Buck Wild

So I was scanning through movies and came upon this. Didn't expect much of course but I ended up loving it. Is it goofy? Yup, very goofy for sure. Is it an Oscar winner? Not even close to it. It's funny as hell if you don't take it too seriously and just enjoy how goofy it's supposed to be

The plot: Four friends go on a hunting trip in Texas, only to run up against Chupacabra zombies.

Well, there isn't a lot to say about this film. It's pretty stupid, but I was still amused by some of the scenes. Much of the humor depends on your being an immature, easily amused film nerd. If that's you, then you might like it, too. Just be aware that it's not really action-packed or fast-moving. Despite the bizarre premise, it's not really the most original horror-comedy ever made. It clumsily adopts and mocks every cliché the writers could think of, though not on a terribly intellectual level. It's quite inhibited compared to Troma's sheer insanity and gleeful offensiveness, but there's definitely a bit of inspiration from that infamous studio.

Normally, my tolerance level for these films is quite low, but this one had just enough stupidly amusing scenes that I stuck it out. Also, I liked the end credits song. If you like this sort of nonsense, then I suggest you check out DeadHeads, another recent zombie comedy that was similar in some ways.

The comrades Craig Thompson (Matthew Albrecht), Jerry (Jarrod Pistilli), Lance (Isaac Harrison) and Tom Alexander (Dru Lockwood) travel to the Buck Wild Farm in Texas to spend vacation hunting deer. Soon they discover that the owner Clyde (Joe Stevens) was bitten by a Chupacabra and has infected his slut daughter Candy (Meg Cionni) and neighbors that now are zombies. Will they survive?

"Buck Wild" is a lame and unfunny comedy of horror. The screenplay (or the edition) is disconnected and senseless, and in the beginning, Clyde sees his daughter shagging with her boyfriend on the garden and he throws his pipe wrench on the head of the man. Then he is bitten by the Chupacabra and the scene is entirely forgotten. The film is so bad that after 96 minutes running time, there is no scene that makes laugh. My vote is two.

Title (Brazil): Not Available

Knowing nothing of BuckWild, I was left guessing in the first 10 minutes as to it being a student film or a spoof. Firstly due to the try hard accent of Jarrod Pistilli; a down town "New Yawker" hardman crossed with Tackleberry from Police Academy type, who supplements his Soprano accent by referring to everyone as 'boss'. Such was my distraction that I was continually thrown outside of the film. Suitably frustrated, I started looking up IMDb to see what the deal was.

Secondly and unfortunately not being a bullet to the head, the lingering, painful, un- comic like labouring of the main 'badass' local gang leader as he likes to be referred to but is otherwise as delightfully English as a cup of tea, could be a splendidly abstract contrast to the other small town America characters and therefore improve the films comic sensibilities. However, both inadequately portrayed characters just serve to further underpin this peripheral comedy zombie flick.

Bashing over; Joe Stevens ( Gilbert Grape etc) plays a typical booze addled aggressive hick land owner who is only slightly upset by the generous and ever compromising affections his daughter gives to any arriving fresh meat. Despite the limitations of such a backwards character, Joe's delivery offers respite and a safe house to film viewers from the continual onslaught of bad acting. Against the low production values, the film steps it up with confident editing, comic book transitions and timely cuts from graphic violence and lengthy zombie close ups, (I imagine as a result of a limited budget and to keep its humorous momentum).

The story does not need explanation as it doesn't break the "run its a zombie run" mould and can be confidently summed up as a survivor tale with guns, over\undersexed teenagers, hash brownies and the ubiquitous "car hitting something on a darkened road scene" - which to the seemingly vision impaired central characters, happens no less than 3 times in this movie.

As a B horror zombie comedy (aren't they all?) a blend of its inadequacies should charm enough to lift it out of the pile. I can say, having survived this until the end ;the goofy dialogue, semi fresh takes and comic playfulness (some unintended) eventually starts working, just. In particular, the scene with a doped up zombie giving relationship advice is rather funny. Yes, a "doped up Zombie giving relationship advice" - enough said.

See it with your pals

I saw this movie here in Texas with my common-law wife, during the Dallas International Film Festival.

Buck Wild is a brilliantly crafted zombie horror comedy, with a definite Texan twist.

To begin with, let me just comment briefly on the superb, professional quality of this film. The editing is superb.

The acting and writing achieve what acting and writing is supposed to achieve: the characters and conversations are completely believable (despite the zombie plot), the audience quickly develops affection for the characters and their individual quirks, none of the humor is forced and the jokes are HILARIOUS. Since the editing is so good and the gore-versus-laughs factor is pretty well-balanced, the movie basically feels like you're watching a "good horror" and a "good comedy" at the same time; the two do not detract from each other as is so often the case in the horror-comedy genre (the laughs do not detract from the gore/shocks).

Basically: imagine if you and a group of quirky friends went on a hunting holiday on a ranch in Texas, and ran into a zombie epidemic. This movie basically shows what would happen.

This film deserves to be a cult classic. Now if only the people who own it would put it on DVD, so it could achieve said status...