DVD Release
I have to admit that I am quite fond of a good old fashioned monster movie now and again. I can’t get enough of movies such as The Thing and Tremors . Two very different movies, but at their hearts both share the fact that they have critters of some description that have an intense dislike for humans. Unfortunately it seems that they aren’t quite as popular as they once were. Sure, we get the occasional gem now and again but they are few and far between.
Maybe times are changing though, as in the past couple of years we have had the wonderful The Descent grace our screens. Even Creep, whilst not spectacular, wasn’t a complete disaster. It definitely had its moments though. Okay, so you may argue whether these last two are monster movies, and maybe they aren’t in the traditional sense, but to me they certainly are.
Now we have Feast to add to the list of people in peril, hunted by angry monsters sub-genre of horror. And I for one had fairly high hopes for it. So when it was released I went out and managed to finally track down a copy, in the third store I tried.
Feast is not a complicated movie, the story is about a group of people that are trapped in a remote bar, who come under siege from a small group of incredibly ferocious, and very hungry beasties. There mission: to stay alive.
The movie starts with the patrons of the bar enjoying their evening. We are introduced to them by means of some rather amusing captions that pop up on screen, with such nuggets of information such as their names, their occupation and their life expectancy. This isn’t that new, but here it sets the tone perfectly, as you know that you aren’t going to be watching a movie that takes itself too seriously.
Before we know it a young man, who is introduced as “the hero”, bursts into the bar with a shotgun in hand. He, rather over dramatically, informs the bar’s occupants that their night is about to take a turn for the worse. He then precedes to show them the severed head of a rather ugly looking monster.
So begins the mayhem, as the monsters soon attack and the patrons do their best to stay alive, and hopefully escape before becoming lunch.
It’s a tried and trusted storyline, but it is one that works quite well here due to the witty script and the cast’s performances. At times scary, whilst at other times laugh out loud funny.
Although it may seem to come across as a rather predictable story, the screen writers have done a solid job in keeping us guessing. You may expect one thing to happen but in actual fact the complete opposite happens. There are also more than enough WTF moments that will either make you laugh or make you squirm. The humor is very funny, whereas the gross-out moments are, well, fairly gross really.
It’s not everyday we get to see alien sex, maggot infested eye sockets and Henry Rollins in pink jogging pants.
The main thing that you will probably notice about this movie though is the amount of blood on show here. It’s fucking everywhere, and once it starts flowing it doesn’t really stop until the end credits. This is one messy movie.
Blood, guts and pink pants will only get you so far though. If the cast and script isn’t up to par then you haven’t really got much going for you (unless of course you are watching a Guinea Pig movie!). Fortunately both are well above average here. The cast, which includes performances by Clu Gulager, Henry Rollins, Balthazar Getty and Krista Allen, all do themselves proud. Okay, so they don’t give Oscar winning performances, but they are a lot better than in the majority of most fright flicks. Clu Gulager in particular is great as the grizzly old barman.
Is Feast perfect? No, it isn’t, but it is damned good fun. Who cares if we never learn where the monsters come from? Sure, it would have been nice, but do we always need everything explained to us? And why would you build a bar in the middle of nowhere? I mean it would have to serve some pretty damn good beer to make me want to drive out there!
These are minor points though, sometimes you just want a movie that gets straight to the action, beats you about the head for an hour and a half, then finishes. Some movies bare having the slightest detail scrutinized, and some don’t. This falls under the latter. It’s a monster movie, nothing more and nothing less. Just enjoy the ride.
Aside from getting the movie Dimension have added a fairly decent selection of extras on this disc. There’s just enough to keep a fanboy like me happy. First off there is a commentary, which I admit that I didn’t have time to watch, from director John Gulager. As well as that there are a couple of featurettes, some out takes and deleted scenes and your usual selection of trailers. A modest release then, but not spectacular. I would have liked to have seen a little more about Project Greenlight competition which spawned the movie in the first place. It is only mentioned briefly in one of the featurettes.
Overall Feast is a fun movie that doesn’t require much of the viewer. Just plonk your ass down, watch and have fun.
