Written by George Heftler
There was an electricity in the air as the crowd shuffled into the theater in stages to watch Porno. First, the press — by and large a bespectacled squad that seemed to be middle-aged and above. Then, the ticket holders, primarily a crew of parents seeking a night away from the kids and the elderly. Finally, came the student rush tickets, a large group which discussed how they, “couldn’t believe they were seeing a movie called Porno for homework.” Some quick puffs of vapor arose into the air and the faint smell of weed drifted over to my seat against the wall. A motley crew to be sure, but for the next 96 minutes, the crowd was joined in laughter at this over-the-top horror comedy.
Set in the ’90s, Porno is the story of a group of theater employees in a hyper-religious town. When they discover a mysterious tape in the basement, they watch it and unleash a sex demon. Typical sex demon hijinks ensue, including a remarkable amount of penis trauma that had the crowd laughing uproariously.
Maybe it’s just me, but a group of hyper-religious teens in the ’90s doesn’t exactly like sound like the most fun group to hang out with. And yet, thanks to this cast of mostly unknowns, I had a blast. Robbie Tann stands out as “Heavy Metal Jeff,” a Christian rock enthusiast in recovery from addiction (to cigarettes). He calls to mind Airheads-era Steve Buscemi and has the most laughs. Jillian Mueller is also fun as Chaz, recently promoted to assistant manager of the theater and eager to avoid trouble on her first day in the new position.
The plot is…there. It’s a little on the weak side but Porno is so gleeful and explicit in its intent that ignoring the pitfalls of the plot are easy enough. At the end of the day, we’re here to see some fun gore and that’s what is delivered. There’s some interesting cinematography that plays with the film medium, and I definitely recommend seeing this with a crowd if possible—and under the influence if also possible. With plenty of nudity, violence, and ironic jokes about religious dorks, this is the sort of movie you already know if you’ll enjoy. But who knows what demons you’ll unleash.
