Red 11

On its own, Red 11 is a functioning B-movie, outfitted with strange characters, inexperienced actors, a busy plot and a DIY aesthetic that makes certain aspects look charmingly makeshift.

The biggest lesson Red 11 teaches is an inadvertent one: Even a scrappy, seat-of-the-pants production needs a good script.

"Red 11" may be rotten (worse even than "Machete Kills" or "The Adventures of Sharkboy and Lavagirl in 3-D"), but it's meant to be studied, not watched, and the fact that it cuts together at all shows just how resourceful Rodriguez is.

An engagingly ridiculous and fun horror flick, Red 11 is thankfully not a tough pill to swallow.

RED 11 is an inspiring blueprint for low-budget and aspiring filmmakers. A family endeavor and a loving lesson in cinema, RED 11 not only passes the test, but kindly shares its answers, as well.

Red 11 isn't revolutionary, but it's a manic, surreal journey into the creative process of Robert Rodriguez that serves as a nice allegory to the director's own observations on filmmaking.