Feeding Grounds (2006 Video) User Reviews

Slightly artistic yet frustrating film about a dangerous stretch of desert road...

[nekojiru67 · 3/10 · 29 October 2009]

Two cars full of twenty-something friends head out for an excursion into the desert, passing many abandoned cars along the way. Little do they know their own cars are about to be abandoned as well...

Feeding Grounds is ultimately a frustrating film. As viewers we don't get a single glimpse of the creature(s) who have entrapped the characters. (Unless you count one clawed hand.) It seems the characters are drugged and confused by their attackers, for they continually turn off of the highway onto the same dusty road, and some seem to hallucinate. But your guess is as good as mine, if you dare to watch this film.

The acting is, for the most part, well above average for a low-budget film. Special effects are sorely lacking, except for a few bits of gore. Only the occasionally artistic camera shot kept me from falling asleep.

If you like watching college kids bicker, and hate the sight of monsters, this is the movie for you.

Feeding Grounds: Ghastly, for all the wrong reasons

[Platypuschow · 2/10 · 12 May 2018]

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

It had potential...

[paul_haakonsen · 4/10 · 15 December 2015]

...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.

let's face it, if a two year old tells you you're ugly, you're ugly

[jeffa123 · 1/10 · 16 October 2015]

this showed up in one of those bargain bin 'horror packs'

as my tag line implies, some truths are unavoidable and speak for themselves. it took me literally 4 tries to make it through this thing; and it's only barely over 1:15 in length.

that speaks for itself. i would just get bored and doze off. try again the next night. same thing

there was a version of the 'Elephant Man' i saw once as a kid where the guy playing Elephant Man wore absolutely no makeup. he just looked like a normal guy. with no context as to what the real Elephant Man looked like, that version made utterly no sense

same problem here. i get a 'horror' movie trying to let your imagination run wild and picture the creatures, but in this; we don't get anything to go on. some tufts of fur and few bits of goo on the ground and our mind is supposed to supply the terror.

second issue is there are too many characters. too hard to keep track of who's who here. are we supposed to like this guy or that girl. no time to develop back stories. so then, when they start arguing amongst themselves (the creatures affected their minds, i guess?) my reaction was 'stop it! that's so annoying.. and btw, who cares?"

ultimately a jab at meat-eaters where the lone survivor is also the lone vegan. direct quote: "why aren't you sick?".. "because they know i won't eat them"

plot hole: why do the cops come and go and not get lost or eaten?

second plot question: what's the point of the opening sequence with the two lesbian girls?

comes off like a film school project with zero budget for effects. post edit adds a bunch of creature sounds, but this thing barely held my interest. might have been made a better short?

I will be brief

[Deep-Thought · 1/10 · 21 September 2015]

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.

Worst B Rate "Horror" Movie Ever - Not even worth it for the omg this is bad value.

[clintonrushing · 1/10 · 24 June 2011]

If I could give this a -1, we would be in the ballpark. First review for a movie online ever. It was very special indeed. Please for the love of all that is holy, if you like horror, b horror, bad movies ala mystery science theater do yourself a favor and save yourself the time. A few of the women were mildly attractive, other than that, absolutely no redeeming qualities what so ever.

All of the other reviews I've seen say something positive about the "film", which is why I had to write this. The acting was non-existent. As was the cinematography and special effects. I'm at a loss for words as to how to describe how unbelievably cheated I feel of my time here.

and you are welcome. Have a great day, hope you got to this before watching the movie, provided you could sit through it.

"The Blair Witch Project" in the desert

[Wuchakk · 4/10 · 19 August 2016]

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)

MEET YOUR MEAT

[nogodnomasters · 3/10 · 11 December 2018]

The film opens up with some promising girl/girl action before the opening credits. We then switch to 4 young couples who stop in the never ending "Doom Desert" on their way to a cabin. The couples range from vegans to a pair that drop acid. Nice to know some things haven't changed since the sixties. The movie consists of a lot of talking/kissing between the couples while something that make "predator" type noises stalks them.

In this low budget film, you never get to see the creature, just some low budget body parts with bright red blood on them. Heck, we don't even get to see the lizard everyone else sees. There are clues in the conversation about cross species breeding, although nothing is certain.

The acting and dialogue weren't half bad. The horror aspect was so-so as it dragged on without us ever seeing a kill or the creature. Available on a 20 pack horror set from Wal Mart for $10.00.

Parental Guide: F-bombs, implied sex. Girl/girl action. No nudity.

NEGATIVE A BILLION STARS!!!

[camarossdriver · 1/10 · 28 January 2024]

If you're having trouble falling asleep...just fire up this SNOOZEFEST! This has to be one of the WORST and most BORRRRING movies I have seen in a long LONG time. By the time you are one third of the way through it,you'll think "Oh...it will probably pick up and get interesting." NOPE! THEN by the time you are HALF WAY through you'll think "OK..NOW it HAS to get better!" Nope-ity Nope Nope. I could HONESTLY get a couple of friends together for an afternoon and make a MUCH BETTER FILM on my iPhone! You think I'm KIDDING??? I'm not. Doctors should SERIOUSLY prescribe this film instead of Ambien. If I can save ONE PERSON from the TORTURE that is this film...I've done my job.

Toodles.

Nifty low-budget creature feature sleeper

[Woodyanders · 8/10 · 12 July 2011]

A group of young adults venture into the remote desert for a weekend vacation. The group get themselves seriously lost in the stalking grounds of a vicious predatory monster. Director Junior Bonner, working from a crafty and engrossing script by Alex Ballar and Jamie Gannon, not only ably evokes a strong feeling of dread and dismay, but also milks plenty of nerve-wracking suspense from the tense premise, makes excellent use of the isolated dry'n'desolate desert location, and creates a grim and despairing tone that becomes more increasingly dark, bleak, and hopeless as the gripping story unfolds towards a startling conclusion. While the characters aren't totally sympathetic, they are nonetheless all distinct, well drawn, and believable as hapless individual beings stuck in a dire situation; it's genuinely upsetting to see these folks succumb to panic and turn on each other. Moreover, there's a pleasing and intriguing ambiguity to the film which adds immensely to the overall eerie atmosphere (for example, we never get a clear look at the beast). The uniformly sound acting from the capable no-name cast rates as another significant asset, with especially stand-out work from Ballar as the nerdy Stephano, Gannon as the obnoxious Marcus, Kiralee Hayashi as sensitive, yet resilient Vegan Mary, and Kathryn Ely as the sarcastic Rhonda. Tarin Anderson's crisp and agile cinematography makes inspired dynamic use of a hand-held camera and offers plenty of cool artsy angles. The shuddery score by Robert Hawes and Eric Lindsay does the spine-tingling trick. Well worth checking out.

Not a bad effort- a nice 'Monster Stalker'

[Rabh17 · 7/10 · 23 January 2011]

This is a small production with unknown actors that focused on making a desert stalking thriller movie.

The plot is a well known Monster movie trope. Young friends on a road trip take a wrong turn, this time across a particular stretch of desert. . .and run into an unknown terror that picks them off. I call it a 'Monster Stalker' because the focus of the plot isn't the Monster, it's how the STALKING affects the Victims.

First plus-- the group of friends are just that-- a group of friends. Not College Students. Not Spoiled Rich kids. Just ordinary people.

Second plus-- some may look at the acting and think--"Oh this is gawd-awful". But look again: They are portraying their characters to the letter. A bunch of normal guys who are friends with the usual personal issues. A young ladies with aspirations for the future. None of it really overplayed. I especially give a star to the young lady playing the whiney pink girl: You are ANNOYED at her, not because you're saying 'Oh corny cliché', you're annoyed because she IS the 'Scared Whiney girl'. And the other women characters are varied-- but not the usual stupid teen slasher characters. You can empathize with them.

Third Plus-- The Monster, or monsters (plural), is NEVER revealed. You glimpse hints, movements and gruesome gobbets. All nicely placed. Keep an eye out-- they are quick and simple-- but they arouse goosebumps all the same. And I have an itchy sense that the Monster is not just a single thing-- the attacks begins with a bite from something else, something small and insecty. Ewww! And there are the ominous abandoned cars on the roadside. This production doesn't bust the bucket with a guy in a rubber suit. Instead, you are left with your imagination, which is fueled by the growing realistic desperation of the people in the cars as they run out of gas. Then water. And no-one comes to help.

Try this movie out on a Saturday night-- this one a is Mondo Horror treat.

Effective scary movie...

[dwpollar · 7/10 · 6 September 2011]

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.