The movie "Mad Cow" (2010) has been showing up in my Amazon Feed for awhile now. The cover art wasn't shy about he lead creature's costuming being a bit "guy in fuzzy pajamas", and so I put off watching it for quite awhile.
If you're looking for strict horror, keep looking, but if you're searching for laughs with gory moments, this movie is for you. "Mad Cow" is one of those films with a title that should tell you that you're not in for a very serious 90 minutes (Sort of like "Lumber vs Jack" or "Jack vs Lanterns" ). The movie is distributed by Troma, so there's another clue that it's bound to have a campy edge. And, like so much modern camp, it was aware from moment one that it would be a campy movie. Unlike many other campy movies, however, this one doesn't shy away from its comedic nature.
Right from the opening it makes it clear that you should expect jokes and it keeps delivering. It's got an almost "Airplane" (1980) quality to it in its absurdity.
The movie involves an experiment to reanimate the dead and create a super soldier, but something goes wrong with the intended head and a hapless assistant is sent out to secure a new one. What she finds is a barn, so she returns with the head of a cow (a nod to Frankenstein and the abnormal brain ). The result is a man/cow hybrid which is enraged whenever someone eats meat or uses dairy.
Leads, Tanya Van Graan and Greg Viljoen turn in solid performances. They keep the acting "straight" through the most absurd circumstances. The rest of the cast is hit and miss on talent, but overall they fit the tone of the movie. Some over the top, some very understated and one incredibly self-aware that she's in a movie and it makes for a perfect performance.
Technically it's well shot and the audio quality is fine throughout. The special F/X range from quirky to silly, but again, they all fit into the patchwork that is this film that knows it's a film and never once pretends to be as serious as the people who are acting in it seem to be.
Self aware camp can go wrong in so many ways, but this movie had me laughing even when many of the jokes were clichés from other campy movies. The one or two really creative gags made up for the run of the mill stuff.
It's not "Young Frankenstein" (1974), but for an indie effort with an IMDB reported budget of $50K, it's impressive. Definitely worth a 3 AM watch if you have a Prime Membership and want something funny with a chainsaw wielding, vegetarian, animal headed monster in it.
The trailer really doesn't do it justice.
Oh, and if you're looking for something short and silly to watch, may I suggest giving "X-24" a view. At the end of July 2018 it will no longer be "free with ads" on Amazon. To give you an idea of the type of monster movie it is, the working title was "Monster Mop" and it was shot in about 8 hours for $4. (I had to buy a fresh mop head because the used one was too disgusting for any of us to handle without gloves on.)
If you're looking for strict horror, keep looking, but if you're searching for laughs with gory moments, this movie is for you. "Mad Cow" is one of those films with a title that should tell you that you're not in for a very serious 90 minutes (Sort of like "Lumber vs Jack" or "Jack vs Lanterns" ). The movie is distributed by Troma, so there's another clue that it's bound to have a campy edge. And, like so much modern camp, it was aware from moment one that it would be a campy movie. Unlike many other campy movies, however, this one doesn't shy away from its comedic nature.
Right from the opening it makes it clear that you should expect jokes and it keeps delivering. It's got an almost "Airplane" (1980) quality to it in its absurdity.
The movie involves an experiment to reanimate the dead and create a super soldier, but something goes wrong with the intended head and a hapless assistant is sent out to secure a new one. What she finds is a barn, so she returns with the head of a cow (a nod to Frankenstein and the abnormal brain ). The result is a man/cow hybrid which is enraged whenever someone eats meat or uses dairy.
Leads, Tanya Van Graan and Greg Viljoen turn in solid performances. They keep the acting "straight" through the most absurd circumstances. The rest of the cast is hit and miss on talent, but overall they fit the tone of the movie. Some over the top, some very understated and one incredibly self-aware that she's in a movie and it makes for a perfect performance.
Technically it's well shot and the audio quality is fine throughout. The special F/X range from quirky to silly, but again, they all fit into the patchwork that is this film that knows it's a film and never once pretends to be as serious as the people who are acting in it seem to be.
Self aware camp can go wrong in so many ways, but this movie had me laughing even when many of the jokes were clichés from other campy movies. The one or two really creative gags made up for the run of the mill stuff.
It's not "Young Frankenstein" (1974), but for an indie effort with an IMDB reported budget of $50K, it's impressive. Definitely worth a 3 AM watch if you have a Prime Membership and want something funny with a chainsaw wielding, vegetarian, animal headed monster in it.
The trailer really doesn't do it justice.
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| Brewier Welch stars in "X-24" |
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