Famine (2011)
Review by Jude Felton
Canadian writer/director doesn’t play by the rules, he
makes down and dirty horror and exploitation flicks, and by all accounts he
seems to not give one shit about conforming to any rules. His films tend to be
incredibly violent and filled to the brim with bodily fluids, and did I mention
that they are usually great fun? I didn’t? Well, they are! Torched and Live
Feed were fairly serious affairs, for the most part, but with the triple-header
of Gutterballs, Hanger and Bleading Lady, there was a thick vein (in more ways
than one) of filthy black humor. This humor is also prevalent in his latest
movie, Famine, along with copious amounts of violence.
Famine takes place in at Sloppy Secondary high school,
where one of the teachers has arranged a 24 hour famine, to help raise money.
She’s a creepy young lady, but is quite normal when compared to the Principle
and the pupils. The Principle seems to be a closet Nazi, complete with shouting
out Mein Kampf in one scene, and the pupils range for the socially awkward, the
cool as shit and the hot, yet a little freaky, variety.
A few years before this famine takes place there was
another one, and things didn’t turn out too well for those that attended. Now,
five years later, events are going to get a lot worse when people start getting
offed in all manner of inventive ways, by one of the cutest looking killers,
known as The Nailer, ever.
Famine is a film that has all the ingredients of a
terrific slasher flick; good looking cast, a good majority of which you want
killed off, mad kills, nudity and blood. Lots of blood. If you thought
Nicholson might calm down after the outrageous Hanger and Pin-etration version
of Gutterballs, you have nothing to fear. Famine throws it all at the camera,
and I mean all of it, and it’s damned good fun.
If I had any complaints at all it would be that a couple
of times some of the cast seemed to stumble on their lines a little. Aside from
that, Famine is what fans of old school slashers will lap up. Did anyone say ‘practical
effects’? Well, you get them by the bucket load here, in all their crunchy,
gooey and crimson glory.
Another thing I noticed about Famine is the production
value. It still looks and feels old school, but it is definitely the best
looking film Nicholson has released thus far, with good camerawork, clear
colors and solid editing. Don’t be fooled though, Famine will scare the hell
out of those that aren’t versed in Nicholson’s depraved visions of horror. You aren’t
gonna see this at your local multiplex, and there are one or two scenes that I
would be surprised made it to a Blu or DVD release with an R rating. Famine
will definitely have to see an unrated release, of that I am sure.
With Famine, Nicholson has come in guns-a-blazing, and
delivered an excellent slasher flick, which sits nicely next to Gutterballs. I
might even go so far as to say that Famine is his best film yet. Mad, violent,
funny and gross, with a killer soundtrack, Famine will leave you hungry for
more! (Fuck it, I couldn’t resist that!).
Famine will be released on DVD in Germany (with English language track) on September 28th. You can pre-order it here.
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