Monroe and his sister Hilary (Monroe Mann and Crystal Arnette) inherited the lake house, and they're taking their pals Lamont (Justin Brown), semi-slutty Nicole and Lori (Kayle Blogna and Kate Costello), and strangely perverted virgin Ronnie (Ronnie Khalil), who is only going because he's obsessed with King, and because he likes ogling the girls.

We hit all of the stereotypical beats here. The locals are standoffish and say cryptic things, and even insist that, contrary to rumor, King doesn't live anywhere in the area. The kids get warned off and told to go away. They're hassled by law enforcement. Lamont is the wisecracking black friend, and his fate is probably sealed for just that reason. The group gets separated (of course) when Lamont heads off to get gas and the others take a boat to the house. Once there, Ronnie discovers that the basement is full of Stephen King books. Soon enough, the murders begin. And the murders seem to track to killings in King's stories, so the obvious suspect is the King obsessed pervert Ronnie. But is he really the killer?

There are some fun moments in You Can't Kill Stephen King, and the filmmakers seemed to have a good time making it. The performances are all better than decent, and it looks really great. There are some funny moments, and some sexy moments, and some mildly scary moments. But at times it feels like they're more trying to hit every "beautiful people in jeopardy", "kids go to the isolated house" type slasher movie beat than deliver a solid story that stands on its own.

The story holds together well enough, even though there are a few moments that had me questioning why the character would be doing a particular thing. The film is pitched more as a horror comedy than a straight horror film, so it's no knock to say that a pervasive level of tension is never generated or maintained. There are scary moments, but that's it. And the humor isn't over the top enough to elicit more than a giggles.

That's not to say that You Can't Kill Stephen King is a bad movie. It isn't. But it isn't an excellent or outstanding film either. It is very, very well executed, with a keen eye for detail and visual style. It's fun, and the winking riffs on slasher movies will be a treat for fans of the sub-genre particularly. All things considered, I'll say this one is Recommended.

The DVD

Video:
The image is 1.75:1 widescreen, and looks really good. It's bright, sharp, and the colors pop. The definition is excellent. This is probably the best looking lower budget release I've seen in years.

Sound:
The audio is Dolby digital 2 channel, and sounds pretty good. Dialogue is always clearly audible and no hiss or other problem can be heard, but that's about all that can be said. No subtitles or alternate language tracks are included.

Extras:
The only extra included is a trailer, which is a little too long at over two minutes, but is well made and gives a good sense of what the film is.

Final Thoughts:
You Can't Kill Stephen King isn't an outstanding movie, but it is an enjoyable one. If you like your horror mixed with humor, and your King references delivered by the truckload, then this is a film you'll want to check out. It's a well-made and good looking film that's not a waste of your time. Just don't set your expectations sky high.