CACTUS JACK is a new indie horror movie. We’re in the found footage subgenre but in a somewhat different way than usual. The production quality is very impressive, but the content will not be for everyone. It is absolutely terrifying and tough to watch. Full Cactus Jack movie review here!
CACTUS JACK is a new indie found-footage horror movie that is not for everyone. However, if you do decide to watch it, just be ready for a movie that does not hold back. At all!
It is definitely the most terrifying found footage movie I have ever watched. Mostly because it is almost grotesquely honest and realistic. If you are not ready to hear someone portray a character from the far right who speaks their mind with no filter, then do not watch this. Every offensive word, you can imagine, will probably be said in this movie. Several times!
Continue reading our Cactus Jack movie review below.
This is extreme but not unrealistic
Obviously, the “Cactus Jack” character in this movie, named after him, is an extreme example of a person who has lost touch with both reality and decency. But hey, so are all the serial killers of the world. And the people who stormed the Capitol for that matter. I’m sure people would have called that event unrealistic if it had happened in a movie instead of on the news!
However extreme the man in Cactus Jack is, you don’t have to search YouTube for very long before you can stumble on people saying quite similar things. Or listen to those that call talk shows or leave brutal comments on social media – always under some weird handle. Such as Cactus Jack.
And yes, it is tough to watch because every word, we are told not to use to offend someone, is spoken here. Quite a lot and with the most intense anger and resentment. We’re dealing with a man who is living in the basement and hasn’t left this place for a long time. He has built an idea of what the world is like based on the hate and information he finds online with like-minded people.
In the actual house, his mother lives and he hates her most of all. One thing that manages to lift this movie out of being pure hate, is when we get to witness him interact with his mother. Also, we get some insight into what made him this way. Not something we are usually awarded when we normally encounter people so full of hate.
R. Michael Gull is Cactus Jack
Actor R. Michael Gull delivers a very scary portrait of a man who is coming apart. He blames every pain in this life on all the minorities in the world. Well, and women. Of course! Especially his mother – and if you’ve ever watched documentaries about serial killers then you’ll know that “mother dearest” often plays a role in some way.
R. Michael Gull is scary as all hell because he looks exactly like one of the people who stormed the Capitol on January 6th, 2020. The sentiment of hatred, resentment, and entitlement are evident in every single thing he says. He believes that he should be the top dog because he is a white man (yes, he says this directly).
Everyone that keeps him from being in charge deserves nothing but his anger. And he is quite vocal about this which is uncomfortable to watch. But it’s also a look into the life of someone who feels betrayed by life. This could also have been a video featuring someone who had been radicalized into joining ISIS, which would probably have been acceptable to many.
However, after watching people storm the Capitol, this Cactus Jack character doesn’t seem quite that unrealistic. Sure, the character is an extreme version. And, of course, we only see when he gives interviews or decides to film himself talking, which means we get a condensed version of him.
Since Cactus Jack has already decided to stay in his own basement permanently, he doesn’t have much else happening in life. He is just like the Unabomber; Someone who has checked out on life and just wants to leave his mark or make an impact that makes him feel something.
Watch Cactus Jack digitally now!
This is the feature film debut from writers and directors Chris Thornton and Jay Thornton – also known as just the Thornton Brothers. They made this movie with a microbudget of just $20,000 and using mostly their iPhones. It took them four years to finish this project but the release right now seems perfect.
The current IMDb rating is at a very predictable 3.7 and if you read the user reviews, you’ll understand why. Quite frankly, it seems like many in the reviews feel called out. However, this movie is not about any and every Trump voter.
This movie is about a person who basically wants an all-white version of the world in The Handmaid’s Tale. Unless you want that too, then surely you can recognize that this is meant to show a deeply radicalized person who could easily be a domestic terrorist like the Unabomber.
This is an extreme movie that definitely isn’t for everyone because it is so brutal in its honesty. You cannot forget what you hear in this and while you might know that people feel this way, it’s another thing to hear said. The filmmaker brothers said it best in their own statement “Cactus Jack may be a cautionary tale horror film about Hate but make no mistake—it is a labor of Love”.
CACTUS JACK is released digitally on January 22, 2021, and you can rent or buy the movie here >
Details
Writers & Directors: The Thornton Brothers
Stars: R. Michael Gull, Sam Kozé, Chris Thornton
Plot
When an amateur documentarian sets out to make a film about a man who hasn’t left his mother’s basement in six months, he discovers the recluse is in fact a vile doomsday hatemonger. The tables are turned when the maniac snaps, imprisons him, and takes control of the cameras to start a vitriolic, venomous podcast-making enemies far and wide and promising violent retribution.
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