[Review] The Greatest Horror Film Ever Made (Wreak Havoc Horror Film Festival): Comedy Short Serves as a Satirical Primer on How to — Or How Not to — Make a Horror Film

Writer/director/star Brandon Jordan takes a light-hearted look at the frustrations of being a filmmaker in his horror comedy short film The Greatest Horror Film Ever Made. A fun look at the creative process and at current thoughts on fright-fare tropes and trends, the short is a hilarious journey through the mind of Jordan as he tries to come up with a solid screenplay.

Jordan narrates, taking viewers from the first page of his process through running his ideas by a kind friend (Sylvia Brindis). He plays with hoary chestnuts such as requiring a nerdy Final Girl (Darby Puckett), a Jock (Morgan St. Pierre), a Black Guy (Vince Harrington), and a Bimbo (Stormi Maya) as characters — along with a killer (Vita Burn), naturally — and then how and when it is okay for them to die in a film, for reasons ranging from political correctness to something being done so many times that it has become predictable. Each time he comes up with a different concept, the characters play through the scenarios accordingly, leading to satirical takes on clichés and other humorous interactions.

Jordan has written a clever screenplay that is relatable to both horror movie filmmakers and fans, and he does a great job at bringing his creative frustrations to life as the short’s main actor. The rest of the cast turn in game performances, too, obviously having a great time messing about with the tropes of their characters.

The Greatest Horror Film Ever Made is a unique approach to sending up overused horror movie stand-bys and clichés, and a fun example of how maddening it can be to try to find fresh ways to approach them.

The Greatest Horror Film Ever Made won the Best Horror Comedy Award at Wreak Havoc Horror Film Festival, which ran from October 21-22, 2020.

Joseph Perry

Joseph Perry fell in love with horror films as a preschooler when he first saw the Gill-Man swim across the TV screen in "The Creature from The Black Lagoon" and Mothra battle Godzilla in "Godzilla Vs. The Thing.” His education in fright fare continued with TV series such as "The Twilight Zone" and "Outer Limits," along with legendary northern California horror host Bob Wilkins’ "Creature Features." His love for silver age and golden age comic books, including horror titles from Gold Key, Dell, and Marvel started around age 5.

He is a contributing writer for the "Phantom of the Movies VideoScope" and “Drive-In Asylum” print magazines and the websites Horror Fuel, Diabolique Magazine, The Scariest Things, B&S About Movies, and When It Was Cool. He is a co-host of the "Uphill Both Ways" pop culture nostalgia podcast and also writes for its website. Joseph occasionally proudly co-writes articles with his son Cohen Perry, who is a film critic in his own right.

A former northern Californian and Oregonian, Joseph has been teaching, writing, and living in South Korea since 2008.