Customer Reviews

Stump the Band

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

10 years ago, Robbie Rist became engaged in a broad project to create a B-movie type horror film. The result of throwing in a lot of money, time, effort, and hard work, along with a literal "cast of hundreds" is the new Boathouse Productions film Stump the Band.

The general plotline follows an all girl band on a low-budget tour. They ride in a solitary van, driven by the boyfriend of one of the members of the band. Their manager is also in tow. When said boyfriend ends up driving the car off the road and almost crashing in the dead of night (to find they are out of fuel anyway), the real journey begins.

What makes this movie work is the combination of calculated cliche and studio craft. I entered the screening convinced I'd be Tom Servo-ing to death (a fashion moulded by the old TV show Mystery Sciene Theatre 3000, where three robots would ad-lib comments and make oblique references in order to make the best of a series of truly bad films featured in the series). Oddly, because the manner of the film was well planned and well executed, there was little break in which to apply the slathering of sarcasm and funny voices I'd expected.

Well cast, and with a higher production value than I suspected (that is, it has the look of a quality production, though probably not anywhere near the budget), Stump the Band is a treat for anyone who wants to see a generic horror film taken to the next ridiculous level. There's gore, gratuitous nudity, profanity, and cliche after cliche. All of the characters fit into a classic B-movie archetype, yet the performances are really well done, and as stated before, the whole movie comes off as a fresh, and strangely comforting affair. The movie isn't as "bad" as it's creators reached for, yet it isn't so "good" that a given audience will mistakenly take it as a serious horror movie. A great place for any low-budget film to be.

According to the introduction before the debut began, Stump the Band has already received awards at two Sci-fi/Horror conventions. Someone is watching and taking notice. Maybe others should follow their lead.

[...]
Mystery bonus trivia: Robbie Rist gets belted and floored at some point in this film.

Here's a slight variation on the old theme of a group of people running into backwoods psychos. We've seen this a million times before, and the only real difference here is that the modus operandi of the killers is to remove the feet of the female victims via axe. The victims here are an all female L7-ish punk band. The killers are a trio that consists of a bearded, skinny grease monkey type, and an Eminem lookalike who acts like a dog. The ringleader is a soft spoken older gentleman, who in the Texas Chainsaw tradition, is either a father or father-like figure to the two younger guys. This older guy is the one solely(pun intended) interested in the feet of the victims.
While derivative, this movie is strangely watchable. I guess that I feel this way because A). I live in Wisconsin, where this film supposedly takes place, B) I'm a fan of this type of junk, and C) I have a foot fetish to boot(another rotten pun that's intended). Hell, it almost seems to have been made for me! Not really, but you know what I mean. Even though there's a slight twist on the standard formula, in the end it's still the same old formula. Definitely entertaining, certainly better than a swift kick in the ass, but not one you'll talk much about with anyone. The ending is rather bad too. I mean, it was all bad, but that CGI ending was a real groaner.
Worth checking out, but you can also live a long and happy life without having seen it too.

Somewhere along the way, horror movies got serious. Maybe it's to compensate for the increased sophistication of modern-day movie-goers. I chalked it up to a simple case of my growing old.

As a fan of 80s horror flicks, I want my movie to be like a pizza. It has to have the perfect dough (premise/story), the right amount of sauce (blood), and cheese hanging off the edges (screams and laughs).

The theatrical screening of "Stump The Band" was the perfect pie. The 30-minute guarantee is that it will transport you back to that time where you had to sneak out of the house, steal dad's car, pick up your buds, and drive to the midnight screening. For me, this happened within the first 5 minutes. This was achieved merely by the opening shots and the soundtrack (which is stellar). I felt like I was 15 again, and that I really wasn't supposed to be in the theater. What a thrill!

Of course, don't forget the toppings (characters). There's a hot girl band, and who doesn't love that? Then there's the quirky manager, jealous boyfriend, and creepy locals who have their own twisted hobbies to pass the time. With these characters, it's not a case of people dying for the sake of blood. You know them well enough to have feelings about them. This seems to be achieved through stereotypes and cliches, with a fair amount of dialog (but not too much to bore me as a 15-year-old).

For some of them, you have empathy if they even scuff their knees. On the other hand, there are others where you cheer their demise. I got drawn into a group experience, where everyone in the theater was yelling at the screen. I haven't done that for over 25 years, and it felt great.

Look out!
Don't do that!
Hurry up! Just do it already!
HA! He had THAT coming!

If the theatrical release was like a fresh pizza, then the DVD is that extra slice you find in the box the next day. Pop it in the microwave (your DVD player, silly!), heat and enjoy. It's still got that unique flavor that will translate well from the big screen, all the way down to whatever size screen you may have at home. For best results, invite some friends over to experience this flick with you.

And order some REAL pizza for your guests, for this is an event. Stump The Band has everything you used to love about horror movies. You will fall in love all over again.

Not exactly profound, but it is fun. Hot looking girls and senseless violence. The guy who does the dogman act is actually very good. This movie also features a skinny dip scene in one of the grossest bodies of water I've ever seen, and I'm a fisherman from NJ.
There is a bonus scene that is included in the extras section that features a shoe store that I wish had been in the movie. It really would have added a cool and creepy element.

If possible I would give this movie no stars. I try to give movies their due based on the type of movie it is. Well, this movie has no redeeming qualities!! I barely, I mean just barely, got thru it. I was tempted to turn it off many times. Bad acting, bad effects, bad directing, and did I mention bad acting! I tried, I really did try to like something about the DVD, but I threw it away as soon as I agonized my way thru it. Sorry, I never like to pan a movie like this.

Its not bad..but not good as well...so if i have known..i would not have bought it...i was fooled by the rating at amazon!!

Didn't know what to expect when I grabbed this to rent the other day, I hadn't read about it in any magazines, or seen it on the net anywhere, and as someone who watches lots of Horror flicks, it's not unusual to get something that looks good, but then have it turn out to be one of the worst atrocities ever commited to film, this ain't one of them, this sounded cool when I picked it up, and it delivered! Obviously done by people with a passion for the genre, the female band was a nice new twist to an often told lost in the middle of nowhere story, if you enjoy your Horror with twisted comedy, cool gore, goofy killers, and great music, then check this movie out. The most entertaining new Horror movie that hasn't come out of France, that I've seen in quite some time, I will be buying it. I don't know how it slipped under my radar, but don't let it slip under yours. A nice treat for any old-school slasher fans and horrorpunks out there.

I'm not a huge horror buff, but I really enjoyed this one. It's grimier than a sick monkey's underpants and funnier than your drunk uncle's Macarena. If you like kitschy horror done with a "do it yourself" indie vibe, go pick this up.

If you like the horror genre, you'll love this movie. I don't really like horror films but my boyfriend took me to see this and he loved it. It was way too intense/scary for my taste and I thought the nudity and sex was gratuitous, but I guess that's the point. But if you like blood, gore and a bit of camp, this is definitely worth a look.