Holliston:
The Complete Second Season
(2013/Image Blu-ray set)
Picture:
B+ Sound: B+ Extras: A Episodes: B
Imagine
an R-rated Big
Bang Theory-style
sitcom and you have Holliston,
which is geared towards fans of the horror genre. Starring Adam
(Adam Green, Frozen
and director of Hatchet
2)
who is the show's lead and is usually the spearhead behind the bad
idea, Joe Lynch (The
Knights of Badassdom)
the comic relief, the gorgeous Laura (The
Hills Have Eyes)
who has a taste for the macabre and is something of a painter, Corri
(The
Devil May Call)
who is always the sensible one. The show also stars Oderus Urunguns
(GWAR's Dave Brockie) who lives in Adam's closet and offers sage like
advice, and Lance Rockett (Twisted Sister's Dee Snider) who is their
boss. They also have a stuffed cat that lives in their apartment
that's inanimate nature is the butt of many jokes. The cat's comments
are usually subtitled.
The
premise continuing in this Complete
Second Season
is that Adam and Joe are two down-and-out aspiring filmmakers that
struggle with life, career, and the opposite sex as they attempt to
make it out of the small New England town of Holliston and into the
big time. They have a public access television show called The
Movie Crypt
that features bad horror trivia and movies. The show also features
cameos by Seth Green (Family
Guy),
Bailee Madison (Trophy
Wife),
Sid Haig (The
Devil's Rejects),
Kane Hodder (Friday
the 13th
7-X), Danielle Harris (the Halloween
remake), and David Naughton (An
American Werewolf in London).
Some
problems I have with the show is that the dialogue overall is pretty
bad and at most times feels scripted. There is a lot to like about
the series though and it has a lot of heart which I think makes it
stand out. The first episode, Suicidal
Tendencies,
features a cameo by Kane Hodder, who has found himself in the
hospital after an attempted suicide after a group of fans at a horror
convention ask him to sign Freddy Vs Jason and he goes over the deep
end. Adam and Joe decide to ask him to star in their short film in
an attempt to save their jobs at the Mass Cable Network (where Lane
Rockett is their boss). The episode features some great special
effects and some great acting by Kane.
The
second episode, Halloween
Girl,
picks up where the last episode left off and features Danielle Harris
who flies in to meet with Adam and Joe about their short film
starring Kane. Adam's infatuated with Danielle Harris and we realize
that she's using him for money by flirting with him. When she first
meets up with them she asked where Kane is and they tell her that
he's sleeping in their apartment. When they go back for a secret
meeting, we find Kane attempted to kill himself again, this time
wrapped up in a shower curtain with a tie tied around his head. Of
course, he wakes up in a Jason-like fashion, which is a nice touch.
When Danielle stays over one night she tells him to turn off the
lights as she sexually attacks him wearing the costume from Halloween
4 and
makes him wear a Michael Myers mask with a gag on it. Soon, Kane
joins in wearing his hockey mask and they talk about the crazy sex
they have had at horror conventions past with other horror
celebrities. Adam gets weirded out and runs out of the room, Michael
Myers mask still on, and gets clubbed on the head by Joe who think
he's trying to attack Laura. An outburst at a restaurant sends Corey
into a jealous spin over Danielle and he confronts Adam about
Danielle using him for pain meds and money. Later when Danielle
stands in front of the camera, Adam realizes that he's still in love
with Corey and fires her from the set.
In
Episode 3, Hobgoblin,
the group decides to make a found footage movie about the Holliston
Hob-Goblin - a character they make in an attempt to make something
after Kane Hodder discovered scientology and abandoned their short
film. This episode is pretty funny and a great parody of the found
footage film. Other Episodes include Honesty
where Laura's family comes to visit and she tells a white lie about
who her boyfriend really is, Rock
the Cradle
where Adam gets a VERY young girlfriend, Joe's
Soda
which is a werewolf themed episode where Corri gets bit by a
werewolf, Blobby
which is Laura's accidental creation when mixing paint chemicals,
Cursed
which is a parody of The
Ring
where the group watches a haunted video tape, Kevin's
Wedding
where Corri invites Adam to her friend's wedding, and finally Farm
Festival
where Adam and Joe decide to launch their own film festival after
their film is rejected in every other one. The season ends with a
bang with some great revelations by the main characters and a zombie
outbreak! Each episode contains a commentary track by the show's
creators, stars, and producers that are pretty informative and
hilarious.
The
1080p digital high definition transfer with a 1.78.1 aspect ratio is
pretty sharp and delivers superior picture quality to the show's
presentation. The audio is also great and sports a DTS Master Audio
5.1 lossless language track. The total running time of the disc is
240 minutes. Overall, the picture quality is great but by no means a
show piece for Blu-ray possibilities - standard high definition
television quality transfer.
Image
entertainment did a great job with the supplements on the disc.
Special Features include Cast Commentaries, Deleted Scenes, Gag Reel,
Behind the Scenes, the lengthy Christmas Special Episode, and more!
I feel like the features are pretty nice for this release and leave
not much to be desired. Great job!
If
you are a hardcore horror genre fan and enjoy a good laugh then
Holliston
is worth checking out. The cameos are pretty memorable and the idea
is pretty solid. I think one issue it may have is for people that
aren't horror movies fans getting all of the references. Holliston
really grew on this reviewer and I would totally suggest it!
- James Harland
Lockhart V
www.vimeo.com/jamielockhart
