It’s horror-comedy time! Shawn C. Phillips’ Desert Fiends brings the laughs and some killer effects in this flick that makes The Hills Have Eyes look like a walk in the park.
Stranded in the middle of nowhere on the way to a concert, six friends encounter a deranged desert-dwelling family that kills anyone they come across.
Desert Fiends
I love me some dark humor, and Desert Fiends is full of it. Nearly every sentence spoken goes straight for the jugular and is said with such a straight face that it’s impossible for me not to laugh. Though absurd, the dialog feels authentic and right up there with how my friends and I talk to each other behind closed doors. I can say the same with the gore — slimy, bloody, obscene (a penis gets cut off right at the beginning). It’s raw and gross but looks absolutely amazing. Desert Fiends knows how to mix comedy and horror where each genre melds together with the other to create an out-of-this-world experience. Part cannibal family teen massacre, part rated R comedy, this is one of the best films I’ve seen on Tubi this year!
But Desert Fiends isn’t all shock and no substance. A star-studded cast (including Spencer Breslin, Scout Taylor-Compton, Bai Ling, Lorelei Linklater, Eric Roberts, Robert LaSardo, Michael Paré, Lisa Wilcox, and Tom Arnold) bring life to the script as the cast finds themselves in deep shit in the desert. Decrepit caves, once-thriving gas stations, and a desert wasteland make the horrors of the mutated family even more grotesque. It is definitely a grimy, harsher movie to watch — similar to something you’d see from a straight-to-VHS 80s movie or one of Troma’s masterpieces, but that’s what makes Desert Fiends shine. The whole situation is completely off its rocker.
Desert Fiends doesn’t hold back on satire or slaughter. Outright outrageous and not giving any apologies for its rough-around-the-edges storyline, this film was made for those who have no filter and live practical effects.
Watch Desert Fiends now on Tubi! Follow director Shawn C. Phillips on Instagram for more.
