Review: The Mole Man of Belmont Avenue

I am always up for a horror comedy, that perfect blend of gore and lightheartedness that lets me feel less inappropriate for laughing when someone gets their spleen ripped out (see Tucker and Dale VS Evil). When The Mole Man of Belmont Avenue came my way I intrigued and ready to watch. While the film doesn't deliver a clever concept it draws together many typical horror tropes and presents a fun, sometimes funny piece that is big on stoner humor and droll sarcasm.

Directors/writers/stars Mike Bradecich and John LaFlamboy have great chemistry in the film and provide the only real laughs as slacker brothers and landlords of a dilapidated apartment building in Chicago. Jarmon Mugg and Marion Mugg inherited the building and it's colorful tenants from their mother and have subsequently run it into the ground. They steal electricity from the church next door to avoid paying bills and have let the furnace break-down, stranding tenants without heat. Those that are left are even more disgruntled as their beloved pets mysteriously disappear. When Jarmon and Marion discover the culprit is a grotesque, flesh-hungry mole-man, they cover it up in an attempt to preserve their last few rent checks. But! When covering it up becomes a matter of life and death for the tenants, the brothers, armed with super-spades and perimeter lights, track the mole man to its lair for a final showdown.

Throughout most of the film the mole-man is nothing but a pair of very fake monster hands protruding from a cloaked mass. The creature deploys brazen attacks on the building's pets, snatching them from underneath their owner's noses. There is little horrifying about the mole man until we see his face (this makeup provides the best special effect in the film). In fact, it is the final act where the atmosphere and tension finally ramps up and some moderate chills are generated by sparse, creepy music and strategic lighting.

I really enjoyed the brotherly banter between lead actors and this pairing enhanced the film. In a nod to horror superstars from the past we see Robert Englund of Freddy Kruger fame hamming it up as tenant Hezekiah Confab. The supporting cast of characters are strictly two-dimensional (with a couple of super wooden performances), but then what more should you expect from the expendables? The quirky casting of the antagonistic policeman and the scenes around the animal shelter more than compensated for any lulls and these twisted jokes covered for any bad or poorly delivered ones.