Prey for the Beast (2007)

2nd May 10





Plot
A group of middle-aged losers head into the woods on a bonding with buddies weekend. Along the way they stumble upon a set of similarly stranded girls, but before long find themselves being hunted by some horrible beastie. Together they must blah blah blah, you know the rest…

Review
Oh boy are you in for a treat with this one. Fresh from award-winning hits such as Spacemen, Go-go Girls and the Great Easter Hunt (no joke!), director/star Brett Kelly delivers the most enjoyable man-in-suit monster movie this side of 1957.

Opening with a budget-busting helicopter shot over the Rocky mountains (with the helicopter in shot, no less), the film takes us into the world of a painfully dull array of fortysomething men who, when granted the freedom from their wives, have little to do other than sit around and ponder what their wives are doing.

Cue the introduction of the women, an insightfully well-rounded set of characters, clearly written by someone who understands the female psyche and the friendship group dynamics of the fairer sex. With introductory lines such as “Hey Aria, Kim's making Sarah wet,” who couldn't be won over by this sensitive approach, obligatory blonde lesbian couple and all.

Amidst the fun and frolics that blossom from the unification of the two groups is the lonesome Bud, played by Kelly, who harbours an intense sadness due to his wife's infidelity and the subsequent couch-surfing he has had to endure. Keep an eye out for the superb black and white flashback that reveals his discovery of his cheating spouse, complete with Schindler's List style flashes of red. He's the reason for this underwhelming getaway and, with a long hair and beard combo a la Chuck Norris in his sexual prime; the self-imposed guilt is stacked firmly on his shoulders when the beast attacks.

Ah yes, the beast itself. Taking the appearance of a mutant warthog, with more than a passing resemblance to a giant fur coat with tusks, the predatory pig provides a multitude of belly laugh gross-out moments, from severed legs to bone maulings. The best laugh of all however comes from Bud himself who, after killing a chipmunk in cold blood, utters the most hilariously deadpan one-liner that I just couldn't possibly reveal here. The creature's backstory or purpose is never mentioned, but it all adds to the trashy fun of it all, although the daytime TV acting could test even the most tolerant of viewers.

Prey For The Beast may lack the budget and sophistication of other monster movies, and indeed a sense of direction and acting, but for out and out enjoyment you could do a lot worse than this.

Posted by
James Merchant



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