The term “independent film” evokes one of two images in my head. The first involves pretentious art-house movies that pander to pseudo intellectuals who turn their noses up at anything released by a big studio. The other is the schlocky, campy horror films created by Lloyd Kaufman’s Troma Studios.
That’s what makes WJHC-AM such a refreshing change of pace in movies today: it’s original, it doesn’t take itself seriously, and it’s not another fucking superhero movie.
WJHC-AM bills itself as both a “horror comedy” and “a Y2K story.” It follows the exploits of “Vinnie,” an agnostic DJ who lands a gig at an East Tennessee southern gospel radio station. The film details Vinnie’s attempts to stay sane at his day job and avoid running afoul of Nancy, the chain-smoking seven months pregnant station boss. While Vinnie and the rest of the radio station staff prepare for a party to celebrate the new millennium, strange events keep happening around the station that could forecast Y2K as the literal end of the world.
This film’s biggest successes are in the casting and the interplay between characters. Everyone seems to play a role tailor-made for them, from Vinnie the smartass DJ to Jack Junior, the creepy pervert who’s only got a job because he’s the station owner’s son.
It’s these interactions that make up so much of the great moments in this film. Combine that with the regular interludes from sermons broadcasted by different preachers at the station and WJHC-AM lends itself to some truly hilarious moments.
Speaking of those preaching the good Lord’s word at the station—if you’re an evangelical Christian bereft of a sense of humor, this film’s probably not for you. The sermons that make up the bulk of WJHC-AM’s daily content feature numerous tropes of Southern Evangelical ministers. There’s the one who mumbles invitations to consult scripture passages faster than a person can flip through a bible. There’s a faith healer who shoots his congregants with invisible fireballs.
And of course, because this film takes place in the rural South, there’s snake handling preachers. There were always going to be snake handling preachers in a film like this. It was probably unavoidable.
The horror elements of WJHC-AM aren’t really what one would consider “scary.” The creepy moments are limited to just that—creepy or disturbing images and moments that won’t really disturb someone outside of the third grade. Then again, your humble reviewer sat through pretty much every “Purge” movie so your mileage may vary.
As far as the “Y2K” themes, that’s really more of a backdrop to the ending of the film itself. Which, by the way, is patently ridiculous and absurd, so much that you can’t help but grin at it before the credits roll.
If there’s one critique I can lodge against this film, it’s the problems with pacing. The first 45 minutes of the film can drag at times, which is a shame because after that the pace of the movie takes off like a runaway locomotive. In a world where Twitter’s reduced everyone’s attention spans to effectively two minutes, that slow build might turn would-be viewers off.
After several views of the film, I’m not sure how one would rectify the issue. That first 45 minutes are very crucial to set the stage for the rest of the film’s antics, so it’s hard to point out anything that could be cut. If you watch this film, stick with it. The payoff is worth it at the end.
This is the second film from East Tennessee filmmakers Luke Walker and Vinnie Vineyard in their “Smoky Mountain Chronicles” series. The first, “The Hike,” is available on Amazon Prime to stream if you’re so inclined. You don’t have to watch “The Hike” to enjoy WJHC-AM. Both can be enjoyed as standalone works without any previous knowledge of Walker and Vineyard’s work.
WJHC-AM is not rated, contains language, partial nudity, drug references and violence and is currently available on Blu-Ray and DVD from Amazon. Its runtime is around an hour and 46 minutes, a nice change of pace from the three hour epics that seem to run box offices these days.
Check it out if you are so inclined. You might just be one of those good folks that gets a joyful laugh out of the movie until the actual end of days.
Disclosure: the filmmakers provided the author with a screener copy of WJHC-AM for the purposes of this review. I’m also friends with Luke and Vinnie. You should watch the movie anyway.
That’s all for this trip to the theater, folks! We’ll see you next week!
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