“No, no my dear Misti. I don’t want you to serve appetizers. I need you to “be” appetizers.”
Fuad Ramses III-Blood Feast 2: All You Can Eat
In retrospect, it’s crazy that I hadn’t seen Feast until this year. Feast is a product of Project Greenlight, the Matt Damon and Ben Affleck reality show. It was the only season of the show I’ve watched, and it was a lot of fun. Seeing why certain choices were made and the trouble productions hit was interesting.
As a film, Feast is a comedy horror film that embraces both sides. The setting is a dessert bar filled with the usual cast of misfits; none have real names. They are all called their archetypes, like Hot Wheels, the guy in the wheelchair, and Boss Man, the bar owner. The film starts with a mysterious stranger and his wife burst into the bar. They are running from unstoppable creatures preying in the dark, trying to warn everyone of the impending danger. As the ruthless entities draw first blood, the unprepared patrons realize that, in the face of impossible odds, there’s not enough ammo to stop the fanged intruders, so they’ll have to outwit them.
John Gulager directs this wacky bloody romp. He understands the film he’s directing and has some pretty inventive shots, considering the budget and constraints of the location. It also should be noted that the team behind Project Green Light also had a lot of input. Having Affleck and Damon in your toolbox helps a lot. The script is a lot of fun and well-written. I would have loved to see this film get a bigger budget.
The cast is relatively large, so I’ll give a few shoutouts. Gulager father, Clu, plays the bartender, and he’s fantastic. Clu Gulager is, of course, a legendary actor, so it makes sense. Henry Rollins and Judah Friedlander are both excellent side characters. But the film’s star is the special effects—the buckets of blood rival almost any horror film you’ve seen. Although the main creatures don’t look the best, the kills are fantastic.
Feast is competently directed and has a great script. The main creatures don’t have the best design, and the story isn’t breaking any new ground, but the film is a wild, gory ride. Clu Gulager, Krista Allen, and Judah Friedlander all give great performances. Even though I’m not sure this film would have been made if it wasn’t a Project Green Light film, it would have been interesting if it had a much larger budget.
Rating: 6.5/10
