Monday, March 28, 2016

Review: CHOMP (2014)

by: Chelsea Opperman




Insanity is a bitch.  And this granny is, too.  Deranged elderly women will always be scary as hell.   In the horror genre, they seem to be better than anyone else at terrorizing couples, worshiping Satan, wielding machetes, and baking pies.  The youngsters in these films are often no match against the unsettling elderly demeanor ripe with rampant paranoia and blood lust.  And when you add humor to the mix, you get the delicious mash up called Chomp.

This short has a lot going for it:  The quirky leads are spot on with their over-the-top reactions to the laughable and ludicrous. The whimsical music and title credits create a sharp juxtaposition to the dog bowls of grandpa gore, creating a feeling of disgust and subversive pleasure.  The meta-television advertisements are reminiscent of the dizzying disorientation felt while watching Requiem for a Dream – embodying a screaming personality you are forced to comply with while sold insanity inducing propaganda.  What senior citizen doesn’t love QVC?


And mostly, director Lynne Hansen has us effectively chained to the narrative while her grandmother figure “Millie” catches herself a real life zombie boy.  It’s a good thing Millie’s read up on all her books.   Chomp, chomp. 

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Please join us Monday, March 7th for free screening of CHOMP at Screenland Armour in Kansas City, Missouri.  Event info HERE.

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