"Tromeo and Juliet" (1996)

This week, I also featured Beware: Children at Play on this blog.  What do a movie about cannibalistic kiddos and one about the greatest love story ever told have in common?  They were both made by Troma, a film studio that makes campy, fun horror flicks.  Tromeo and Juliet, however, is slightly more refined than some Troma films-- it is a remake of Romeo and Juliet, sure, but it also features raunchy love scenes, multiple body piercings, and a certain monster of a, um, private nature.... Overall, it may not be as brilliant as the original Shakespearean masterpiece, but it is a raunchy flick filled with laughs and gore.

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You can catch Tromeo and Juliet instantly on Netflix, or decide to purchase it on Amazon.  Frankly, this movie is on my wish list-- I definitely want to add it to my horror collection soon!  In the meantime, check out a preview below:



P.S. Talk about issues with the writing!  The screenwriter of Tromeo and Juliet, Jamie Gunn, was only paid $150 for the entire screenplay.  He was also instructed by director Lloyd Kaufman (whom I love!) to write the script in iambic pentameter, just like Shakespeare.  Jamie Gunn started to, but then decided he was too bored with it and just told the director he did.  I guess someone needs to brush up on their poetry.....

"Beware: Children at Play" (1989)

In the gore-fest that is Beware: Children at Play, the premise is simple: a bunch of children go missing in a small town, and a writer and a cop go out looking for them.  Have they fallen victim to a serial killer, or a sex slave operation?  No.  Instead, they are recruited into a primitive, cannibalistic cult where they lure unsuspecting adults to their death.  While some would suggest that this flick is beyond ridiculous, I happen to find the combination of murderous children and low-budget filmmaking quite charming.

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Just your luck, folks-- this movie is available to watch instantly on Netflix.  If you are really partial to campy, gory flicks, go buy it on Amazon.  In the meantime, here's a clip to tide you all over:



P.S. Beware: Children at Play is a product of Troma, a campy horror studio that produced such classics as The Toxic Avenger and Terror Firmer.

P.S.S. This movie is not very well-known, but it is most famous around horror circles for its shocking ending, where the adults of the town end up killing their children in gruesome, if not unbelievable, ways.