The Stink of Flesh

Strictly z-grade stuff from writer-director Scott Philips, responsible for such straight-to-video fare as CRYPTZ and SCIENCE BASTARD (2002) , HORRORVISION, and so on. Despite the claims on the box ('Better than 28 Days Later!') STINK is clearly not in that league, although it now remains a favourite gross-out title, along with the likes of SHRIEK OF THE MUTILATED and ENTRAILS OF A VIRGIN. STINK is handicapped by some low rent acting talent, although the film benefits from an excellent rock score, reasonable photography and special effects, as well as an intriguing storyline. The catchily named Kurly Tlapoyawa plays Matool, a man who prefers the excitement of fistfighting zombies before driving big nails through their skulls to the less stressful, and more common means, of just shooting them straight in the head. After one grisly encounter, from which he is sole survivor, he stumbles onto the retreat of a swinging couple and a sister, still managing to maintain their alternate lifestyle during the current flesh eating apocalypse. Stranger still, the sister has a mutant head growing from her belly. Soon they are joined by soldiers carrying one of their wounded, shortly zombie-to-be, comrade in arms, and the swinging couple duly expand their activities - including the husband, whom we incidentally discover keeps a zombie chick in his shed for his private pleasure.. Whether or not the film intends a satire on a liberal lifestyle, the intrusion of such an idea makes a pleasant change from the usual concerns of the genre, and the vaguely communal life style of the uninfected is intriguing, even if Philips' script runs out of steam at the end, wrapping things up too abruptly. But as a film it is entertaining and rarely boring, quite playful in its own way and the rumpy pumpy inside, while the zombies bump up against the refuge outside certainly makes for some novel suspense...

For a low budget film, this looks amazingly good. There is a script, some good gore effects, and a lot of evident hard work by the cast and crew. The acting is not terrible overall, and this film pays honorable tribute to the low budget zombie flick tradition.

Problem comes from the cast and premise. If you must make a sort core zombie flick with frequent nudity, I would argue that having attractive actors in the naked roles is pretty much a requirement. It also would be a good idea to have your strongest actors take the most important roles. They may even teach that last point in real film schools...

Instead, we get "Dexy" who not to belabor the point is not in the least attractive, resembling a younger Kathy Bates. If she was as good an actress as Ms Bates, all well and good, but she is really not talented. So to cast her in a key (arguably pivotal) role as the center of the action is unwise as she cannot bear the load of talent needed to transcend her blah appearance. There is too much residual disbelief involved for the audience to imagine a circle of desire and treachery with this uncharismatic and unappealing character as the center of it.

The other liability is Kristin Hansen, who plays Sassy. She is such a poor actress that another main liability, the silly Siamese twin claymation face "Dotty", becomes even more tedious. The whole plot involving the soldier falling for Sassy is jaw-droppingly perverse, reminding me of that moment in "Night of the Zombies" when the commando puts on the tutu and pirouettes around the room into the hands of a mob of zombies. The difference is that the latter moment made me laugh because it was enjoyably dumb, while the current instance just made me roll my eyes in incredulity due to the crappy acting job of Ms Hansen.

Anyway, these two mediocre actresses in key roles plus the Dotty subplot deflate the movie quite a bit. From the aspiring director in me, I wonder why the director didn't take the two cuter actresses appearing in bit roles and put them in the Dexy and Sassy role. The zombie girl is far more attractive, and the girl Matool rescues from the car is also cuter and can act substantially better than either Dexy or Hansen. So you want a cute woman for naked scenes, you have one, you want a better actress, check have one of those too. The casting of this film therefore makes even less sense objectively...

Anyway, if you don't expect even adequate acting from horror movies, and don't mind seeing people who look like they are from the local Applebee's naked, you may be able to enjoy this movie more fully. Even if you are more quality minded, this is a decent viewing for zombie movie completists, as there are a few interesting ideas here and the director seems to have a lot of talent in every element of film production except casting.

CMK

i had a lot of fun watching this movie. Actually i really don't know why i liked it because the acting suck, the make up effect suck and it's pretty obvious that this zombie flick doesn't bring something new to the genre. but it make me laugh and i liked the characters. In my mind it surely beat dead meat and it's beat many zombie movie who pretend to be serious. It's not a comedy like shaun of the dead and it's not a great zombie movie like night of the living dead but it's surely one of the best zombie movie i have seen in a long time. Maybe i am the only one on earth but i don't care, i liked it and I'm surely watch it again with a bunch of friend and a couple of beer and have some good laugh.

Not bad for a B-movie. Human life is not highly regarded in this flick. This is pointed out during each gore/killing scene etc. The introduction with the long nail made me laugh. I guess you need to be a bit of a sadistic person to enjoy that scene. Many other scenes like that followed and i was truly amazed by the acting as i never expected much out of this. Each character in this film seemed psychotic somehow while some totally disregarded the value of fellow (ex)human beings. I guess this is the aspect that makes people either hate or love this film. To enjoy this just don't take it too serious while watching. There is nothing personal about it.

o.k, o.k., O.K.! I would give this movie such higher ratings.... BUT I CANT! Yeah, yeah, yeah, the storyline sucks, the acting sucks (it does) and the makeup Really SUCKS! I mean BAD! But still hidden in the film are some easter eggs of a gem which I call some good zombie crap! The ideas are there, and it is comedic, but in general it needs a lot of work.

Apart from it's worse then ever movie makeup,(and it is worse than your neighbor's kids on Halloween) it does make you watch to see the true wonder of where the hell the plot is going. But alas, I would say the best thing about this movie is............ the SOUNDTRACK! Hence I KEPT WATCHING! Let me just save you the trouble... TRUE HORROR FANS SEE THE FILM, THE REST OF YOU GO BUY THE SOUNDTRACK!