When deciding what treats to hand out this Halloween, make sure you’re not the deadbeat who hands out toothbrushes, or you just might become some little wolf’s YUMMY MEAT.
Directed by: John Fitzpatrick
Starring: Miracle Laurie as “Amber”, Lucas Jaye as “Little Wolf”, Lou Ferrigno Jr. as “The Werewolf“, and Luke Albright as “Jack“.
When the sun sets on October 31st, little ghouls, witches, and devils take to the streets – seeking sugary treats to eat. It’s always been proper Halloween etiquette, to have several candies readied for the various pales and bags, presented by the costumed masses. Over time – Halloween after Halloween – each house develops its own reputation: a) being a good one or b) a bad one. A good house may give out, if you’re lucky, some king-sized, chocolatey goodness, whereas the bad house may give out something lame; like a toothbrush (who needs one of those?). Well, suffice to say, lame treats get gnarly tricks, and in YUMMY MEAT: A HALLOWEEN CAROL… things get real gnarly.
As a WEREWOLF IN A GIRL’S DORMITORY lights the beautiful Miracle Laurie (Dollhouse), you are instantaneously aware – given the background film – that you’re in the hands of some major horror fiends. What better hands to be in, when taking in a werewolf flick. Werewolf films have been few and far between, mainly because of the difficulty it takes in nailing the tone – which such films as, SILVER BULLET, THE HOWLING and AN AMERICAN WEREWOLF IN LONDON were successful in. They embraced the campiness that defined the 80’s, and the sheer brutal, instinctual nature of the wolf. This is something that Yummy Meat is extremely successful in emulating, however stands on its own when it comes to its dialogue.
Written by the talented Sean J. Decker (L.A. Slasher), Yummy Meat is one of the most smartly written scripts to grace the short film format; the dialogue is snappy, witty, and hilarious. It takes on a standard three act structure (that’s right three acts) and does it with more style and panache, than most feature length films have to offer. It has the spirit of the 80’s, but the bite of the 90’s. Miracle’s character, Amber, is a strong example of that: presenting bold dialogue, and a strong female character. Calling back to the days of yore – when Sidney Prescott called Billy a “Pansy-Ass Mama’s Boy!” or when Buffy said, “I’m the thing that monsters have nightmares about. And right now, you and me are gonna show ‘em why” – Miracle adds her own dose of badass to the horror genre.
As our main character, settles into her glass of red wine, suddenly, she is visited by a lone little wolf. Lucas Jaye, as cute as he is, manages to embrace a fine line between eerie and adorable. Between his costume and the festive decorations – meticulously placed, bright orange, pumpkin bags, as well as a colony of black paper bats – this film is a celebration of horror and it’s favorite holiday; Halloween. Shot beautifully by Director of Photography, Nicholas Katt, the vibrant, macabre visuals displayed, welcome you into the dark world of the wolf – who is played flawlessly by Lou Ferrigno Jr. Lou does an excellent job of emoting and exploring the space, as the wolf. In the hero shot, where the wolf is fully revealed, he twists and contorts in such an interesting way – it reminded me a lot of the movement of some of the creatures from Clive Barker’s NIGHTBREED. Between Lou’s acting, unbelievable makeup effects from Julie Hapney, and outstanding creature effects by Dan Crawley – mask and claws provided by Immortal Masks – altogether, helps sell the heck out of the wolf.
The overall tone of the film was consistent all the way through and director John Fitzpatrick’s vision is clear: to bring back the fun in horror. This is exactly what Yummy Meat manages to accomplish. It doesn’t wish to challenge you politically or shove over-inflated opinions down your throat. It wants nothing more than to entertain you and terrify the heck out of you, all at the same time. Also, since I’m a bit of a score hound I just wanted to mention that the score is awesome. It feels like a homage to old school, drive in horror films and adds a wonderful pace for the images presented. Overall, this dark, macabre, adult fairy tale manages to engage you and fulfill you, all within it’s 5 minute timeframe. With a solid foundation, in Decker’s script, mixed with a solid vision, in Fitzpatrick’s directing, makes for some definite Yummy Meats.
Truly Disturbing was there for Yummy’s big screen premiere, on Sunday October 18th, covering the black carpet. One thing is evident, after talking with the cast and crew, and that is that the Scary Endings group is a tight knit outfit. They trust each other completely and are extremely dedicated to making top of the line entertainment constantly. Blood, Sweat, and Tears are put into everyone of their projects and the end result speaks volumes. Here are some photos of the amazing people involved with Yummy Meat, along with some shots from the Q & A that followed.
Well there you have it everyone! Please share this film with all your horror loving friends, as well as werewolf enthusiasts. To watch all of the previous films in the Scary Endings series, be sure to visit their YouTube page HERE. Also, to get updates on the upcoming films you can visit their website www.ScaryEndings.com. Thank you to Rachel Belofsky and the people at Screamfest for hosting one heck of festival. For more info on Screamfest you can visit their website www.ScreamfestLA.com.
Screamfest 2015: YUMMY MEAT: A HALLOWEEN CAROL (Review), Plus Black Carpet Photos When deciding what treats to hand out this Halloween, make sure you're not the deadbeat who hands out toothbrushes, or you just might become some little wolf's…
