RATING: A-

A Tempe Digital Production. Written, produced, edited, and directed by Chris Seaver. Story by Chris Seaver and Clint Kelly. Cinematography by Clint Kelly.

Stars Deana Naja, Katie Keating, Jason McCall, Bob Heckman, Debbie Rochon, Josh Suire, Clint Kelly, Meredith Host, Alec Lambert, and Olivia Young. 

Mulva is back after two decades in this wild and wacky reboot that has references to a classic series and also can bring vibes in the vein of cult classics!

Five years ago, Mulva Sakmann was the victim of a prank from bully couple Ginger and Leo. Since then, she has sworn off Halloween parties. Instead, she spends her time training in martial arts under Sensei Bonejack and hanging with her friends Sam and What’s-His-Name. However, when Sammy informs Mulva she is planning a Summerween party, she is reluctant but then excited. 

When Ginger and Leo are not invited to the party due to the antics they pulled off five years ago, they want to get even with Mulva and her friends. Meeting with Caspian, they obtain a book about bullying and demonology. When Leo unwittingly reads a spell from the book, three demons show up. They are Shkima Demons and they are willing to help Ginger and Leo spoil Mulva’s food again in exchange for wreaking havoc and going on a killing spree. Can Mulva muster up the courage to stop the Shkimas and the bullies before it’s too late?

In 2000, Chris Seaver gave us Mulva: Zombie Ass Kicker, the story of a young Halloween fan who thrives on her candy and must stop a zombie apocalypse in her hometown. Using all the resources she has, including some martial arts, she succeeded. However, the saga continued in Mulva 2: Kill Teen Ape, a direct parody of the iconic Kill Bill duology where, after being viciously beaten, our heroine wakes up from a five-year coma to exact revenge. Now comes this reboot/sequel to the franchise, with all three having one thing in common besides Chris Seaver. 

That is Indie World Cinema Hall of Famer Debbie Rochon appearing in all three films in different roles. In the first film, she played the eccentric Lady McPouchSweat. She would then take on the titular role of Mulva in the second film, where her beating was so bad she got more full-figured! Here, she plays one of the main antagonists in the New Yawk-accented Ginger, a bully who years ago spoiled Mulva’s food and nearly put her in the hospital. Now, she and her redneck partner Leo, played by Josh Suire, want revenge when they are disinvited to the Summerween party.

Deana Naja takes center stage after Missy Donatuti and the aforementioned Rochon in the role of Mulva Sakmann (the last name a great nod to the late Troma-tic star Doug Sakmann), who wishes to be a master of the same martial art she has been training in under the very eccentric Bonejack, now played by Jason McCall. Naja plays the role more in the style of Donatuti and that’s a good thing as she does some fourth wall breaking, sings in a few spontaneous and unexpected musical numbers and even spends time with her cat Mister ButterBottoms, played by the director here! No, I’m not joking! There’s even a constant reference to the classic line in Diff’rent Strokes used a bit by Mulva and Bonejack.

The Demons, played by Meredith Hope, Alec Lambert, and Olivia Young, look like they could have came out of Roald Dahl’s The Witches by way of both Ralph Bakshi’s Cool World and the cult classic Tromeo and Juliet! One does a lot of the killing by sporting a..and I kid you now, a “willie with a demonic head”. Their first victim also gets their eyes practically gouged out while they still sing opera. The party chaos is the piece de resistance that brings to mind Night of the Demons and even gives off The Last Dragon vibes. It is as ridiculous as it sounds, but still is a fun and wacky movie altogether! 

I enjoyed Mulva: Demon Ass Kicker as much as I liked Mulva 2: Kill Teen Ape. It’s a big improvement from the original, not just in production value, but it knows its intention as well. Yes, you need to turn your brain off, and that’s okay to do now and again! Deana Naja is definitely one to look out for and is clearly having fun, and of course, so does Debbie Rochon. To be honest, can we have both come back in a sequel?