see how a group of party punks handle themselves when the odds are against them, then you’ll find yourself jumping off the couch before you do it is before the second act.
As of this writing, you can stream Straight Edge Kegger free on Tubi.
English