Brett Piper's debut outing with Independent Cinema's gruesome Shock-O-Rama Cinema label was the much heralded Screaming Dead, going a long way to help rejuvenate the horror label that likes to mix home grown productions with more diverse splatter titles from around the globe. Piper's latest creation is a blend of b-movie sensibilities and modern day sassy humour which amalgamate into a fun and frisky little creepy-crawly flick.
When the owner of the Go-Go-Sourus strip club decides to dabble in a little green fingered free enterprise, he gets more bang for his buck when he receives a crate of bio-engineered marijuana containing a monstrous army of killer insects. Having spent all that time amongst the weed these little critters are bound to have a severe case of the munchies and so start to gorge themselves on the blood of the strip joint staff and patrons in an effort to stop those hunger pains. Unfortunately for the bite victims, they are pumped full of insect venom which has the unusual effect of turning their once normal personalities into something wholly unpredictable. If their red, your screwed in the head!
This film has a lot going for it. It has sexy strippers, tactile humour and big assed bugs ravenous for human juice. The first thing that has to be mentioned as part of a TFA review is the creatures that run amok amongst the dead beat punters and staff of the Go-Go-Sourus. Although you probably have a picture in your minds eye of the type of bugs on offer in this modestly budgeted production, there's a damn good chance that your underestimating the visual prowess that the effects offer. OK, so we're not talking Eight Legged Freaks here but the stop motion and miniature effects are very well integrated with the live action footage. Piper captured his creepy creations frame by frame in the studio and then matted this footage into the actors footage with digital assistance. All this effort was clearly worth while as the finished results allow for the spider-like insects to scuttle around the club in a more or less realistic manner.
All though the films primary location is a strip club, the nudity is kept within a limit for it not to be perceived as tasteless soft porn. This said, those that are interested do get a chance to see most of the girls topless, but thankfully it is offered up in mostly amusing way's and the girls get to display more of their acting charms than their physical exteriors. Misty Mundae's contract probably states that any film Independent Cinema makes MUST contain a role for her as she is once again thrown in as the films main female lead. Julian Wells pout's her way through the entire film as a ball breaking Italian business woman who's only interest is to close the strip club down and is the cause of much stress for Michael Thomas' character as her hard nosed antics stir up trouble when ever possible.
This film has two outstanding character performances which are both associated with the most comically demanding roles which, for a comedy horror, is a compliment of the highest order. Rob Monkiewicz is back from his previous Shock-O-Rama outing (Screaming Dead) only this time instead of the hunky hero, he plays a likable yet dopey insect exterminator who sounds exactly like Ottis the bus driver from the Simpsons. Monkiewicz deliberately stumbles his way through with some great slap-stick laughs built into the screenplay which allow him to deliver the visual gags with devious timing and easily wins over the viewer with his vulnerable charm. Michael R. Thomas portrays the grizzled club owner who often looks like he is about to burst a blood vessel with his constant grousing which intensifies into a very funny display of pent up anger as his frustrations over his lazy strippers and almost hopeless business venture slowly bubbles over. Thomas, who's hilarious part in the Seduction Cinema romp Lord of the G-Strings was a breath of fresh air amongst all those bare twisted limbs has again proven that, when it comes to playing for laugh's he is the master.
Bit Me! is another very adventures endeavor brought about on a relatively low grade budget which has been crafted very nicely into an accomplished creature feature containing an abundance of absurd and hilarious moments that will gratify the genre fan to the max. If you have to see one bug movie this year, make it this one!
