Come on now! Am I the only one? This is one of my favorite pieces of New York underground cinema. Donna Death is beautiful, what happened to her? The 'plot' is about some punk chickie (Ms Death) who is the singer of some band but I can't remember their name. Her brother is a transvestite who does nasty things with the family dog. Then there's some cloning/end of the world type subplot thing with giant insects. The editing is awful (I thought mine was bad but now I feel better) and some of the film was shot using the wrong speed. The sets and atmosphere are wonderful and the opening sequence is masterful. There are some great still-shots and televangelist stock footage. This movie could never be made today (like TAXI DRIVER) 'cause New York is nice and clean now. This is probably hard to find but if you can, get it. If you enjoy it (I dare you!) then see also Jean-Luc Godard's WEEKEND.
3 Reviews
Weird, But Fun (If Often Indecipherable) Stuff...
EVOL6662 January 2008
Warning: Spoilers
THEY EAT SCUM is my first foray into Nick Zedd territory. I've had some of his material layin' around for a while, but from the reports that I got from some of my like-minded friends, ya have to be in the right mood or mind-frame to enjoy his stuff, and I'll say that I agree with that whole-heartedly. Guess I was in the mood for some ultra-bizarro, zero-budget, punk-rock sleaze - cuz I actually really dug this one, probably more than it deserves. I will be honest in saying that the plot is kinda hard to follow in spots, so I'll do the best I can.
Suzi is a trashy junkie who fronts a "death-rock" (punk) band. Her brother is a dog-blowing tranny, her father - a preachy religious weirdo. After the initial set-up - things got kinda jumbled for me. Suzi is killed on-stage by her father (I think) and then her twin sister is awakened from a coma to take her place or some such weirdness. But somehow, Suzi (or her sister posing as Suzi - or whatever the hell is going on at this point...) comes back - employs her legion of loyal followers to tamper with a nuclear facility, and unleashes destruction on New York City - which she then claims to rule over. Twenty years pass, and a band of mutants decides to stage a revolt against Suzi and her pals...
Wow...this one was definitely out there. Obviously shot on about a $13 budget using friends and family members (I assume) as the actors - there really is no real reason why THEY EAT SCUM should work on any level at all. Everything about it is pretty much terrible. But for some reason, it's another case where the "whole" is quite a bit better than it's "parts". The whole film has a very DIY-punk aesthetic that I can respect - especially when it's as entertaining as this one was. There are also some choice scenes, including the aforementioned (simulated) tranny dog-blowing and a chick getting her tits sawed off and eaten, amongst other things. Very John Waters meets Troma-ish - so if you can dig on uber-weird, don't-give-a-f!ck type film-making, this one will probably be up your alley. Not a "great" (or even a "good"...) film by any means, but entertaining and definitely original...7/10
Suzi is a trashy junkie who fronts a "death-rock" (punk) band. Her brother is a dog-blowing tranny, her father - a preachy religious weirdo. After the initial set-up - things got kinda jumbled for me. Suzi is killed on-stage by her father (I think) and then her twin sister is awakened from a coma to take her place or some such weirdness. But somehow, Suzi (or her sister posing as Suzi - or whatever the hell is going on at this point...) comes back - employs her legion of loyal followers to tamper with a nuclear facility, and unleashes destruction on New York City - which she then claims to rule over. Twenty years pass, and a band of mutants decides to stage a revolt against Suzi and her pals...
Wow...this one was definitely out there. Obviously shot on about a $13 budget using friends and family members (I assume) as the actors - there really is no real reason why THEY EAT SCUM should work on any level at all. Everything about it is pretty much terrible. But for some reason, it's another case where the "whole" is quite a bit better than it's "parts". The whole film has a very DIY-punk aesthetic that I can respect - especially when it's as entertaining as this one was. There are also some choice scenes, including the aforementioned (simulated) tranny dog-blowing and a chick getting her tits sawed off and eaten, amongst other things. Very John Waters meets Troma-ish - so if you can dig on uber-weird, don't-give-a-f!ck type film-making, this one will probably be up your alley. Not a "great" (or even a "good"...) film by any means, but entertaining and definitely original...7/10
Fascinating snapshot of the NY punk scene
willbooth5 May 2022
Bizarre, depraved characters.
Contrived, nonsensical plot.
Unexpected good punk soundtrack.
I echo the other reviews here, this is far greater than the sum of its parts, and highly entertaining in the right company. It was far more watchable than I expected.
Contrived, nonsensical plot.
Unexpected good punk soundtrack.
I echo the other reviews here, this is far greater than the sum of its parts, and highly entertaining in the right company. It was far more watchable than I expected.
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