Club Dread (DVD, 2009, Rated; Dual Side)

With CLUB DREAD, the twisted minds behind 2001's surprise hit comedy SUPER TROOPERS return with a machete and more laughs. This time, the Broken Lizard troupe--Jay Chandrasekhar, Kevin Heffernan, Steve Lemme, Paul Soter, and Erik Stolhanske--send up two genres at once, combining the spring break romp with the gory slasher picture. It's spring break on Pleasure Island, Costa Rica, and bikini-clad revelers have just landed to spend the next week partying their days and nights away. There's Dave (Soter), the drug-wielding DJ; Putman (Chandrasekhar), the ambiguously accented tennis instructor; Juan (Lemme), the diving guru; Sam (Stolhanske), the Fun Sheriff; Lars (Heffernan), the incredibly gifted masseur; and Coconut Pete (Bill Paxton), the flaky island guru. Then there is Jenny (Brittany Daniel), the gorgeous aerobics instructor, and newcomer Penelope (Jordan Ladd), who falls under the spell of Juan. Unfortunately, someone else has arrived on the island with a machete and a severe dislike for several of the camp's residents. As the blood begins to flow, and flow, and keep flowing, everyone becomes a suspect, until no one can trust anyone else. Directed with a casual touch by Chandrasekhar, CLUB DREAD proves that Broken Lizard is a very talented group of performers with the ability to find humor in the least likely of places.