After a draconian anti-immigration bill lands thousands of immigrant-led families in detention camps, five children of immigrants seek to reduce their time by “volunteering” for a community service project at a community for the elderly. And, as you might suspect from the presence of American Carnage here at HorrorBuzz, something’s just not quite right.

Smart and fast-talking JP (Jorge Lendeborg Jr.) is at the congratulations party of his sister Lily (Yumarie Morales), who just got accepted to Columbia University when ICE agents raid the house and cart everyone off. We learn that governor Harper Finn (Brett Cullen) has decreed that all illegal immigrants are to be deported, and all of their families are to be arrested as accomplices. JP and Lily are separated, and JP seethes in the detention cage. One day a guard informs JP and some others that they can be released if they participate in a community service program, taking care of the elderly at Owl Cove, a palatial facility run by the handsome and glad-handing Dr. Eddie Davis (Eric Dane). JP agrees, along with some of the other inmates.

We meet Big Mac (Allen Maldonado), the self-proclaimed ladies’ man; Chris (Jorge Diaz), the anxiety-prone paranoiac; Camila (Jenna Ortega), the feisty activist; and Micah (Bella Ortiz), a lefty-vegan type. All are Latinx, as are most of the cast that aren’t politicians, police or administration. The opening pre-title makes it very clear that this is a film about Latinx life, whom the narration says America needs as service workers, entertainers, and villains.

Soon this band of five begin to see that something is going on. It feels a bit 1BR in this, or even Get Out. Finding out what’s really going on becomes the prime motivation, even more than daydreaming of escape. Most of the patients are quiet and somnambulatory, but some get riled or even violent as the young people try to tend to them.

And of course every movie needs a bully, right? A more immediate antagonist than the overarching villain of the system. Enter James (Joseph Avery), the operations officer who just has a thing for antagonizing JP. Very well-cast and performed, sadly I couldn’t find this guy on IMDB to look up anything else he’s done.

American Carnage is listed as a horror comedy, which is always a category I have trouble with, because mostly these turn out to be just horror that has humor in it. That is, almost all horror. True comedies like Uncle Peckerhead and The Cabin in the Woods are rare. This one? I don’t think it’s a comedy. It’s a straight horror film with characters that have senses of humor. It is a feel-good horror, if that makes sense. A root-for-the-good-guys horror. It covers familiar tropes but also delivers a unique experience.

Recently, I saw a t-shirt that says “Horror is Political.” This is absolutely true, in my opinion. Horror, like comedy, is a way for our culture to endorse or subvert our norms and ethos. This film starts with very current-events topics (in fact the title seems to have come from a Donald Trump speech), but immediately delve into areas more universal and human: the need for family, the desire to be in charge of one’s self, and the fear that the people in charge might not have our best interests at heart. VERY timely, but not likely to ever become dated, at not likely in my lifetime.

I highly recommend American Carnage for horror with a lot of humanity.

9 out of 10 Owls