Stung (2015)
Horror, Comedy, Romance
Directed By: Benni Diez
Probably one of the most compelling aspects of the horror
genre is all of the different sub categories that have spawned out of it. The
classic slashers and the creepy paranormal stories have become a backbone of
the genre that so many of us love to death. If you ask me however, the most
important and longest lived sub-genre is the creature feature, the monster
movie. Anyone horror aficionado knows that the monster movie has been around
longer than any other, from Dracula
to Frankenstein the Victorian age creatures
built the genre into what it was. Without them there is no Psycho, there is no Halloween
and in turn, there is no Stung. The
new movie from first time director Benni Diez is a quality example of what
makes these kinds of films so appealing to us and how blending practical and
special effects can be a beautiful thing.
The story is as simple as could be and wastes no time
setting up plot before getting right in to beautiful carnage. Julia (Jessica
Cook) and Paul (Matt O’Leary) run a small catering company and this evening
they are working a fancy dinner party that is (surprise) at a mansion in the
middle of nowhere. It looks to be another normal night on the job until a swarm
of oversized wasps begin attacking the guest and using their bodies as hosts.
Now the remaining members of the party have barricaded themselves inside the
house in hopes of surviving an attack from eight foot tall, murderous wasps.
Although this sounds like the plot of the perfect B movie,
Benni Diez uses his background in visual effects to propel this film to another
level. He blends both practical and VFX to create some incredible beasts that,
while they look frighteningly real, still have a certain level of schlock added
to give you that classic eighties horror feel. What this film may lack in
storytelling and character development it more than makes up for with beautiful
gore and insane destruction. For a small budget, indie, foreign horror film the
effects look as good as any big budget movie being made today.
As I mentioned, the storytelling and character development
aren't the best. It isn't that it's done badly, it's that they decide not to
focus on making this a character driven story but instead made it an effect
driven story, and its proof that this can be successful. Just because Stung doesn't offer up some deep and
contemptuous look at our society doesn't mean it can't work. It aims to
entertain the horror fans that love watching giant, oversized monsters wreak
havoc upon humanity and in that respect, it flourishes. If you can accept the
fact that you’re watching this movie to basically see eight foot tall wasps
murdering humans then there is a ton to be enjoyed.
The lack of character development is hardly a knock on the
level of acting put into this movie. They have gathered together a pretty impressive
cast for a small film. Jessica Cook and Matt O'Leary are solid in the lead
roles and watching them interact with the likes of Clifton Collins Jr. (Pacific Rim) and Lance Henriksen (Aliens) makes for some great scenes.
Their performances are as believable as can be while giant wasps are buzzing
around them constantly.
As always, thanks for reading and I am Zach Who Watches Movies! You can find me anytime on twitter @ZachWWMovies, smell ya later!
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