FEEDING THE MASSES

Produced by Ted Marr
Directed by Richard Griffen
Written by Trent Haaga
Director of Photography - Andrew Vellenoweth

Torch - Billy Garberina
Shelly - Rachel Morris
Roger - Patrick Cohen
James - Michael Propster

Torch is a tool. Not in the literal sense that a torch is used for construction purposes (or a flashlight - damn limeys), but Torch, the lead character in Richard Griffen's FEEDING THE MASS, is a tool, a jerk, a dousche, a dick, an ass, etc... As the world collapses around him, this newstation cameraman is only worried about his weed, and he'll risk the lives of his friends during an apocalyptic zombiegeddon in order to rescue his precious herb. He's the sort of chap who treats a bong hit like it's some type of atomic orgasmic euphoria. Torch is a tool.

Shelly is a ladder-climbing nymphet field reporter. The chesty blonde wants to be an anchor but has weathergirl etched in crayola across her forehead. Full of spunk, the plucky broadcaster is still green and believes she can save the world with the power of the press.

Roger is the worst kind of scum God has seen fit to put on this planet. He's a serial killer who, as far as we know, hasn't killed yet....at least outside of his military service. He's the average guy next door a day before he goes off the deep end and climbs a clocktower. As an Army man, he has more firepower at his disposal than any man with his psychological problems should. And he has it bad for Shelly.

These are the heroes of FEEDING THE MASSES, Shock-O-Rama's ultra-cynical spin on the zombie sub-genre that's equal parts Romero, Robocop, and Rob Schneider. Written by independent horror's Renaissance Man, Trent Haaga, the movie uses black comedy to tell the story of America's final battle with the living dead and the lengths the government will go to manipulate the information dispersal in hopes of reassuring the mindless voting sheep that all is right with the world. FEEDING THE MASSES deals with all the relevancy that a post 9-11/post Iraq zombie film can muster. Themes of paranoia and conspiracy run rampant through a subtext illustrating how American's personal freedoms are yanked in the very name of freedom, and "freedom's" fight against hostile terror.....er.....zombies.

The movie opens in media res. The zombie plague is in full swing, but the government is telling the populace that they have everything under control. Torch and Shelly have no reason to believe otherwise until the military arrive at their doorstep and place the station under martial law. Every piece of news must be reviewed, filtered, and approved for transmission. The fear is that the public will panic and riot if they know the truth. The reality is it's already too late for the truth. Man's days are numbered and it looks like only those with the firepower to survive, will.

Like any zombie movie, there's no shortage of gore. Director Richard Griffen makes sure that there's something to either sicken or offend everyone in every scene. Whether it's a zombie casually walking into frame and chomping a passerby, or a man exorcising his personal demons while he watches a woman get dismembered during a live sex/gore show, Griffen goes that extra mile to service zombie fans.

Haaga's script walks a fine line between comic parody and dark satire. Like Ed Neumeier's scripts for both ROBOCOP and STARSHIP TROOPERS, Haaga interrupts the action with comical commercials that exploit the irony of the zombie plague. Unlike Neumeier, Haaga takes these comic ideas and works them into the plot as the movie unfolds. The scenes are completely unrelated to the main story, but they do far better job at driving home the subversive subtext than the main story.

As much as I enjoyed the movie, I'm torn on the ending, and I'd love to hear feedback on this one. For Shelly and Roger, things end pitch-perfect. For Torch, the events feel like a betrayal of the character. Torch is a tool, and as we all know, tools have little redeeming value. So why should the character find such a self-righteous ending? Pot is what the man lives and breaths, anything else just doesn't fit.

Despite my ambivalence towards the end of the movie, FEEDING THE MASSES is still one of the best shot on video zombie films to come out of the recent glut. The tone is both playful and repugnant, while the story is filled with depth and insight. On top of that, there's plenty of zombies doing what zombies do best - chowing down.

The dvd from eI Cinema's Shock-O-Rama line is on par with their other recent releases. In addition to the anecdotal commentary and making-of featurettes, Shock-O-Rama has included a number of short films to give viewers more bang for their buck. While it's nice to see some of the other recent Shock-O-Rama titles released with a second, older SOR movie, three new shorts make for just as impressive a package.