Red State (2011)

Lottttaaaaa Kevin Smith haters out there.  Did y'all not like Clerks?  Mallrats?  Seriously.  These movies rock and so does Silent Bob, and Jay for that matter.

Did you know that man in the picture to the left is Texas Ranger Earl McGraw, hailing from the one and only From Dusk Til Dawn?  Hard to tell, but apparently Kevin Smith wrote the preacher part specifically for him, and refused to make the movie without his sign-on.  Also, little did Smith know that dude sang with Johnny Cash before lending his vocals to Silent Bob's first horror movie.  Rock on.

So what exactly is Red State about?  Some horny teenagers, Travis (Michael Angarano), Travis (Kyle Gallner), and Billy Ray (Nicholas Braun) find a MILF on some sex website and decide to drive out to meet her.  Unfortunately, they've been lured into the trap of an anti-gay, fundamentalist Christian sect led by Abin Cooper (Michael Parks).  The teenagers are trapped, Saran-wrapped, and otherwise restrained, while the religious psychos preach on.

The ATF, including John Goodman (!!!!) get involved, and a firefight ensues.  Neither side is messing around, and are ready to fight to the death.  This movie was chock-full of socio-political commentary, and the infamous Westboro Baptist church was involved on several occasions throughout the screenings and distribution.  Kevin Smith calling this "straight-up horror" is a little bit of a misnomer...it's say it's more action/drama than horror, but the line is quite blurred these days as it is.

I liked Red State overall, and I'm surprised by all the horror community backlash.  Great cast, including some genre names, as well as surprises like Milton from Office Space and Oscar-winner Melissa Leo.  No predictable stoner-vibe Smith cast here.