Stan Helsing   Starring: Steve Howey, Diora Baird, Kenan Thompson, Desi Lydic and Leslie Nielsen Anchor Bay Films RRP: £15.99 ABD4822 Certificate: 18 Available 01 February 2010

Stan Helsing is heading off to a Halloween party with his girlfriend Nadine, his friend Teddy and his date Mia. However, the manager of the video store where he works insists that he drops off some films to a customer. Unfortunately, the travelling takes the quartet well out of their way, and they eventually find themselves in a small town which is overrun by movie monsters. Initially, Stan feels that cowardice is the better part of valour, until that is he learns that he is the direct descendent of the great monster hunter Van Helsing, and that the town's people are counting on him...

Stan Helsing has a tenuous link to Scary Movie through an executive producer, but other comparisons are virtually non-existent. Whereas the well-scripted Scary Movie directly parodies Scream - itself a spoof of sorts, in structure and format, Stan Helsing simply views like a who's who of recognition.

If you were playing a film drinking game, downing a short every time a reference is made to a horror film, character or situation, you would be paralytic after the first twenty minutes. We have appearances by Michael Myers of Halloween, Jason Voorhees from Friday 13th, Freddy Krueger from A Nightmare on Elm Street, Leatherface from The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Chucky from Child's Play and Pinhead (sporting dartboard darts in his head) from Hellraiser.

As I said, there are a multitude of references to films, including Jeepers Creepers, Splinter, Infestation and our home grown and brilliant Hush. Although it's good to look out for and recognise these references, it shouldn't happen to the detriment of the film itself. There are some well choreographed moments, such as the karaoke competition between the four main characters and the aforementioned movie monsters, but the film just isn't funny. In fact, I don't recall any laugh out loud moments, and that was such a disappointment when I was expecting something in the vein of Scary Movie, Airplane or The Naked Gun. Even a cameo appearance by the spoofmeister Leslie Nielson can't raise the status of a film which simply goes through the motions.

There are only two good reasons to go out of your way to see Stan Helsing. One is Teddy (the one in the superhero costume) played by Kenan Thompson who is quite entertaining, the other is Diora Baird who is, shall we say, very pleasing on the eye.

Extras include Extended and Deleted Scenes, Outtakes, a Commentary, Storyboard Gallery, Stills Gallery, Trailer and a Making of.

4

Ty Power