Customer Reviews

Feeding Grounds

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1 star:		(2)

 

 

Something has come to the desert to feed and apparently it's digestive system can't process noses. I don't review movies too often but figured I'd throw one up here since no one else has, if only to let people know what they're getting into with this movie. It's the usual story here: group of friends heads out on a road trip across the desert and run into some strange things. Something in the desert is feeding on travelers. What? I can't tell you. Why not? Because I watched the whole movie and there is no monster to be seen. That will probably be the number 1 complaint about this movie.

The entire movie is spent building up suspense and then just when you think the payoff is coming the credits roll. I'm not complaining though, ok maybe just a little. The director does a very good job of building tension here. The actors are all decent and what little special effects are used are functional. The atmosphere is nice and creepy as well. Overall, I really liked this movie and will definitely watch it again.

Going to go out on a limb here and say this film is not going to be for everyone. A lot of people will not like it at all simply because they don't show you the monster. If you're the type that can deal with that then definitely check this film out. If you're a gorehound looking for an action-packed creature feature you may want to look elsewhere.

Feeding Grounds is one of the more interesting films in the horror genre. No, you don't exactly see any intense or violent images on screen, nor is there a particular moment that truly stands out as gruesome or shocking. The film is more about building suspense and guessing just what *is* the monster supposed to be.

I was sitting there on the couch guessing just what that constant, terrifying growling sound being released deep in the darkness of the desert was supposed to indicate. I guess it's up to speculation just what was causing terror and chaos to the teenagers (actually more like young adults if you ask me). Me? I was guessing everything from werewolves to whatever kind of vivid imagination the writers were going for when creating Feeding Grounds.

My only complaint is that it took around 45 minutes to actually GET somewhere. During the first 45 minutes, you're basically forced to put up with teenagers doing nothing even remotely interesting- just acting like typical, drugged up, arrogant teenagers trying to hit on the closest girl around and sharing personal stories about themselves. More time and energy *should* have been devoted to the great atmosphere that only ended up being about 30 minutes of film, which was unfortunate.

Still, if you can find a way to sit through a bunch of nonsense that doesn't really translate to any kind of compelling storytelling, by all means, the final 30 minutes is definitely what I consider quality horror atmosphere. Those growls were definitely edge of your seat suspense.

As far as low-budget "road trip to hell" movies go, I would rate Feeding Grounds just slightly above average. It follows the stereotypical storyline we've all seen about a thousand times by now, but it manages to avoid any ridiculous moments, features some pretty good special effects and decent acting, and wraps the whole thing up with a fairly effective little ending. This is not to say that everyone is going to like this movie, though - especially given the fact that the "monster" is never really seen (although we get plenty of POV shots from his perspective and see a little bit of his handiwork).

So, basically, these four guys hook up with these four girls and head off across the desert to some cabin somewhere, fully expecting a good time to be had by all (well, three of the couples, anyway). As they pass a crudely made sign marking the beginning of "Doom Desert," we already know what awaits them - and it's not a good time. Since they have some time to kill, they decide to pull over and have a little desert picnic (apparently, this isn't a very hot desert). Tomfoolery and an escalation in tension between the guys ensues - until one of them makes a small but gruesome discovery. Deciding it's time to leave, they all rush back to their cars and burn some rubber. For various reasons, though, they end up pulling over several more times further down the road. Some unidentified sickness begins taking a heavy toll on them one by one, even as they are taunted by signs of some kind of avian monster.

Don't expect a lot of blood and gore here (puke yes, but blood and gore no), as this film is more about the suspense and tension of these characters trying to deal with their deteriorating physical and mental states - the monster is always out there, lurking on the fringes, but he never actually pops up and says Boo! That puts the full weight of the movie on the shoulders of the actors and actresses (and the scriptwriter), and I think these young people pull things off pretty well for a low-budget movie of this type. Their bickering and emotional reactions to fear and stress may get on your nerves eventually, but not to the point where you'll be exhorting the monster to hurry up and kill any or all of them. Unfortunately, the film never really succeeds at invoking a palpable sense of dread or suspense (but that can be said of most movies in this particular genre). What did impress me was the ending. The filmmakers keep it simple and avoid any attempt at a lame "twist," and they also manage to bring an obscure plot point full circle in the process. It all adds up to a slightly better than average little horror film.

Those who know the "HorrorMan" know how much I love horror movies, and while there is nothing I like to see more than some drug addict vegans being ripped to pieces as we see in "Feeding Grounds" here, there has to be a little atmosphere to make a horror movie work. There is no horror movie like atmosphere, no suspense (except for the nature of this creature that kills the people), and no style to this movie whatsoever. The script sucks, the acting sucks and the production values just are not there. It's hard to believe than anyone can take "Feeding Grounds" seriously, but to each his/her own. These neo-horror or new age horror movies have lost the generation that grew up watching classic horror movies. These movies have no heart and "Feeding Grounds" is no exception to the rule. It sucks.

Feeding Grounds is a minimalist bad movie. The focus of the movie is on how well young people can get along with each other while in party mode rather than on the danger in the background. The movie appears to be filmed with a video camera, and the slightest monster indications appear to be standard rubber Halloween costume type material. The black makeup on the girls' faces is supposed to make them look real scary as a sign the danger is approaching but instead just makes them look silly. One guy wants to bash in a car window over nothing and then runs off into the desert alone as the danger approaches; a girl wants to stay in a stranded car as the night and the danger approach; it's all very ridiculous and not worth the money.

I like to appreciate the various elements in movies regardless of budget size. I appreciate lower-budget movies like The Dark, Future Force, and Mark Of The Beast, because the specific elements and the overall effort combine to produce movies that are interesting to watch, even though I've seen negative reviews of those movies.

Unfortunately movies such as Feeding Grounds represent a minimalist trend that needs to be reversed.