A horror-comedy release in 2021, Chompy & the Girls was directed by Skye Braband in his feature-length directorial debut. Jackson (Christy St John) is a depressed young girl who wishes to meet with her father for the first time, though Sam (Steve Marvel) was not aware of Jackson’s existence. As they meet in a park to discuss the future, they see a strange man (Reggie Koffman) expand his mouth, and swallow a young girl whole. When the man begins to give chase, the two flee and try to work out what is going on.
+ though none of the actors will blow your mind, the comedic timing between Jackson and Sam is still enjoyable. Christy St John’s sarcastic, teenage demeanour clashes perfectly with the more uptight, family man played by Marvel, and Sam’s wife Deborah (Julie Dolan) adds another fun wrinkle to the story. There are one or two other supporting actors, too, and they also do their job
+ I’m pleased to say that this really does succeed as both a horror and a comedy. The idea of being stalked by some sort of other-worldly monstrosity will remind you of It Follows, though Chompy’s mouth is as amusing as it is horrifying. Then there are enough gags and spooks to satisfying both genre lovers, with many witty sarcastic lines from Jackson, or one particularly black comedy laugh out loud moment
+ simply put, this film gets a bonus point for being unique. I can’t say I’ve seen a single other film with a plot like this one (and if you think that It Follows comparison above was where the movie ends, you are sorely mistaken)
– despite all of the above praise, this is a very amateur movie. Off the top of my head I don’t think I recognised any of the actors, and Chompy’s mouth often does look too obviously fake to be scared by it (though it does appear to be a big prosthetic, so they get points for not just attempted to CGI it)
Should you see this film: I was recommended this by someone who said I’d like it if I like weird movies, and they were right. I wasn’t sure for the first ten minutes or so of the film, but once things settle in, I had a wonderful (and weird) time.
MoshFish Reviews 