Feast II: Sloppy Seconds (2008)

OCTOBER 2, 2008

GENRE: COMEDIC, MONSTER, SPLATTER
SOURCE: DVD (OWN COLLECTION)

When one of the PR firms asked me to interview John Gulager, I said yes almost instantly, because I knew it would score me an early copy of Feast 2: Sloppy Seconds, a film that’s title alone was enough to get me anxious to see it. But more importantly, having met John a few times at various screenings (he and his father Clu are regulars at the New Bev), I knew he’d be fun to talk to. Also, in another of my “I remember when...” moments, I remember watching Project Greenlight when it was detailing the making of the first Feast and thinking “Man, this dude seems cool.” And now I get to call him up and talk about cat fucking with him. Life’s awesome sometimes.

Cat fucking is one of the 2 or 3 moments in the film that would send PETA and the American Humane Association into hysterics. If there’s anyone that can pull off a dog being shotgunned to pieces (in the film’s first 2 minutes!), its Gulager and writers Marcus Dunstan and Patrick Melton, who have managed to blend “sick” and “hilarious” together better than pretty much anyone else making horror films right now. And they really outdo themselves here; some of the gags are so delightfully tasteless, it gives even Silent Night Deadly Night a run for its money. And that’s not praise I give out lightly.

This one picks up where the first one left off, but neither Balthazar Getty or Krista Allen return. We are lead to believe they are going to be OK as they drive off into the sunset. However, the Bartender (Clu) and Honey Pie (Jenny Wade) DO return (yay on both counts), as does Diane Goldner as the twin sister of her character from the first film. Everyone else is new (save for a brief dream sequence featuring another victim of the original, I won’t spoil it but the back of the DVD case does – don’t read it!), and while none of the new characters are as memorable as Henry Rollins (or as surprisingly dispatched as Eric Dane), the actors play off each other well, and unlike the original, there aren’t any weak links in the acting department. A lot of the new characters are pretty despicable (one is obsessed with "The Secret", ugh), and by now you should know that a Feast movie doesn’t spare the “good and pure” type characters; if anything, they get it worse than anyone.

It’s also a more ambitious film, something even more impressive when you consider that the budget is considerably lower (according to the IMDb anyway). Instead of a bar, we are in and around a whole (small) town this time, sort of like Tremors. There is also a lot more daytime footage, which is appreciated (however some of it seems to be shot inside with a fake sky added in – it’s pretty bad and distracting, but luckily some of the movie’s best gags occur during these scenes to even it out).

One thing that might turn folks off is the fact that this film is tonally very different than the first. The original had a sort of snowball pace, where it just got more and more ridiculous as it went on. This is more of a traditional stop n’ go. Those of you who are expecting another nonstop splatter flick will probably be disappointed; it’s, for lack of a better word, a less commercial effort than the original. If you find yourself getting bored after 20 min or so, don’t bother with the rest, as it’s not going to improve in your eyes. I, on the other hand, appreciate that they mixed it up a bit, and while I think it could probably use some trimming (it’s about 10 min too long, but then again so was the original), I like the direction they took. And either way, the laughs keep coming, so it hopefully won’t be too much of an issue. Clu in particular is a riot; nearly everything he says is worth quoting (“Ever seen these things fuck? I mean... it’s disgusting.”).

And yes, fuck. The monster’s apparent horniness is much more on display this time, with the aforementioned feline fuck, Honey Pie being molested, and a dead monster’s cock... well, you’ll see. I am willing to bet more money was spent on various “goo” than anything else for this movie. I mean, Christ, at one point, a character is asked to “Pour some of Grandma out” of a bag the poor woman has been stuffed into.

The DVD has some minor extras. There’s a nice piece about the Gulager clan, and another traditional making of that features nudity and lots of stuff about the monster cocks. There is also a commentary with the Gulagers plus writers Patrick Melton and Marcus Dunstan. Gulager himself disappears an hour into the track for unexplained reasons, but it’s still a lively track, and tidbits about the 3rd film are dropped. Also, it is revealed that my beloved New Bev is actually in the film; specifically, the bathroom where I have pissed and threw cold water in my face several times (YOU stay awake during a midnight movie after 6 beers!!).

What say you?