The October Zombie-Thon! - Day 20: Feeding the Masses
Posted by Trevor Snyder on 10.20.2007
What's worse: flesh-eating zombies, or the American media?
FEEDING THE MASSES (2004)
Directed by: Richard Griffin
Written by: Trent Haaga
Country: USA
Obviously, social commentary is nothing new to the zombie film. In fact, the genre has long thrived on its ability to use the living dead, and the worlds they create, as a way to examine real-world concerns and anxieties, particularly in the hands of master storytellers like George Romero or Danny Boyle.
And yet, you don't usually expect to find this kind of thought-provoking meaning in the more recent world of low-budget zombie flicks. More often than not, these typically straight-to-video wonders are more concerned with how much tits and gore they can throw on the screen, and not so much whether they can really make their audience think. True, there are the rare exceptions, but for the most part, I approach most of these cheapo zombie films anticipating nothing more than silly, mindless fun, at best.
And, truthfully, if I was going to try to seek out a truly intelligent living dead movie, my first thought probably wouldn't be to turn to the fine folks at Shock-O-Rama. The company responsible for bringing us such "classics" as Demon Sex and Rock and Roll Frankenstein hardly seems like the place to look for biting social commentary. Not that there's anything wrong with that. They've done quite well for themselves, and have released a number of fun – if brainless – films, so more power to them. Still, they can't blame me for expecting their Feeding the Masses to be nothing more than just another hokey, boob-filled effort.
Having said that, I suppose I should have known a little better, given that the film clearly did have one thing going for it right off the bat. Namely, it's screenwriter – Troma veteran Trent Haaga. While Troma haters might find it pointless to lavish so much praise on a man best known for starring in Terror Firmer and writing Citizen Toxie: The Toxic Avenger 4, I don't care. I'm on record (including in last year's Zombie-Thon, where Haaga popped up a couple times) as saying I like the guy. He's funny, has loads of charisma, and has always sounded extremely knowledgeable about the world of low-budget cinema in every interview I've ever read of his – not to mention Lloyd Kaufman's book, "Make Your Own Damn Movie!," which Haaga co-wrote. So his involvement here at least hinted at the possibility of something a little different from the usual Shock-O-Rama cheese. And, in fact, Haaga's script is indeed the very best thing about Feeding the Masses; even strong enough to shine through the questionable acting, horrid effects, and overall amateurish feeling.
In the film, America – nay, the world – had been devastated by the Lazarus Virus, which causes the recently dead to reanimate and attack the living. Unlike many zombie films which gloomily suggest that, in a situation like this, humanity would quickly fall in only a matter of days, Feeding the Masses takes a different, and perhaps more realistic (?) view. The virus, and the zombies, has been around for months, and yet society is still trying to get by, doing its best to cope with and handle the problem. Sure, the cities are a little less crowded than they used to be, and the occasional ghouls wandering through the streets can be quite the bother, but that doesn't mean we need to just completely give up our routines, right? And so some restaurants remain open (complete with helpful signs in their windows reading "Lazarus Virus Free"), and some fast-thinking entrepreneurs have ever figured out a way to turn the situation into a lucrative operation…but more on that later.
All in all, it sure seems like things could be a lot worse. For instance, it could just appear to be safe and sound out there, because of faulty reporting from the media. Oh, no, wait…it turns out that's exactly what's going on. Yes, the media (here represented by the Channel 5 News), in all its wisdom and glory, has decided to downplay the very-real dangers of the Lazarus Virus, and continues to broadcast erroneous claims of safety, even as the situation in the streets actually grows worse and worse. To be fair, it's not entirely their fault, as they are under the control of the U.S. government, who make it very clear that they want their citizens to feel safe and secure, even as the world comes to a horrible end all around them.
This doesn't sit well with Channel 5's resident cameraman, Torch (William Garberina). Fed up with the lies and deception his own channel is feeding the gullible public, Torch becomes obsessed with getting out there and filming the reality of it all, even if it means becoming an enemy of the government in the process. Joining Torch on this mission for truth is up-and-coming reporter Shelly (who is more concerned with the fame that will come from such a report than she is with any sense of justice), and military escort Roger, who has his own secret, conflicted reasons for tagging along.
As you've probably already figured out, the media's obsession with ratings over truth, and sensationalism over public awareness, is the target of choice for the satire of Feeding the Masses. If you haven't figured that out, you will pretty quickly when watching the movie, as the whole "the media is lying to us" theme is rammed down the audience's throat pretty hard. And yet, here's the thing – it works. Sure, I think the satire can be a little overbearing at times, and perhaps could have been toned down (or at least made less obvious) just a little. But still, the movie has a point it wants to make, and it does so quite effectively.
Haaga has obviously spent some time wondering what our opportunistic, media-fueled society would look like in the event of an actual zombie epidemic, and the picture he presents here is timely, relevant, and often just plain damn funny. Along with the oh-so-realistic fluff pieces Sally and Torch are sent out to film, we are also treated to a number of commercials advertising new products and services that have popped up to take advantage of the plague; the best being a reclamation service that offers to find your zombified loved one, re-kill them, and then give them a proper burial…again. These moments are both hilarious and somewhat disturbing – considering they're probably not too far off from what we actually would see if something like the Lazarus Virus ever really did happen.
To that end, it's nice to see Haaga write a film that's more interested in examining this aspect of a post-zombie society than just the usual "houseful of survivors." True, the "if it bleeds, it leads" media-mentality on display here (the Channel 5 news director mourns the loss of a zombie-victim reporter for one brief moment, before making sure they have footage of her bloody corpse to show on the air later that night) is not exactly a new target of satire. Nor are these themes even completely new to the zombie genre – the scenes depicting Channel 5 giving out false safety information in order to keep viewers watching are reminiscent of the opening minutes of Romero's Dawn of the Dead. Still, by devoting an entire movie to the idea, Haaga and director Richard Griffin are able to craft one heck of an entertaining flick; one that manages to be both funny and significant.
Unfortunately, Haaga's clever script can only do so much, and Feeding the Masses is somewhat hampered by the usual low-budget trappings of the genre – most notably in the acting department. While some zombie fans might complain the loudest about the lack of quality carnage, or the shoddy effects (including one of the worst computer-generated explosions I've seen), I myself was particularly disappointed to see such a terrific screenplay in the hands of such amateur actors.
I also found myself very annoyed with the wildly inconsistent nature of Torch, the film's main hero. If there's a problem with Haaga's script, it's here. Usually, Torch is criticizing the government's refusal to tell the truth, and bemoaning his channel's decision to happily comply. But, in other instances, we see Torch excitedly coaching interview subjects on what to say, in order to make the segment more entertaining. It's also never really clear just how much Torch is bothered by the whole Lazarus Virus thing in the first place, given that he is always hoping for some sort of riot or massacre to break out, so that he can be on scene to film it.
This conflicting personality sure isn't helped any by the performance of Garberina, either. I might have been able to overlook his contradictory actions, if the character had been played by an actor who could have brought some depth to the role, or at least made him more likable (come to think of it, Haaga himself would have been perfect). Instead, we're stuck with constantly mugging Garberina, who delivers every line like some sort of coked-up Jim Carrey.
Still, none of the film's more glaring problems can cover-up a great idea, which Feeding the Masses undoubtedly has. Sure, I would have liked to have seen Haaga's script given the production value it deserves, but I'll settle for a better-than-average B-movie that offers a story more compelling than the usual fare. In a field crowded with sub-par, cheap films that care about nothing more than making a buck – through piling on the gore and nudity – Feeding the Masses reminds us that sometimes, even the smaller-budget films have something worthwhile to say about the world.
