‘Shaky Shivers’ Movie Review: No Great Shakes But This Horror-Comedy Has Its B-Movie Charms
Photo from Cineverse
From Jeremy Kibler
Han Lue made a ‘90s-set horror-comedy! Actor Sung Kang, who’s best known for playing that same character from Better Luck Tomorrow in the Fast and the Furious franchise, shifts genre lanes with his feature directorial debut, Shaky Shivers. The love and enthusiasm on screen are undeniable, as are the Ginger Snaps and An American Werewolf in London influences. It definitely has budgetary limitations, but making up for its small scope and first-timer vibe is some low-budget resourcefulness and refreshingly few pretenses. While it’s a slight film with very shaggy pacing, Shaky Shivers is a lighthearted “werewolves and zombies, oh my!” lark with a goofy sense of humor.
Brooke Markham and VyVy Nguyen are delightful together as Lucy and Karen, best friends in Winlock, Washington, who work at the ice cream shop Friendly Freeze. When we first meet these two, Lucy’s hand is handcuffed to the steering wheel of Karen’s car, parked near a closed summer camp. They’re waiting for the full moon to see if Lucy is actually a werewolf when seemingly cursed by a woodland gypsy (Erin Daniels) who was denied free ice cream. By morning, Lucy wakes up naked, still furry-cuffed to the steering wheel, but co-worker and kind-of boyfriend Eric (Jimmy Ballinger) is dead with a bullet wound in his eye. A stressed-out Karen will have to help Lucy undo the werewolf curse with an incantation from a Binder of Spells.
Given the oddball, overtly comic score and these Romy and Michele-type friends’ amusing banter, Shaky Shivers is not out to evoke shivers, but it ought to have one grinning ear to ear. There’s one scene of tragic heartache that Markham sells as Lucy, but then it’s back to a blood transfusion with a Swiss Army Knife and a milkshake cup, trapping a slow-moving zombie in a station wagon, and some “cute” gore.
Shaky Shivers feels like the kind of movie a new filmmaker wanted to make when they were a kid. Unlike Kevin Smith’s Yoga Hosers—which similarly pitted teenage best friends against supernatural forces but was grating and slapped-together—this frivolity is more endearing and intentional in just wanting to be a good time. Then again, intent and achievement are not always in alignment. Andrew McAllister & Aaron Strong’s script is stronger with the playful dialogue than it is in telling a story. While the humor doesn’t always land, director Kang does get disarming performances out of Markham and Nguyen, and he lets his make-up department go to town.
Shaky Shivers is no great shakes, but it is technically competent and should make a fun night out at the movies. A late cameo just feels self-indulgent and unfunny, the joke behind the titular milkshake falls flat, and do we ever actually find out the point of that opening credit sequence besides being a possible Tokyo Drift reference? One hates to be too hard on a benign little movie like this, but what’s a few warts when a first-time effort has just enough charm and personality?
Rating: 2.5/5
Cineverse and Fathom Events are releasing Shaky Shivers in theaters for one night only on September 21, 2023.
