I knew going in that this was a Kevin Smith movie. If I hadn’t, I’m pretty sure I wouldn’t have guessed. Red State shares very little DNA with the rest of the movies in the View Askew filmography.

Since the movie is all swerves, I won’t tell you too much. The story centers on a culty, apocalyptic church group based loosely on Fred Phelps and his Westboro Baptist Church. Michael Parks is mesmerizing as the charismatic patriarch – it’s not hyperbole to say he ought to be remembered in the awards season.

Whether or not he will be remains to be seen. Kevin Smith has opted for a very non-traditional rollout for this movie. Kevin toured with the film for about a year, and he’s released it to Video-On-Demand before securing theatrical distribution. It’s a noble idea, and I hope that any industry backlash doesn’t hurt Parks – it’s a career performance for a man with a lot more career behind than ahead.

The pacing of the film feels very much like a 70s horror/suspense film, with leisurely beats that allow the tension to build in a way that modern chillers don’t dare. More impressively, Smith has managed to make a film about very touchy issues from a strong point of while mostly avoiding the shrieking tone that characterizes our current political discussion.

I would recommend seeing this in theaters just because I like the artistic freedom this experiment is reaching for. Add to that the twisty plot and the galvanizing lead performance, and it’s a pretty good use of your 90 minutes. If you can’t wait until Kevin secures a theatrical release, you can get it on Zune, iTunes and Video on Demand for about ten bucks. If this is the new Kevin Smith, I’m on board.