Dark Rising: When you need a mindless sci-fi/horror fix (and a hottie fix)

I caught this 2007 film Dark Rising: Bring Your Battle Axe on Showtime Beyond, a very cool channel that programs mostly cheesy or direct-to-DVD horror/sci-fi titles like the ones you’d see on SyFy, only without commercials and without any censorship. So I never expect much from the films, but am pleasantly surprised every once in a while.

The cheesy sci-fi flick Dark Rising was one of those pleasant surprises. The reason I was immediately taken with this film was because of this dude Jason Reso, a sexy and charismatic cast member of the film (He’s to the far right in the pic below).

He has reddish blond hair, a goatee, and what looks like some nice muscles modestly hidden behind “dude” clothes, which is what makes him so appealing. So I had to Google him to see if he was in anything else. Turns out he’s some sort of wrestler (as Christian Cage), and that body I thought he might have he absolutely has. But I’d still rather see him dressed in his casual clothes than those little Speedos—and doing films instead of wrestling. He’s just so naturally charming and adorable in this film and was the highlight for me, although the male lead is also very funny, but reminds me of a better looking Jim Carrey (he’s to the far left in the pic above). There’s also plenty of female candy for eyes that love women. The buxom female lead runs around scantily clad in ancient warrior attire, and there is also some major girl-on-girl face sucking, all a formula for a Xena throwback.

Other than that, this slapstick sci-fi flick is filled with funny and goofy moments, all delivered with just the right comic timing by the cast. The story is pretty simple. A group of friends goes camping. The lead guy’s ex-girlfriend is now a woman-loving witch, and she and her new girlfriends pretty much resurrect an ancient demon in the woods. But along with the demon comes a sexy female warrior who can help the campy campers slay the monster. Yep, that’s it. Sounds like a typical SyFy Network plot, but it’s a cut above the rest, including a cute cast and witty dialogue, all of which give it high rewatch value. And just to reiterate…Jason Reso.