In Stewart McLain’s The Xxtra Deadd, Lenny (Rob Houle) and Dana (Kate Houle), a husband-and-wife musical duo, are setting up in their home studio with friend Carl (Ben Olejniczak) to record demo tracks. While fixing an old analog mixer he had found, Lenny also discovered a cassette tape left by the previous owner. Out of curiosity, they play it, and Lenny and Carl start dancing to the music—unknowingly summoning the ghost of Shandy Blaine (Clark Cranston). Blaine was known as the notorious record producer who murdered 13 victims in his day. He was to capture their dying screams for a song called Final Girl for the band, Xxtra Badd.
Blaine’s murder spree was notorious in the industry. Now his spirit is back, determined to finish his work. Before our heroes can formulate a plan, the ghostly figure Blaine kills Carl and sprays Dana with blood, forcing her to flee for her life.
Kate Houle faces a supernatural threat in Stewart McLain’s horror-comedy The Xxtra Deadd.
“Blaine’s murder spree was notorious in the industry.”
As Blaine’s ghost grows more aggressive, Lenny and Dana scramble to find a permanent way to banish him. Their investigation reveals that Final Girl was never released because it was too disturbing for public consumption. The only way to stop Blaine may be to confront the song itself, risking their lives to silence the producer’s deadly creation. They need to bring the original band Xxtra Badd back together before Blaine can pick them off one by one.
I’m not a fan of horror, but if you ask me, my favorite brand is low-budget DIY horror. The Xxtra Deadd shines on all accounts. There’s a silliness and goofiness in Stewart McLain’s story that is balanced off by some serious horror elements. They infuse the film with their love of creating music, while adding nostalgia for a time when the rock business made masterpieces of that fat analog sound.
On top of that, McLain has a firm grasp on the story they want to tell in The Xxtra Deadd, from their passion as wannabe rock musicians to the legend of their ghostly killer, to the joy of bringing the band back together. It’s all in good frightful fun and truly elevated by the low-budget B-movie nature of the final cut.
"…good frightful fun..."
