Shaky Shivers is one of those films that makes for a solid gateway horror flick. While it has gnarly monsters in it, specifically a few zombies and a werewolf, the scares are pretty light. It’s also a horror comedy that manages to get the beats right and keeps everything on the fun and lighter side.

Directed by Sung Kang, best known for the Fast and Furious franchise, the film stars Brooke Markham as Lucy and VyVy Nguyen as Karen. These two are best friends who work in an ice cream shop owned by Bob (Herschel Sparber), a man totally obsessed with Bigfoot, to the point he has cutouts of the famous Sasquatch all around his shop. The cast is rounded out by Jimmy Bellinger as their co-worker Eric, who provides added doses of humor. This film, though, is really Lucy and Karen’s story. It’s their friendship that holds this together, and Markham and Nguyen are hilarious together, giving quite a tag-team performance with some slapstick moments. They also very much feel like rounded characters, with their own desires and ambitions that drive their character arcs.

The film veers into horror territory after a strange woman (Erin Daniels) enters the shop, seeking food. Lucy mocks her, and as a result, she’s bitten. Not only that, but the woman promises Lucy that her blood will blacken, and she’ll turn into a wolf of the night. Well, those things do indeed happen and much of the film involves Karen and Lucy trying to find a cure to the woman’s strange and unusual curse. They also discover a mysterious book that allows them to summon classic monsters, including zombies. The practical effects, especially for the undead, look really, really cool. Though we’ve seen plenty of zombies before, their faces are altered in such a way that it makes them stand out from much of what we’ve seen before. They’re distinct from the typical shambling undead.

As mentioned already, the scares in this film are kept pretty PG, or maybe PG-13 at their worst. In that regard, this film reminded me somewhat of the Goosebumps books, or maybe other gateway horror films like Poltergeist, Gremlins, or The Monster Squad, especially for the portrayal of a rock-solid friendship. I don’t see that as a bad thing. In fact, I’d argue that we could do with a few more films like these. I would have loved to have watched this feature with my nieces and nephews when they were younger as a good starting point, though I think older and more seasoned genre fans will still get a kick out of this one.

Shaky Shivers is a heck of a good time. It’s one of the more interesting and well-crafted horror comedies released recently, and I truly hope that this film finds its audience. There are plenty of laughs here and some groovy monsters. Now that Kang found the director’s chair, I’m eager to see what he does next.

7.5 Out of 10