The Stink of Flesh
June 16, 2005
Rated: NR Runtime: 84 min Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
As much as I loved Feeding the Masses, I think The Stink of Flesh is even better. In addition to being very entertaining, it’s quite possibly the best-looking DV horror feature I’ve ever seen.
The opening fight scene just rocks. Matool (Tlapoyawa) is a zombie-fighting machine who doesn’t believe in guns. He prefers to fight the zombies hand-to-hand, finishing them by driving a long nail (it’s more like a spike) into their skulls.
The movie then cuts to Dexy (Diva) and Nathan (Kelly). They share an open marriage, and Nathan regularly finds men for Dexy to enjoy while he watches. Nathan ends up capturing Matool and bringing him back to their house, which happens to be well-secured against zombie attacks.
Matool is more than willing to assist Nathan and Dexy with their alternative lifestyle, but he’s in for a surprise when Dexy’s sisters, Sissy and Dorothy, join in on the fun. I’m grinning just thinking about Dorothy. I wanted to simultaneously laugh and puke whenever I saw Dorothy.
Things get interesting when three soldiers arrive at the house requesting refuge. The only problem is that one of the soldiers has been partially eaten by zombies. Nathan and Matool want to send all three of them away, but Dexy likes the idea of two more men hanging around the house. Dexy ultimately gets her way, which makes for a better movie. I’ve never seen a great horror movie that featured characters who make wise decisions.
The Stink of Flesh takes place in New Mexico, and the filmmakers found unique, desolate locations that enhance the idea that the world has become a zombie wasteland. More importantly, by setting the movie out in the desert, the filmmakers didn’t need dozens of zombies to make a worldwide zombie infestation believable. By having fewer zombies, this enabled them to have better make-up and better gross-out effects.
Audio and video quality were absolutely top-notch, especially since half the movie takes place outdoors. In fact, the technical details on this movie quite possibly represent the gold standard in low-budget horror filmmaking.
What else can I say? This is a great zombie movie! While I did give it a five star rating, it’s not quite at the level of Shaun of the Dead or the original Dawn of the Dead. Just keep in mind that it was made at a fraction of the budget that those movies had.
Overall, I was very impressed with The Stink of Flesh, and I highly recommend it to horror fans.
Popularity: 8% [?]
Seen it? How many stars do you give it?
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