2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
Baby Got Horsehair!, October 9, 2011
This review is from: Chaos In Outer Space (DVD)
I admit I was rough on Matthew W. Enstrom's "Tomato Man" a few months back. Perhaps it would have put it in greater historical context if I had seen this earlier work first. But I doubt it. "Chaos in Outer Space" is a black and white science fiction parody of Ed Wood-grade movies. Because I love those old films I am naturally likely to be predisposed to this work, at least until I watched it. It turns out the movie (filmed in Indiana and Kentucky) is just as horribly made as "Tomato Man" though more amusing. One of the foundational concepts necessary to watch these movies is that badness must be sincere, which explains why Wood's films are so revered by B-movie fans. Though there are occasional brilliant spoofs ("The Lost Skeleton of Cadavra,") parodies of cherished movie genres are tough to pull off. I give Enstrom credit for trying, but intentionally having the worst acting ever does not yield the desired "Plan 9" patina.
The film starts with our hero Commander Ollie (Henry Humble) in his space station orbiting Io, a moon of Jupiter. I will not spoil the fun of seeing this space station for yourself by even attempting to describe it. There's a complex plan in which Commander Ollie trades ray guns for hostages, angering the President (Jessica Shuck.) Despite the President's stern warning, Commander Ollie creates an intergalactic incident by dumping his lavatory waste on the robot moon. As the credits roll, we see a lot of double casting (e.g. Curtis Humble is not only Commander Pickleweasle but also the delightfully sonorous Professor Horsehair,) while Matthew W. Enstrom gets credits as producer, writer, and director (he also stars in a couple of roles as well.) You get the picture; this is very low budget. Although I'm dubious the results would have been a lot more interesting, one element of the budget really needed to be improved: the audio. Frequently the audio is so bad that lines are almost wholly indecipherable. One thing that is able to be grasped is that even in the ultra-low budget sci-fi genre, there is now apparently a mandatory global warming subplot. In this case the UN has halted the space program because rocket exhaust hurts the ozone layer, the practical upshot of which is that Commander Ollie and company cannot come back to Earth.
The larger plot concerns an evil leader who leads the Conglomerates of Space, and who is taking over all the space stations during this vulnerable time while the UN won't let their occupants come home. The anti-UN element is perhaps the most sophisticated satire in the film (though I was mildly amused by the Clutch Cargo-esque pseudo-tribute called "How to Throw a Tantrum.") At any given time there's no telling what's going on, but after a jaunt to the moon (good luck figuring out the thermonuclear blackmail and volcano subplots,) a battle spearheaded by the Squirrely Cow and Alien Bandit (Matthew W. Enstrom again) in what could only be outer space, we learn the true nature of the Monster Mafia and their scheme of evil. Please note in the cow's subtitled lines that he throws a "hand gernade." I can forgive a misspelling, but wouldn't it technically be a hoof grenade?
Still keeping up with all this? Good, because Enstrom covers a lot of territory in 73 minutes, and there are a lot of subplots still to get to, like the one about the door to door corndog salesman ("I guess I've lost my taste for corndogs.") Despite the quantity of plot threads to keep up with, nothing but nothing can possibly prepare anyone for the musical interlude courtesy of Professor Horsehair and Commander Ollie. First up, Horsehair belts out his signature tune "Baby Got Horsehair," and believe me it is a showstopper. Ollie accompanies him on guitar, and goes on to prove how musically versatile he when he performs his autobiographical "Orbiting the Io Moon," accompanying himself on a bongo. You will never look at music the same way again. As the quantity of subplots tapers off with a monkey on the moon (space station bridge officer Monkeymania) tickling a moon goddess, good versus evil finally plays out in a lengthy fight scene, concluding with the worst pie fight in film history and our heroes in prison. I will not even hint at how "Amazing Grace" gets on the soundtrack at this point, other than to say it's wholly inappropriate, but you guessed that already.
The film concludes with a study of lunar hieroglyphics, and a very (VERY!) abrupt conclusion that's just begging for a sequel. (Just say no!) The credits are quite detailed, and Misfire 1984 is cited as being musically responsible for much of the soundtrack. I will let you form your own opinion of their work, but Professor Horsehair is the real standout vocalist here. Be sure to watch to the very end as there's more dramatic Horsehair action after the credits.
The DVD amazingly includes some bloopers. I say amazingly because I can't believe that anything was edited out of this film. I love to see new filmmakers and their movies, and while this is more enjoyable than "Tomato Man," Enstrom still has a long way to go. I gave it two stars, mostly for the ethereal beauty of "Baby Got Horsehair."
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