The Curse of El Charro (2004)

Andrew Bryniarski stars in this tale of four girls on a road trip who encounter a deadly legend come to life.

Shy and subdued Maria has never been the same since she found her sister's lifeless body. Her friend talks her into going on a road trip with her and two bitchy pals, and she reluctantly agrees.

The film is very slow to start and goes the nightmare/vision route for almost an hour before anyone starts to die.

The film excels when it focuses on death, sex and destruction, and the attractive cast have fun with the material, but it was nothing special.

I really liked the visual style and the film certainly looked good for the most part although it began to look cheaper towards the climax.

What I was most surprised by was the film's use of different styles of filmmaking. This has to be the first time that a slasher movie has used German expressionistic silent film techniques as a form of expressing exposition, and it works a charm.

The cast are super attractive and the girls do have lots of racy fun before the bloodshed begins, so there's never a dull moment.

The eclectic score also manages to compliment the film perfectly, whether it is engaging in an orchestral, ambient or industrial sound.

In all, the film is a mish-mash of various styles of filmmaking, which manages to blend together perfectly to create a very original slasher movie. It has its off moments but the good far outweighs the bad. I was shocked to see that Andrew 'Leatherface' Bryniarski was actually quite tall and thin. He looked much stockier as Leatherface.

OVERALL SUMMARY
The film is a lot of fun, doesn't outstay its welcome, and the moment the girls first meet El Charro gives you a bit of a kick as well.