Feast didn’t have much going for it as it was a rather simple horror film that barely got any press whatsoever. Oddly though it ended up being one of those generic horror films that was really good and a lot of fun. It seemed only appropriate and expected that a sequel be made to try and eat up some more profits off of what was seemingly a decent franchise. I didn’t really think that a sequel to Feast would end up being worth checking out and especially when it came with the sub-name of Sloppy Seconds. To make matters worse, after watching it I noticed that they are both essentially the same exact film. That just screams awful and a whole lot of nothing for me to “enjoy” for an hour and a half. Boy, was I wrong.
First let me explain that you don’t need to have seen the first film in order to follow along with the second. A lot is explained so that you are able to know what went on and how it all happened. There are flashbacks and stories and other goings on that keep you in the know and allow you to be right up to date. Sloppy Seconds picks up the morning after the original ended and the awful events in that desert bar are hopefully a thing of the past. Bloodthirsty and freakish monsters made their way to the bar and wanted to get inside so that they could get a taste of whoever was inside. A woman named Biker Queen, who was in search of her long lost twin sister, survived the night while many others did not. Or so you think. Come to find out, thanks to a dog running up with a treat in his mouth, that her sister is dead and she vows revenge. A little information from the cowering bartender reveals what happened that night and that the monsters have now moved onto the nearby town. Biker Queen joins forces with a bunch of ragtag people hoping to survive and look to destroy the monsters before their own lives are lost.
Sloppy Seconds is an extremely simple film in terms of plot and where things will go in way of blood, lust, gore, violence, and nudity. But oh my God this film stretches the boundaries of acceptability just as much as Feast did. There are just a lot of scenes and other things that will offend tons of people and make others stop watching from there on out. It usually takes a lot to scare me, but it may take even more to offend me and it’s truly saying something if you can make me kind of look away and exclaim “what the f*ck?” See: the donkey scene in Clerks II. But here in Sloppy Seconds, I found myself just always looking on in complete awe with my mouth hanging open just wondering if I honestly just saw what I thought I did. Hell, that made this viewing experience that much more enjoyable for me.
For those of you who are sitting there thinking that I’m insane and it can’t possibly be that off the wall then let me just list a few things without actually giving away anything: the baby scene, an incident with a cat, anatomically correct monsters, the autopsy, midget wrestlers, vomit, blood (lots of it), and just about anything you can possibly think of, but wouldn’t want to. It’s trashy and offensive. It’s corny and strange. It’s rather predictable, but then totally out of left field. What more could you ask for out of a direct-to-DVD horror film?
I’m not saying this is award material for film, sound, direction, acting, or anything at all. Sloppy Seconds isn’t going to be recommended by any nationally known or accredited critic you’ll see on television. More then likely only a select few of you will ever pick up a copy of it and sit through the entire thing. But for those of you that brave it enough to do so, I applaud you and you’ll also have found yourself a decent little flick to kill time to no matter when or why you’re bored. Call me crazy, but I’m one of the few who sat through Sloppy Seconds‘ incredibly offensive material and found it enjoyable enough to do the same many more times.
What’s that say about me then?
The film is shown in Anamorphic Widescreen format and everything looks alright for the most part. Colors are decent and everything can be seen clearly, but there are some issues with the darker (night) scenes in that they can appear dull or more so black then purplish making it possible to tell what’s going on.
The film is heard in Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound and there was a really nice job done here to make good use of the surround sound. One of the best things is hearing the monsters growl and chomp from all around you while the explosions and gunfire also come through blasting.
Audio Commentary – The commentary track consists of director John Gulager, producer Michael Leahy, writers Patrick Melton and Marcus Dunstan, and stars Diane Ayala Goldner, Tom Gulager, and Clu Gulager. Now this is the kind of commentary track I’m talking about. A lot of people and they are just having a really fun time talking about the film and the time they had making it. Not only that, it’s interesting listening to their points of view to some of the overly strange and weird things that go down in the film. This is well worth listening to.
Oh and guess what, there is probably a ninety-nine percent chance that there will be a Feast III. Yes!
Scared Half To Death: The Making Of Feast II – This little twelve and a half minute feature is a simple “making of” that just has the cast and crew giving comments about the filming locations, time on the set, and everything that goes along with it. Nothing much here, but might as well check it out.
Meet The Gulagers – You know, at first I was kind of against the thought of so many family members being involved with the creation of a film, but it worked out after all. All of those involved in the film take five and a half minutes to just go over how this project was a family gathering that was just a lot of fun for all of them.
Trailers – Hell Ride, Mother Of Tears, The Zombie Diaries, and George A Romero’s Diary Of The Dead
Being an avid, and fanatic, horror fan, it’s always a bit of a blessing when I find something that wasn’t expected to be that good, but was anyway. Sloppy Seconds sounds like a bad porno, and with a little bit more nudity, it would have been exactly that but with monsters and blood. Well, some pornos have blood in them, but never mind all that right now. The film itself is a god popcorn flick and one that is fun to watch as the season of the witch (Halloween) approaches. But the thing is, it has a lot of replayability which will make for countless viewings when you are bored or are stuck with nothing else to watch. The special features are few, but they are some good ones. That commentary track alone is worth a decent score in the extras’ department. Have some fun with this one everyone, and just try to go into it with an open mind. If you even attempt to make much sense of it or refuse to be offended, then you’re going to ruin this one for you. Enjoy it without much thought and just expect well hell, you can’t possibly expect what you’re going to see. You just can’t. (shudder!)
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Weinstein Company presents Feast II: Sloppy Seconds. Directed by: John Gulager. Starring: Jenny Wade, Clu Gulager, Diana Ayala Goldner, Tom Gulager, Hanna Putnam, and more. Written by: Patrick Melton & Marcus Dunstan. Running time: 100 minutes. Rating: Unrated. Released on DVD: October 7, 2008. Available at Amazon
