Feeding Grounds

1st watched 9/5/2011 – 7 out of 10(Dir-Junior Bonner): Effective scary movie that starts off looking pretty run-of-the-mill with a lesbian couple being the first victims in an initially sub-par looking killer movie. Next, there is a group of young folk heading off to a vacation destination and you know they are going to come upon the same fate. What sets this movie apart from others of the like is that it keeps you guessing to the very end and beyond as to what or who the killer is. The characters, although they are typical horror-movie types, don't do stupid things at stupid times – which is the norm for most movies of this genre. The movie, also, does scare you like it is supposed to. The attacker seems to have a way of infecting the victims first and making them sick and weak – which makes them ripe for the killing. In the background, occasionally you hear a radio broadcast where they are discussing unexplained disappearances – which gives you more data to help the viewer question what is really happening. Even when the movie is over, you really don't know what the victims have faced and to me that is good filmmaking. Otherwise, it's a pretty basic scary movie -- but it is pulled off well by the directors, writers and actors and it puts a nice twist on the genre that really works well once the movie gets rolling.

...but director Junior Bonner just didn't manage to fully utilize the full potential and turn "Feeding Grounds" into a properly entertaining movie. The movie dragged on at an excruciatingly slow pace and very little happened to liven up the movie or bring it into a proper pace.

The whole unknown supernatural thing that was going on in the desert and changing people was interesting, but it was savagely cut down by bad direction and with a myriad of one-dimensional characters that you never rooted for or formed any kind of bond with.

I am sure that the actors and actresses were giving it their best performance, but they were badly hindered by a lack of detailed character gallery and everyone were essentially just playing one and the same character.

There weren't all that many special effects throughout the movie, but what was there was alright and served their purpose well enough.

However, for a horror movie then "Feeding Grounds" just didn't stand out or leave a lasting impression in the genre. If you enjoy horror movies, then there are far better movies available worthy of your time and money.

A motley group of young people head for a remote desert cabin where they plan to kick back for a couple of days, which means drinking even more, and using even more drugs, than they're consuming before they get to the cabin; and where the guys plan to put the move on the girls, except, of course, for the clearly defined sharp-tongued Plain Jane. Naturally, something hungry is lurking out there in the desert; something that makes an awful lot of noise chewing and swallowing.

The average episode of SpongeBob Squarepants has better writing and acting, and more depth and complexity, than this dreck. It's as if the cast, director and crew who are making this movie are out there only as an excuse to do for real BEHIND the camera what the actors are pretending to be doing in FRONT of the camera: namely, cursing, drinking cheap booze, and taking a variety of drugs, while the guys haplessly strut about putting the moves on the girls, who act suitably coy, until they get tired of acting coy, and so of course suffer the usual fate of pretty young women in movies like this, which is to be devoured a minute or two after foreplay has started. (Actually, calling them "actors" is being generous.) The filmmakers did themselves and their film no favors by naming their production company Brain Damage Films.

Actually, now that I come to think about it, this dismal dog of a flick has improved my life, because watching it, I had to confront the question of whether I really, truly, absolutely, positively have nothing better to do with my time than to watch drivel like this.

Are you looking for a movie where nothing happens?

Seeking one of those group of 20 somethings go somewhere and bad things happen to them but don't want any actual content or unpleasantness like you know......deaths?

If you answered yes to the above questions then Feeding Grounds may well be what you're looking for.

Now Braindead studios movies are hyper low budget films and generally pretty poor, over the years they've made wall to wall horror films usually with T&A to keep peoples attention. Lately however the last few movies I watched of theres didn't even have that.

It tells the story of 8 20 somethings who go into the desert and fall foul of something, I say something because it's never explained and you don't see jack. They begin to get ill, turn on each other and that's basically the movie.

Slow paced, full of wretched characters and with ultimately nothing happening this is one of the worst Braindead features I've seen.

The Good:

Has its moments

Concept isn't entirely terrible

The Bad:

Inbalanced audio

Unlikeable characters

Amateurish cover art

Things I Learnt From This Movie:

The number of fond memories I have of early Braindead movies maybe the same as the number of nipples on display

but with ambiguous creatures instead of a witch; and a side of pro-veganism. That pretty much sums up 2006' "Feeding Grounds," a micro-budget horror flick about eight bickering youths in Southern California who get stuck in the desert and encounter the unknown.

To get anything good from "Feeding Grounds" you have to be able to acclimate to its low-budget style and limitations. I did and was able to find some rewarding elements, but it's mainly a tedious and one-dimensional barely-a-budget horror flick. Despite the lack of funds, there's some evidence that the filmmakers have talent. Parts of the movie have an eerie, arty ambiance in a good way. So the filmmaking is noticeably better than the do-it-yourself amateur (non)tone of the similar "Delirium," which came out just after "Feeding Grounds."

There are a couple of things that make the movie worth investing in, like the voluptuous redhead in the opening act, Rachel (Rebecca Gannon). Unfortunately, it's just a glorified cameo and you have to endure an eye-rolling lesbian romance sequence to appreciate her. Secondly, and more importantly, there's a notable rock/metal song that plays during the end credits. While the credits list the five or six songs that appear on the soundtrack I was unable to pinpoint which is the one that plays during the final credits. It's obviously a no-name band, but it's outstanding; very creative.

The eight youths that make up the cast are diverse and believable in their roles, not spoiled college kids, Just ordinary people, but they're only so-so interesting; and mostly not. If the script was tweaked they might be more compelling. Plus there are no real babes aside from the aforementioned Rachel from the brief prologue. Still, I appreciated the distinctions between the characters and their overall realistic portrayal.

As for the attackers or creatures, it becomes clear that they have a way of initially infecting the victims via some kind of bite or sting (or whatever) which makes them sick, semi-drugged ripe prey. Now and then you'll hear a radio broadcast that provides info on what may be happening – unknown disappearances in the desert and the theorizing thereof, which is reminiscent of the occasional TV broadcasts in 1968's renowned "Night of the Living Dead."

A few plot holes: Why do the creatures allow the police to come & go without attacking them? Why does one driver refer to the lack of "exits" on the highway when it's a two-lane road, not an interstate? Speaking of the road, why is it paved with people occasionally driving by and then mysteriously morphs into a dirt road and (I think) back again?

The film runs 82 minutes and was shot in Southern California.

GRADE: Borderline C- or D+ (3.5 out of 10)