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If you’ve ever seen a Troma film, you come to know what to expect when you see the company’s name attached to a project (see The Toxic Avenger or Poultrygeist). However, Father’s Day is not your typical Troma movie; probably because it’s the brainchild of the Winnipeg filmmaking collective Astron-6, who have shown several short films at the Toronto After Dark Film Festival over the years. This is their graduation to feature-length filmmaking.

Father’s Day is usually associated with paternal love and appreciation, and the giving of cheesy greeting cards and goofy ties. However, this movie will give you a whole new perspective on the celebration. It’s about a pair of siblings and a junkie’s attempts to avenge the rapes and murders of their fathers by Chris Fuchman (Mackenzie Murdock), a demon of sorts.

Based on the above description, little more should really need to be said. If it doesn’t sound like your cup of tea, it probably isn’t. On the other hand, if you enjoy sometimes psychedelic, senseless violence and ridiculous characters, such as the young hustler Twink (Conor Sweeney) and the one-eyed Ahab (Adam Brooks), then this movie is right up your alley.

The narrative does not waste any time, jumping right into the midst of a horrific slaying. From there, the other characters are introduced: Ahab is the rogue vigilante that needs to fix his past mistakes, Chelsea (Amy Groening) is a strong woman set to action and Twink is a frightened boy trying to do at least one thing right by his dad. At any given moment, they can be obnoxious or heroic or sweet as they embark on their mission to track and kill the ancient evil Fuchman – who manages to surprise them and escape on more than one occasion.

One of the most enjoyable elements of an Astron-6 movie is its intro. For Father’s Day, the filmmakers pretend that you’re watching a late night showing of the movie on television by displaying a grainy, ’70s style prelude that includes a list of what else is playing tonight. Then, to extend the illusion, they include short commercials within the feature for “upcoming” programs. Star Raiders looks like it would be an entertaining full-length picture, but unfortunately the lights were brought up before the teaser for Sexy Beach could roll.

This movie is a surprising good time even if it all doesn’t make sense all of the time (such as the numerous deaths the characters suffer and the odd conclusion). But overall, there is plenty of fun to be had.