After troubled 17-year-old Chance goes to live at her draconian grandfather’s estate, she uncovers a dangerous family secret. Her only hope for survival may come from a killer-for-hire who has a fortuitous stroke of culinary genius.
In a lazy nearly incoherent voiceover, Chance Sinclair (Avery Conrad) explains that she’s part of one of the oldest and wealthiest families in the world. The Sinclair family harbors more than riches and assets, they’re also parasitic demons. Chance’s parents operate the family business that runs on “harvesting the souls” of mere mortals. The patriarch is August (Thomas V. Murphy), an intimidating and ruggedly handsome man who speaks in a thick Irish brogue. August sternly reminds the reluctant couple that if they want out of the soul-sucking Nine to Five, then they have to provide more souls before the autumnal equinox.
The next day at school Chance gets into an altercation with her bratty classmate and is suspended indefinitely. Her parents chastise her and reiterate that she’ll need to complete her vampiric blood transfusions and to stay out of the sunlight. After realizing leaving an unsupervised teen alone isn’t the best idea, mom and dad send Chance to stay with her grandfather August. Chance is very upset but her grandfather is elated and takes this opportunity to bond and pull her further into the family enterprise.
I guess harvesting souls is tough work, the Sinclair family decides to enlist the help of the Chef, played by Jonathan Lipnicki, also known as that kid actor from “Jerry Maguire.” The Chef is an expert at identifying and collecting extremely poisonous herbs and other deadly edible arrangements. Bless his heart, Lipnicki tries but his acting can be best described as tightening his lips and furrowing his brows to show inner-turmoil.
Ultimately, there’s a lot wrong with “Broil.” The script makes every character’s motivations ridiculous and there’s an appalling inconsistency in the tone. I feel like writer/director Edward Drake was aiming for an early Peter Jackson dark comedy-horror blend where there’s an equal mix of laughs and scares. There’s an extended dinner sequence in act two that goes on way too long and contains the worst elements of a Murder Mystery Dinner Party. Secrets, betrayals, and half-assed Shakespearean soliloquies made me roll my eyes and the worst thing is how long this short film feels. I’m going to watch a classic John Carpenter flick to shake off this experience and get into the Halloween season properly.
Available on Blu-ray™, DVD, and Digital October 13th
