Looking through my local Red Box I was browsing the horror section, as I do every couple of days looking for a new title.  Depending on the returns you never know what you’ll find, but usually I don’t find anything I haven’t yet seen.  Yet his one particular day I noticed a new title, Šakės.

The cover art lured me in instantly, as did the tagline ‘Every generation has its monster.”  The cover art is of a pitchfork that appear to be fused to a human’s arm.  Reminiscent of Candyman and his hook, this pitchfork appears to be an extension of the limb.  Between the prongs of the deadly implement is a dilapidated old country farmhouse.  On the outskirts of the structure is a cornfield with skulls pouring out of the field.  What could this movie possibly be about?

Leading man Hunter Killian (Brian Raetz) is returning to his country home after embracing his newly embraced lifestyle in the big city.  This is his first visit back home to his traditional country family after coming out to them over a phone call.  Not to mention he didn’t make the trek back to the old homestead alone.  Hunter has brought his crew of loud and proud friends in tow for support.  After all, what’s a horror movie without bodies for the pile?

Having the lead protagonist being gay is a bold risk to take, especially in a horror movie.  The genre is notorious for writing off homosexual characters as some of the easiest prey to fall by a killer’s blade.  While this is the case for both homosexual men and women, this is especially true for gay men who are portrayed as weak and effeminate.  Flailing their arms as they run from the killer as if they were on fire or unable to hold a gun or make a fist, this stereotypical portrayal has always plagued the LGBT community since the earliest days of film.

However, director Glenn Douglas Packard looked to change all of that when he created Šakės.  In fact, he completely spun that stereotype on its head with leading character Hunter Killian who had to overcome his own fears of inadequacies to be the hero.
As for the rest of the cast, you either love them or hate them.  The characters created by Packard aren’t like most of those seen in recent films where you don’t care if they live or die.  Some of them are quite endearing, and you are rooting for them until the credits roll.  This is another aspect that sets Šakės apart from other current horror movies; and not to give too much away, but you even feel conflicted about the killer!

The only thing that I felt lacking was the fact I could only rent this movie as a DVD because as many Red Box rentals go, extra features only come on the Blu Ray edition.  When a movie such as this one has been composited so well from idea to execution, you want to know every little detail that went into it.  Well imagine my surprise when I heard the Blu Ray for Šakės has just been released on May 2^nd!

The Amazon Blu Ray & DVD has all of those goodies that make the biggest horror aficionados warm and fuzzy inside.  Included on this edition are kick ass character posters by Andrew Dawe-Collins, one of the film’s actors, who plays PA.  Never before seen images, the red band trailer, and the DVD/Blu Ray wrap are also included, as well as the comic book for Šakės!

CLICK HERE TO PURCHASE THE DVD/BLU-RAY SPECIAL EDITION WITH HOURS OF EXTRAS!

If you’re more of a traditionalist when it comes to extra features, the Šakės Blu Ray has those too!  An outtake reel, a behind the scenes featurette, as well as the making of the memorable booty shaking barn dance are also included!  That alone is worth your money!

With these extra features you truly get a sense of what a small production this movie was.  With a tiny budget, a single camera, and all of it fueled by a great team and the creator Glenn Douglas Packard’s passion comes a new boogeyman to check for in your closet and under your bed.

Read iHorror’s writer Waylon Jordan’s review of Šakės čia!

Produced by Packard, Darryl F. Gariglio and Noreen Marriott, with associate producer Shaun Cairo, screenplay by Gariglio and Packard. The ensemble cast includes Daniel Wilkinson, in the title role of the deranged farm-tool wielding fiend, with Lindsey Nicole, Brian Raetz, Ryan Moore, Celina Beach, Keith Webb, Sheila Leason, Nicole Dambro, Vibhu Raghave, Rachel Carter, Andrew Dawe-Collins, Carol Ludwick, Derek Reynolds, and Addisyn Wallace.