So where is horror today?  Where will it go next?  How far is too far and what boundaries have yet to be crossed?  I think your answers hide within the underbelly of the film Feast.  It's a fast paced action / horror extravaganza.  Once it begins, it never lets you go.  It's extremely gory, graphic, and...well...down right gross!  It's what many horror fans were waiting for since the release of the Spierig brother's surprise 2003 hit Undead.  Now, I don't think Undead was all it was cracked up to be.  I've run into many horror fans, and they either love or hate the film.  And really, Feast will be no different.  Where you'll find the film's strengths, you will also uncover its many weaknesses.  Still, what might be the most important question to ask with this type of semi-groundbreaking film is, foremost...is this where horror should be headed???

The answer to the above question is this.  Whatever.  It's perfect (and not really an answer at all...HA) because John Gulager’s debut film is meant to be, quite simply, a really good fuckin time!  Feast compromises scares and most of it's intensity by carrying on a rather zany and comedic approach.  If you are looking for Neil Marshell or Aja extreme cinema, you won't find it here.  This isn't to say that the film doesn't try to scare you spineless with building tension either.  Gulager throws in plenty of jump scares and builds tension quite effectively throughout most of the film's running time, but during those same moments you'll find yourself never taking the film as seriously as you wish you could.  The jokes run as rapid as the carnivorous beasts that aim to devour all of our main characters that are trapped within an old bar in the middle of nowhere.

Did you say carnivorous beasts?  Yes...yes I did!  Before we get to these amazingly brutal animals of questionable nature, let's focus on our main characters.  There are a ton of them, and the film does an amazing job (full screen text descriptions and backgrounds of all main characters) to introduce every well thought out character as they appear throughout the first 10 minutes of the film.  Right away you will pin point the exact people you want to live and the annoying people you'll want to see get torn to sheds as soon as humanly possible.  Still, all these characters are in the same sticky situation.  There are carnivorous beasts out there, and somehow, they need to stay safe in an old country bar until they can all agree on some type of feasible getaway plan.  That’s the plot in a nutshell.  It’s a pretty small shell...but really, there isn't a whole lot of in-depth plot to deal with here.  Still, this works to the film's favor.  The last thing we want is another multi-layered plot like the one we witnessed in Undead.  Seriously, Spierig brothers...what the fuck!?!

You'll probably recognize only Balthazar Getty and Judah Friedlander in this picture.  The other actors all do fine jobs with their characters (stereotypes if you will), and nobody here really stands out as being a true talent to help lead the film to blockbuster brilliance.  No complaints really, and in the end, you won't find yourself being too critical on the acting talent in the film.  You'll be too busy being totally grossed out by the loads of gory goodness.  Guaranteed.

Gulager does a fine job with Feast.  He's extremely limited with his surroundings, too.  The film is shot entirely within the walls of an old country bar, however, Gulager still keeps the camera jumping all over the place to assure that your eyes never get tired of seeing the same old thing.  The action is rather jumpy, but never confusing as to what is exactly happening within a given series of shots.  It's all very precise, and the entire film is effectively directed in this man's debut film.

I found myself feeling a little guilty for laughing so much during this movie.  Some of the jokes are as silly and corny as can be, but it all adds to most of the film's charm.  It's actually more of a comedy splatterfest than an actual horror film.  You'll still find yourself jumping from time-to-time, but not to worry - soon you'll be quietly chuckling along with the rest of your friends.  It's an odd mix of humor and horror but then again...perhaps that's exactly where this industry is headed.

Recommended to fans of Undead and old school Peter Jackson.  Then again, I think everyone can find something to love about this movie.  If you are also into brutality brought on by carnivorous beasts, my god man(!), you owe it to yourself to see this film!