Review of John Dies at the End (2013) by Allan C — 17 Aug 2013

This film versions of the gonzo horror novel of the same name, which is kind of "The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy" for horror novels, manages to capture the off-beat tone of the book, but likely due to budget and time constraints cut out some major chunks out of the original story and greatly reduced some of the characters.

I think I was most disappointed that they eliminated the Shadow People. The story involves Dave and the doomed John taking "soy sauce" which then gives them them heightened senses that make them aware of other dimension and realities.

The entire Las Vegas portion of the book is eliminated, though Clancy Brown for some reason still appears at the start of the film as Marconi to help them with the monster made out of meat. Not to spoil the books ending, but the books original opening about an axe if for some reason included even though it's a clear reference to a major twist in the book that's left out of the movie.

Still, the film has a very likable cast and a fun outlandish tone that's hard to resist for fan of these types of film. Chase Williamson and Rob Mayes are completely new actors to me, but both are very likable leads as Dave and John.

Paul Giamatti is always great and is again here as a reporter hearing Dave's wild story. Clancy Brown is a character actor I love and he is fun in his bit part as Marcoini. Familiar faces Daniel Roebuck and Angus Scrimm (a regular in Don Coscarelli films) also show up in small roles.

And if you think this film and book have the ultimate spoiler title, don't forget Penn & Teller's film back in the 80s, "Penn & Teller Get Killed.".