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Fantasia 2020: ‘Yummy’ is a Tasty Treat for Gore Hounds

Published

4 years ago

August 23, 2020

Zombie movies are — by now — a tired dime a dozen, so it can be extremely difficult to make one that stands out as worth watching. You’ve got to bring something new to the table. Belgian bloodfest Yummy puts the zombie subgenre under the knife; there’s a fresh, attractive face, but ultimately it’s the same (undead) body.

In the film, a young couple travels to a shady Eastern European hospital for plastic surgery. The young woman, Alison (Maaike Neuville) wants a breast reduction. Her mother Sylvia (Annick Christiaens) comes along for yet another face-lift. Wandering through an abandoned ward, the boyfriend, Michael (Bart Hollanders), stumbles upon a young woman, gagged and strapped to an operating table; she’s the result of experimental rejuvenation treatment. He frees her but doesn’t realize she’s patient zero and he just caused the outbreak of a violent, deadly virus.

Yummy is director Lars Damoiseaux’s feature film debut, co-written with Eveline Hagenbeek. The film isn’t trying to reinvent the shambling, groaning, zombie film wheel — all the familiar tropes are there — but the hospital setting gives a lot of gruesome flexibility.

The gore is where Yummy really comes out to play, thanks to the amazing work of makeup effects artists Daphnée Beaulieux and Erwan Simon (billed as “Heroes of the Movie” in the end credits). Damoiseaux wears his influences on his sleeve with his heavy use of splattergore that takes each surgery-gone-wrong opportunity (one scene hits reverse on a liposuction, another poor woman was abandoned in the midst of a chemical peel… it’s gross, it’s great).

The script is full of characters that you’re quite ready to see devoured; they’re shallow, vain, and deeply unlikable. It jabs at certain personalities with a dark, unapologetic sense of humour. Only our leading lady is even remotely tolerable. Alison is strong-willed and capable, but her beau is mostly useless.

As a clever detail, Michael has hemophobia, the last thing you want in a zombie film. When the shit goes down, you better be ready — and he is definitely not. But it’s not given the full exploration that you’d expect, which is actually quite disappointing. It’s a great set up and leaves the door open for some quality character development, but it’s dropped pretty quickly.

Because movies have rules, Yummy does take some effort to explain the origins of its virus by way of a side plot that probably doesn’t need to be as melodramatic as it is. It throws a bit of a wrench into the pacing. That said, this seems to be a staple of just about every zombie film (right up there with the guy who hides his zombie bite from the rest of the group), so it’s not unexpected.

Taking a step back, the film itself looks fantastic. The shots are clean, the cinematography clicks, and when things start to unravel, the lighting washes the hospital in panicked emergency reds and blues. The effect is arresting. I should also note the opening title sequence, which caught me immediately. It draws you in and setting the tone for a fun, splashy zombie flick.

Fans of the zombie genre will find a lot to love in Yummy. If traditional gore is what you’re here for, you won’t be disappointed. It’s a loving addition to a roster of zombie films that thrive in viscera, nudity, and pitch-black comedy. It’s a sure crowd-pleaser that would be perfect for a late-night screening with a rowdy audience.

You can guess most of the beats through the movie (if you’ve ever seen a zombie film at all), but the ending certainly changes it up, and it’s an enjoyable ride all the same. If you’re tired of zombie films, you can probably shamble past this one. But if you love a good ol’ fashioned bloody mess, Yummy is a film to devour.

Yummy is playing as part of Fantasia Fest 2020. You can watch it On Demand here. For more from Fantasia 2020, click to read my review of The Mortuary Collection.

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News

‘Wednesday’ Season Two Drops New Teaser Video That Reveals Full Cast

Published

2 hours ago

May 7, 2024

Cameron McFarland

Netflix announced this morning that Wednesday season 2 is finally entering production. Fans have been waiting a long time for more of the creepy icon. Season one of Wednesday premiered in November of 2022.

In our new world of streaming entertainment, it isn’t uncommon for shows to take years to release a new season. If they release another one at all. Even though we will likely have to wait quite a while to see the show, any news is good news.

The new season of Wednesday looks to have an amazing cast. Jenna Ortega (Scream) will be reprising her iconic role as Wednesday. She will be joined by Billie Piper (Scoop), Steve Buscemi (Boardwalk Empire), Evie Templeton (Return to Silent Hill), Owen Painter (The Handmaid’s Tale), and Noah Taylor (Charlie and the Chocolate Factory).

We will also get to see some of the amazing cast from season one making a return. Wednesday season 2 will feature Catherine-Zeta Jones (Side Effects), Luis Guzman (Genie), Issac Ordonez (A Wrinkle in Time), and Luyanda Unati Lewis-Nyawo (Devs).

If all of that star power wasn’t enough, the legendary Tim Burton (The Nightmare Before Christmas) will be directing the series. As a cheeky nod from Netflix, this season of Wednesday will be titled Here We Woe Again.

Jenna Ortega Wednesday — Jenna Ortega as Wednesday Addams

We don’t know much about much about what Wednesday season two will entail. However, Ortega has stated that this season will be more horror focused. “We’re definitely leaning into a little bit more horror. It’s really, really exciting because, all throughout the show, while Wednesday does need a little bit of an arc, she never really changes and that’s the wonderful thing about her.”

That’s all the information that we have. Make sure to check back here for more news and updates.

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Movies

A24 Reportedly “Pulls Plug” On Peacock’s ‘Crystal Lake’ Series

Published

3 hours ago

May 7, 2024

Timothy Rawles

Film studio A24 might not be going forward with its planned Peacock Friday the 13th spinoff called Crystal Lake according to Fridaythe13thfranchise.com. The website quotes entertainment blogger Jeff Sneider who made a statement on his webpage through a subscription paywall.

“I’m hearing that A24 has pulled the plug on Crystal Lake, its planned Peacock series based on the Friday the 13th franchise featuring masked killer Jason Voorhees. Bryan Fuller was due to executive produce the horror series.

It’s unclear whether this is a permanent decision or a temporary one, as A24 had no comment. Perhaps Peacock will help the trades shed more light on this project, which was announced back in 2022.”

Back in January 2023, we reported that some big names were behind this streaming project including Bryan Fuller, Kevin Williamson, and Friday the 13th Part 2 final girl Adrienne King.

“‘Crystal Lake info from Bryan Fuller! They officially start writing in 2 weeks (writers are here in the audience).” tweeted social media writer Eric Goldman who tweeted the info while attending a Friday the 13th 3D screening event in January 2023. “It will have two scores to choose from – a modern one and a classic Harry Manfredini one. Kevin Williamson is writing an episode. Adrienne King will have a recurring role. Yay! Fuller has pitched four seasons for Crystal Lake. Only one officially ordered so far though he notes Peacock would have to pay a pretty hefty penalty if they didn’t order a Season 2. Asked if he can confirm Pamela’s role in the Crystal Lake series, Fuller replied ‘We’re honestly going to be covering it all. The series is covering the life and times of these two characters’ (presumably he’s referring to Pamela and Jason there!)'”

Whether or not Peacock is moving forward with the project is unclear and since this news is secondhand information, it still has to be verified which will require Peacock and/or A24 to make an official statement which they have yet to do.

But keep checking back to iHorror for the latest updates to this developing story.

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News

New Images for MaXXXine Show A Bloody Kevin Bacon and Mia Goth in all Her Glory

Published

4 hours ago

May 7, 2024

Cameron McFarland

Ti West (X) has been knocking it out of the park with his sexy horror trilogy as of late. While we still have some time to kill before MaXXXine releases, Entertainment Weekly has dropped some images to wet our appetite while we wait.

It feels like just yesterday X was shocking audiences with its granny horror porno shoot. Now, we are just months ways from Maxxxine shocking the world once again. Fans can check out Maxine’s new 80s inspired adventure in theatres on July 5th, 2024.

West is known for taking horror in new directions. And it looks as though he plans to do the same with MaXXXine. In his interview with Entertainment Weekly, he had the following to say.

“If you’re expecting it to be part of this X movie and people will be killed, yeah, I’m going to deliver on all those things. But it’s going to zig instead of zag in a lot of places that people aren’t expecting. It’s a very decadent world that she lives in, and it’s a very aggressive world that she lives in, but the threat shows up in an unexpected way.”

We can also expect MaXXXine to be the biggest movie in the franchise. West isn’t holding anything back for the third installment. “The thing that the other two movies don’t have is that sort of scope. To try to do a big, sprawling Los Angeles ensemble movie is what the movie was, and that’s just a big undertaking. There’s a kind of noir-ish mystery vibe to the movie that’s very fun.”

However, it looks as though MaXXXine will be the end of this saga. Although West has some other ideas for our beloved killer, he believes this will be the end of her story.

That’s all the information we have at this time. Make sure to check back here for more news and updates.