Chuck Steel: Night of the Trampires review: Everyone’s favourite claymation cop with attitude returns to entertain Frightfest audiences once more.
Chuck Steel: Night of the Trampires review by Kat Hughes.
Chuck Steel: Night of the Trampires review
Chuck Steel is a character that regular Frighfest attendees will be very familiar with. Back in 2013, before the Saturday night screening of R.I.P.D, Frightfest audiences were introduced to the claymation hero. The film in question was Raging Balls of Steel Justice and, despite being part of the short film selection, made one heck of an impression. It screened to rapturous applause and a feature was teased at the time. Now five years later it’s finally a reality – Chuck Steel: Night of the Trampires.
The year has shifted from 1985 to 1986 and sees maverick, renegade, loose cannon, lone wolf, cop on the edge, who doesn’t play by the rules, Chuck Steel, do battle with trampires, a deadly new evil. Trampires are essentially vampires that became alcoholics with a taste for the blood of those who like a drink or twenty. After the demise of his robotic sidekick from the short (who sadly does not make a re-appearance), Steel is paired with a range of partners during this film, but all fail to stick. Prepare to laugh as Steel carelessly works his way through a rookie cop, a foreign exchange female agent, a monkey, and a house plant. This man really sucks at keeping his partners alive. Steel’s inability to keep his partners alive forms one of his journeys, the other involves his ex-wife and a clown. Steel really hates clowns.
Chuck Steel: Night of the Trampires review
Claymation is an almost dying art-form, which is a real shame as Chuck Steel: Night of the Trampires proves that they don’t have to be just for kids. Visually the film is much like old MTV show Celebrity Death Match and therefore you should know to expect lots of claymation violence. Add to that a whole heap of political incorrectness (part of the #MeToo movement this film is not), and we have a carefully crafted spoof on the action heroes of the eighties and nineties. Steel himself is a blend of Johnny Bravo and Duke Nuke’em; super cool and thoroughly entertaining. Adding to the Claymation is an awesome hair metal soundtrack.
As fun and energetic as Chuck Steel: Night of the Trampires is, it does suffer in its transition from short to feature. What worked brilliantly in the short becomes tired when expanded up to full-length. There’s a somewhat repetitive element to the humour, and over such a long length of time it can become tiresome. Towards the end, the film descends into complete madness, all narrative seemingly forgotten, and so much action can be somewhat of a sensory overload.
If you saw and enjoyed the short, you should take the time to seek out Chuck Steel: Night of the Trampires. Just be prepared for it not to quite live up to expectations.
Chuck Steel: Night of the Trampires review by Kat Hughes, August 2018.
Chuck Steel: Night of the Trampires screened as part of Arrow Video Frightfest 2018.
