Random Movie Project: 'Memorial Valley Massacre'

In the rich world of horror movies, there exists many sub-genres with suspense, slasher, zombie/undead perhaps being the three most popular. I feel, now, that with Memorial Valley Massacre, we can add yet another phylum: Ecological Horror.

Memorial Valley Massacre (1988)
Director: Michael C. Hughes
Written By: Michael C. Hughes and George Frances Skrow



Summary:

Memorial Valley Massacre begins with the opening of a beautiful campground and nature refuge called, yes, Memorial Valley. The land is owned by Allen Sangster (Cameron Mitchell), a greedy investor who, upon learning of mysterious wildlife slayings and carcasses found in the well contaminating the park's water supply while eager campers await at the gate on opening day, cares little for their safety and orders the rangers to open the gate and begin conducting business, anyway. (Jaws, anyone?) It is here we meet his son, and the movie's mamby-pamby hero, David Sangster. While David immediately begins wooing an attractive single camper, we get to meet some of the other vacationers who each find their own way to pollute the campground and endanger its delicate balance of nature. We have sex-hungry bikers and teenagers who discard their beer cans and the fat kid who like to tear up the trails with his three-wheeler.

This is where the campground's resident cave-hermit and, I believe, the movie's true hero comes in. He's a guy who subsists on the fruits mother nature has to offer, wears animal skins but still makes friends with the mice and rats in his underground abode. He was perfectly happy living a life of solitude, fully secluded from modern civilization. Perfectly happy, that is, until modern civilization came knocking on his cave door! (That was my poor excuse for a tagline) This is where the said “massacre” begins. In true caveman fashion, he uses what primitive weapons he has at his disposal to eliminate those who have attempted to destroy his fields and streams and bring unwanted chaos to his peaceful existence. All this makes for some hilarious and rewarding action sequences, especially the demise of the annoying fat three-wheeler-riding mamma's boy. We eventually learn that the hermit is actually the long-lost teenage son of the park's chief superintendent.

Impressions:

The title might have you believe that a madman would be on the loose in this serene setting killing campers and hikers indiscriminately. But you'd only be half right. You see, it is said that every story contains elements of at least one of the following conflicts:

Man vs. Man
Man vs. Himself
Man vs. Society
Man vs. Nature
Man vs. Technology

What can be said, then, when man treads on Mother Earth and comes up against the defender of nature? I guess we could call it “Man vs. Nature Man.” Then again, if you're an ecologist, you might call this a story of Nature Man vs. Society. Whatever you call it, you'd have to admit that Memorial Valley Massacre is one of the most entertaining, if not THE most entertaining eco-themed horror movies featuring a cameo by Cameron Mitchell ever.


**Here's an entertaining tidbit – the character “Deke” was played by an actor named Jimmy Justice who was in just one other movie in his short career where he played a character called “Deacon.” That movie? Beverly Hills Brats.