Within the opening seconds of The Legend of Wasco, it should be apparent that this is a micro-budget affair. The camera is stationary, the coloring is overly exaggerated, the musical composition is reminiscent of freeware MIDI instruments, and the acting is sub par. All of that slaps you right in the mouth within the opening scene, but that may not be a deal breaker for some. You see, horror fans can tolerate some pretty abysmal production value as long as it’s made up for in other areas. Give us buckets of blood and some taboo murder scenes, and we’re willing to look the other way on a lot of things. So is that the case here? Does The Legend of Wasco deliver the goods and live up to other Forbidden Films productions such as Found and Headless? Not really, no.

I get that people have an inclination to ooze over anything involving a creepy clown. At one point, I was probably guilty of it myself. But 2015 was a particularly crowded year in the clown space. It takes some real imagination to get me interested these days, and Wasco doesn’t have it. The story follows a guy and his brother-in-law as they unknowingly resurrect 3 murderous clowns from the town’s past while taking viral pictures. It’s never really explained why this happens, and it doesn’t make a lot of sense. It just sort of… happens. Regardless, the clowns return and begin wreaking havoc on the town’s residents. Unfortunately, this havoc is rather tame. We see some familiar faces from the likes of Headless and Found, and mentally, you begin to expect the same level of perversion and violence. Alas, that is not the case. Short of a few close-ups of oddly black mouth blood and some scratched faces, there’s nothing for gore hounds to sink their teeth into. That’s surprising (and disappointing) considering the team this comes from.

The film’s greatest success comes from an unlikely place – it’s dry humor. The pair of brother-in-laws are a stark contrast to each other, and this leads to some genuine humor throughout an otherwise joyless experience. If it wasn’t for the chemistry of these two guys – I’m not sure I’d have much to say in the realm of positivity. Luckily, this relationship alone justifies the Redbox rental fee if you enjoy some good ol’ fashioned buddy comedy. The Legend of Wasco may fail on every level as a horror film, but it isn’t bad as a standalone micro-budget product. I never found myself begging for it to stop or flipping through my Twitter timeline – it just isn’t good horror or polished in any way.

It’s doubtful that the mainstream Redbox loving public will find any redeemable qualities in The Legend of Wasco, but beneath this empty shell of a horror movie lies something at least somewhat entertaining, and that’s about as much of a compliment as I’m willing to give. You win some and you lose some. Here’s to hoping Forbidden Films gets back on the winning track with their next film.

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