So we went to Weekend of Hell in Oberhausen again. And I bought lots of DVDs again. But Carola also got 1 DVD at the Zeno Pictures stand, Eat. I had heard of this film and the concept of the movie sounded kind of interesting to me but I never really paid much attention to it. But after coming back home from Weekend of Hell the first movie we wanted to watch was this one. And so we did…
The movie is about a woman called Novella McClure (played by Meggie Maddock). Novella also has a friend called Candice (played by Ali Francis). They like to go out to clubs together and make men buy them drinks. Novella is an actress but has a real hard time finding a job. She actually hasn’t gotten a role in 3 years now and she is running out of money. This also causes her to be kicked out of her apartment because she hasn’t paid the rent for months. Her landlady is pretty good to her but she is also kind of getting fed up with not being paid rent. Of course all of this takes its toll on Novella and she becomes very stressed. She starts biting her nails, but quickly it becomes more severe than that. She starts biting her finger and after she gets another reject from an acting job she freaks out and starts eating her arm. After Novella bit her own arm she passes out and is taken to the hospital. She gets to go home pretty quickly but she is on suicide watch and has to go to a psychiatrist. The psychiatrist is actually a guy she met at the club and she really likes him. But Novella’s life keeps spiraling down and she starts eating more of her own body.
This movie is kind of hard to describe, the plot sounds absolutely insane. But I have to say that has been done very well. It’s more like a horror/drama movie and the story is actually quite well written. All of the characters have a great depth. And the story really builds to these crazy climaxes. But they work really well. The film feels a bid art housy and somehow I thought it is a European film, but it is actually from the U.S.. Also I have to say that the acting is pretty solid, especially for a horror movie. The movie also had some subtle comedy moments, but never did it really felt over the top or corny. Which in my opinion ruins most modern horror movies. Oh yeah I didn’t mention this, the movie is from 2014. The people that have read my other reviews probably know I’m a huge fan of older horror movies, from the beginning of film until around the mid 90’s. But I’m also always looking for great “newer” horror movies. But to me it seems I only know a handful of good horror films released after 2000. I know that there are great ones out there, but somehow I don’t seem to find them. A lot of these films suffer from the same problems: it has really bad comedy and corny jokes, it has some extremely terrible acting, it has a shaky camera, lame/annoying characters, it’s about ghosts, it has CGI, I could go on and on. But ah well that is just my opinion and I do think there are some good ones out there, but there is so much shit being made these days (I also feel kind of old writing this). So if you have any good suggestions that doesn’t have any of the elements I mentioned before, please let me know.
But back to Eat. I have to give a big shout out to Monster Makeup FX who did the special effects in this film. Holy crap it is done great! It’s not often that I get grossed out by a movie. But with this one I kind of did haha. There is a scene where Novella bites of her toe, and you see the bone sticking out and all the blood on her food and mouth. It’s real nasty, but that’s what makes it great. The gore scenes have a lot of impact but they also add to the story. That’s a great thing about this film, that it doesn’t just rely on gore. But I also have to say that the writing wasn’t always great. There are some things that happen later on in the movie that I would of like to see different. It’s mostly in the characters responses in certain situations. But I can’t really talk about it without giving spoilers. But still I think this is a great film.
This DVD is the Dutch release by Zeno Pictures and Excesso Entertainment. It doesn’t have any extras on it. Which I think is too bad, I would of at least liked to have seen a trailer of the movie and of course a documentary or something like that. But honestly I don’t even know if these extras even exists of this movie. Zeno Pictures usually has some nice extras on their DVDs so if they were available to them, they would of probably put them on there . Still though, I think this is a great release. The sound and picture quality are just awesome. Also I like the cover on this one very much. The soundtrack on this film is really fitting for this movie. It isn’t the type of music I usually prefer in a movie, but in this one it works really great.
I’m glad we got this DVD in our collection. And I’d definitely recommend this release by Zeno Pictures and Excesso. This film doesn’t seem to get a lot of recognition, but I hope it will get more appreciation in the future. If you’re a horror fan and are looking for some “newer” stuff give this one a go. And again if you have any recommendations for me, please let me know. But I’m very picky with the newer films ;).
Write a comment
KT Nielsen (Sunday, 20 November 2016 13:03)
Wow! This movie sounds so dark, intriguing and at the same time interesting. This is the kind of movie that makes the target audience think and not just offer a movie on a silver platter. I kind of like movies of this genre. It would be pretty interesting to watch this. On second thoughts, this movie might be too twisted for me but I'd give it a try.
Nya (Sunday, 20 November 2016 17:58)
I have heard about this movie, and I was already curious about it; but after your review I am even more. It does sound interesting, even if horror is not what I usually pick first. (too bad about the extras though)
blair villanueva (Tuesday, 22 November 2016 13:58)
this is kind of interesting story, and I am curious on what will happen to her in the end ( would she and her doctor be together?) OMG I'm such a romantic weird. lol
Fiona (Wednesday, 23 November 2016 13:05)
You're right, it does sound pretty insane, haha! I really like horror movies, especially if they have a believable plot. I'm not so keen when they are just gore for gore's sake. I've never heard of Eat but I would give it a go after reading your review. It sounds intriguing.
Orana (Friday, 25 November 2016 15:21)
EEEEEEk! I can't handle it, but from a makeup artist perspective it must be quite amazing to watch. Although I have a feeling that I'd be covering my face all the time in disgust. I don't do very well with horror movies jajajaa. I admire your love for them, specially old ones.
Yan (Friday, 09 December 2016 00:37)
Woah! Now that's a different kind of stress eating. I might reco this to my boyfriend, he might like it!