Horror Movie Review: Feast (2005)

Feast is a horror comedy film that was directed by John Gulager, releasing in 2005. A group of people gathered inside a bar are suddenly attacked by a horde of monstrous creatures.

A group of people are enjoying drinks in a bar when suddenly, a man covered in blood bursts through the door. Only identified onscreen as “Hero” he warns them all of impending danger. No one heeds his warning, so he shows the bar patrons the head of a repulsive creature to make them take him seriously. However, he is soon pulled through a window and decapitated by one of the monsters. Afterwards, a woman—”Heroine”—comes through the door and reveals herself to be the recently deceased man’s wife.

The bar patrons begin boarding up the windows in the bar. Despite their efforts, a young monster smashes through an uncovered window and begins attacking. It brutally murders a number of people before being destroyed by a shotgun blast and sealed in a nearby freezer. The patrons continue to fortify the building as best as they can before another inevitable attack. Also, the only phone in the place was destroyed by the recent chaos.

Who will survive the night? Check out Feast to find out.

Feast certainly has the feel of a film that released in the early 00s. The individual character profiling that pops onto screen to introduce each person is a bit cheesy. I didn’t have my hopes set too high after an introduction that feels somewhat cheap. However, I’m glad I stuck with it because it only gets better.

Firstly, I really liked the realistic manner in which the story progresses and how it all plays out. You really get a sense that the creatures are relentless in their hunt. They never really allow the people a moment of peace before the next attack. At the same time, it manages to be surprisingly unpredictable. Think you know who’s going to survive? Think again. It even has the balls to kill a child which is an automatic thumbs up from me. That unpredictability helped keep me compelled throughout.

The biggest highlight has to be the gore and creature effects. I certainly didn’t expect them to look as good as they do. The monsters are seriously intimidating. The practical effects on display and the effort that went into them really pay off. Also, there is some creative cinematography that places you up close to all of the ongoing blood and carnage. In some ways, Feast reminded me a lot of Dog Soldiers which is not a negative at all.

There’s an obvious tongue in cheek vibe that definitely feels appropriate. There’s a scene where a monster gets its penis stuck in a door and then someone chops it off. However, it’s never really downright hilarious. You can tell that it’s going for laughs in moments but a lot of it didn’t land for me. Don’t get me wrong, I was chuckling at the absurdity but grimacing in disgust at the same time.

Feast is a horror film that would have gone under the radar of most horror fans, it did for me. However, looking at what else came out in 2005 in the genre it deserves much more recognition. It’s no masterpiece but if it had come out in the 80s I believe we’d have a cult classic on our hands. Something people would be talking about more often for sure.