Eat - Ich hab mich zum Fressen gern!

"Eat" is pretty much the one-man-project of a bloke named Jimmy Weber, and he clearly has A) a sick & twisted sense of humor, B) a hatred towards all the typically fake Hollywood glamour and C) a rather negative perspective on human behavior in general! The ideal personality to make a low-budgeted and independently spirited horror movie, in other words! "Eat" is an admirable and, at least for the largest part, entertaining B-movie with an original premise, vivid acting performances and a handful of truly grueling and nasty make-up effects. Moreover, it's an unpretentious little gem that doesn't take itself too seriously and I, for one, was relieved to see such a simple horror flick amidst all the wannabe-shocking backwoods/murdering rednecks movies nowadays. Novella McClure is a thirty-something actress with cute blonde looks and a catchy-sounding artist name, but the painful truth is that she hasn't scored a half-decent acting role in over three years. She struggles financially, but luckily has a motherly type of landlady. Her wild friend Candice takes her out clubbing but they only drink at the expense of random men they encounter, which also brings them in hazardous situations. Purely out of stress, Novella starts nibbling on a little wound on her thumb, but the bad habit turns into a disturbing and uncontrollable craving to eat her own flesh! Isn't that "food" for psychiatrists? Weber's script foresees a few very ingenious and unpredictable twists, and you genuinely feel empathy for poor Novella as she continues to sink deeper into misery, but then unfortunately it goes downhill during the last 10 minutes. The ending of "Eat" is disappointing, and surely Jimmy Weber must have considered more suitable and realistic conclusions to his wicked idea? Nevertheless, I can recommend this peculiar "cannibal" film, at least if you have the stomach for it! The scenes in which Novella feasts on herself are guaranteed to make you shiver, even despite the jolly and playful music score.

5 of 10. Had the post-credit scene happened at the end of the film, I'd give it another point. After a film like this, however, it's asking a lot for people to stick around through the credits and the film really needs some form of release after grueling gore and tension.

The main problem is that the writer really needed a skilled director rather than serving as both. While the actors did what they could with the script, the casting for several of the key characters was off and could have easily been switched.

The other part of it that wasn't setup well was the psychological element. Too often, it felt like unbelievably stupid characters rather than a mental disorder.

It's not a B-film because of the special FX, which was very believable and didn't look cheap. It's B because of the writing/directing that made many scenes feel like TV soap opera melodrama, unlike a recent smoother, more finished blood-gore film Julia (2014).

A little bit of body horror goes a long way. What begins as a small, unfortunate habit steadily progresses to more severe, cringe-worthy indulgence. In between instances of worsening blood and gore the movie is initially far more conventional - the portrait of a woman down on her luck, and struggling personally and professionally. As if that slant weren't enough of itself, the picture is pristine in its image quality, and seems at times to have a sheen to it - boosted further by the protagonist's impeccable makeup, and the very ordinary personalities of each character. These snapshots of Novella's life are unremarkable, but enjoyable - and almost give the picture a fairytale quality that contrasts sharply with the spiraling darkness the feature increasingly represents. It's not perfectly engaging, but 'Eat' is certainly good fun.

Filmmaker Jimmy Weber wears many hats here - writer, director, editor, composer - and he dons each pretty darn well. From a technical standpoint the movie looks great, including vivid blood and gore - kudos to the effects and makeup artists. Though not outstanding in the truest sense of the word, I really enjoy Weber's score. I don't think there's a specific weakness to cite. It's just that the mashup of story beats - the common and the grisly; the beauty and the beast, if you will - doesn't entirely jive in this screenplay. This isn't to say I think there's a particular deficiency; only that, however satisfying, 'Eat' doesn't come across as essential. That doesn't mean it isn't entertaining, because it certainly keeps our attention well.

Like the movie overall, the characters don't especially leap out in any way, but the cast embodies them well. Scene writing is solid, and the narrative further stirs a small measure of psychological horror into the mixture. While Novella's habit grows more demanding, the feature remains less about her state of mind, or what she does to herself, than about the life coming undone; the horror elements are just flavor on top. It's an interesting approach to a genre picture, and challenging to pull off with just the right ratio of the constituent parts. I think Weber definitely succeeds, if incompletely; 'Eat' just isn't as engrossing as it should be - the whole isn't quite the sum of its parts.

To be honest, though, I may be nitpicking. Ultimately the film does what it sets out to do, and it's a matter of a viewer's individual experience as to how invested one feels. For my part, I think Weber has made a fine film, with a strong approach to the narrative, that just doesn't wholly captivate. Still, 'Eat' is a highly enjoyable blend of genres, executed well, and if the premise in any way entices as a story to your liking, then this is worth watching if you have the chance.

I didn't know what to expect from this film. I had seen the title and the synopsis - no reviews.

It was surprising from the start. A fresh style rather than the moody kick-off many horror films have. It brought you into the character's rather false and fluffy life, and that of many others trying to make it in Hollywood.

The acting is suburb by all of the case who portrayed their respective characters well - believably.

My only criticism of the film is that it should have had more of an explanation of why the main character, Novella McClure, develops the way she does. we have a clue that it is because she becomes stressed, but there wasn't much of a back story.

I felt for the character as she went through her ups and downs.

I don't think this film is a 'classic' but it makes a change from dark and moody horrors.

It's a low budget b-movie with mediocre acting. But what it has in it's favor is decent sfx and a story that is a bit more complex than I was expecting. It's worth a watch, but I don't think it will make anyone's top ten horror flicks. In a way it's not even horror, but more of a drama about rejection and self-destruction.