Kevin Smith initially made a name for himself via a series of celebrated slacker comedies, but the filmmaker also has a soft spot for the horror scene. He’s made four in total, including the supremely odd Tusk, and follow-up Yoga Hosiers, and the more recent KillRoy Was Here. Each is, it’s fair to say, an acquired taste, but Smith clearly had a lot of fun with them. It’s actually his first horror movie where Smith did his best work.
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His first stab at the genre, Red State, is incidentally his best. The film delivers astute commentary on religious fanaticism, the poisonous nature of prejudice, and the price of ignorance. The flick was far from a box office smash, but it has since found an audience via home video and the streaming space. If you’re game to experience the flick, you’re in luck. Red State is available to watch via several ad-supported VOD platforms, including Tubi, Pluto, Fandango at Home, The Roku Channel, Plex, and Prime Video. Here’s the trailer:
Smith takes the sole screenwriting credit on this project. He has previously revealed that his script is inspired by the late Fred Phelps, a controversial figure who rose to prominence pushing an agenda of hatred and intolerance during his lengthy tenure as the pastor of the Westboro Baptist Church in Topeka, Kansas. The late actor Michael Parks plays Pastor Abin Cooper, the antagonist in the film. Smith has been careful to say that Cooper is not intended as a direct representation of Phelps, rather than loosely inspired by his particular brand of hatred.
In addition to serving as Smith’s first foray into horror, the film further differentiates itself by eschewing some of the bathroom humor for which he is so well known. That turned out to be a wise move, seeing as the tone of Red State is unflinching, intense, and often mean-spirited. Don’t get us wrong, Smith still peppers the proceedings with occasional moments of dark comedy that provide some much-needed levity, but he shows us a more restrained version of himself here.
The flick isn’t necessarily a critical darling – not by a long shot really – however, the collective sentiment skews somewhat positive. For instance, the picture is narrowly classified as fresh on Rotten Tomatoes with a critical approval rating of 62%. Film scholars who spoke positively about this intense effort praised the strong performances from a talented cast (including John Goodman and Melissa Leo) and the picture’s willingness to repeatedly push boundaries.
For our money, this is easily Smith’s best horror film to date, and there’s a very good chance you haven’t even been able to see them all. If you haven’t heard of KillRoy Was Here, it was released as an NFT and is now largely regarded as a lost effort due to its extremely limited availability.
How many of Smith’s horror pictures have you taken in and which of them sits at the top of your personal ranking? Make sure to drop down to the comments section below and let us know!
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