Director Jason Eisener is back with the horror/sci-fi movie Kids vs. Aliens, released in Theaters, On Demand, and Digital on January 20, 2023, from RLJE Films and Shudder.
In Kids vs. Aliens, produced by Bloody Disgusting, Cinepocalypse, and Studio71, all Gary (Dominic Mariche) wants is to make wrestling home movies with his best buds. Gary’s annoyed that his older sister Samantha (Phoebe Rex) wants to skip their wrestling fun to hang with the cool kids. When the siblings’ parents head out of town on Halloween weekend, a teen house party turns to terror when aliens attack, forcing the siblings to band together to survive the night.
Eisener co-wrote the film with John Davies (Hobo with a Shotgun) and incorporated his childhood into this wild midnight movie, from hometown UFO lore to his love of Masters of the Universe toys. In many ways, Kids vs. Aliens feels like a fitting full circle moment for Eisener’s genre career.
So much so that we’re looking back at Eisener’s horror output in anticipation of Kids vs. Aliens.
“Treevenge”
Jason Eisener hit the ground running in this 2008 short that sees Christmas trees revolt in gruesome ways. The filmmaker frames the horror from the perspective of sentient trees tired of humans using them as holiday décor, prompting a yuletide massacre that goes heavy on the eye-gouging deaths. It’s short, sweet, and fully unhinged.
Hobo with a Shotgun
“I’m gonna sleep in your bloody carcasses tonight!”
In 2007, an international trailer contest was run in promotion of the Quentin Tarantino and Robert Rodriguez double feature Grindhouse. Director Jason Eisener got together with collaborators Rob Cotterill and John Davies, wrote a script, and shot a trailer titled “Hobo with a Shotgun” for a mere $150 in a few days. It went viral on YouTube shortly after and won the contest. The exposure led to a feature film version getting fast-tracked, the second fake trailer from Grindhouse to earn one (after Machete).
The feature-length film takes the highlight reel of the faux trailer and expands it to a brisk hour-and-a-half story that replaces the original Hobo, David Brunt, for a more recognizable genre mainstay, Rutger Hauer. Also gone is the scratchy, dusty vintage film quality and replaced instead with the vivid technicolor world. Though the visual style might have been updated, the film retains that grindhouse DNA; dialogue, gore and all.
The ABCs of Death – “Y is for Youngbuck”
This horror anthology assembled 26 shorts from genre filmmakers worldwide, all creating a story about death corresponding with each letter of the alphabet. Jason Eisener’s segment served as a grim energy boost near the film’s conclusion. A vile janitor gets his comeuppance in a fitting, horror-centric way, highlighting Eisener’s ability to test boundaries while delivering on the bloodletting and distinct style.
V/H/S/2 – “Slumber Party Alien Abduction”
The final segment, save wraparound, in this anthology sequel shares a lot of overlap with Kids vs. Aliens. Siblings take advantage of a parentless weekend with a slumber party. Gary and his brother antagonize their older sister, who’s much more interested in boys, and fail to notice that aliens are watching them. It’s a segment with a massive mean streak but one that demonstrates Eisener’s ability to let kids be kids at their messiest, most destructive. It’s easy to see where the kernel of Kids vs. Aliens began, expanding into a much more playful, anything-goes universe.
“One Last Dive”
Whereas Eisener’s genre output tends to evoke a sense of fun and gleeful gore, this short showcases the Canadian filmmaker’s ability to scare. The short film follows a diver’s final descent to investigate an underwater crime scene with time of the essence, and that night dive packs in chilling imagery and a breathless last hook. The supernatural twist to aquatic horror is so simple yet so utterly spooky. The short was included as part of The 3:07 AM Project. While Eisener’s planned feature adaptation never came to fruition, the filmmaker channeled some of those plans into Kids vs. Alien, resulting in some of the film’s best scenes.
Dark Side of the Ring
Jason Eisener’s acclaimed documentary series explores the intersection of reality and fiction within the wrestling world. And Eisener isn’t afraid to explore the sport’s most controversial stories. It’s not horror, obviously, but there is enough overlap among fandoms to appeal to genre fans. More importantly, it highlights one of Eisener’s passions, which extends to his plucky leads in Kids Vs. Aliens. It’s Gary’s entire motivation propelling his journey, and wrestling also serves as a vital asset against the alien invasion.
Kids vs. Aliens releases in Theaters, On Demand, and Digital on January 20, 2023, from RLJE Films and Shudder.
The post From ‘Treevenge’ to ‘Kids vs. Aliens’: A Jason Eisener Retrospective! appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.