Review: ‘Poultrygeist: Night of the Chicken Dead’

Well, Thanksgiving is almost here so we all have Turkey on our minds. I was sitting in my room waiting for my next video to finish rendering when I decided to watch Poultrygeist: Night of the Chicken Dead. It’s a movie about a different type of poultry; zombie chicken poultry to be exact. I know it’s not exactly perfect for Thanksgiving since it doesn’t have any mutant turkeys but until Eli Roth makes Thanksgiving for real, this is the most relevant horror movie to watch on Thanksgiving. (I did do some research and I came across a film called Blood Freak about a mutant killer with a turkey head but from what I’ve read, it’s truly awful and not in the it’s so bad it’s good way that we all love.) So if you like blood, guts, sex, gratuitous nudity, singing, dancing and bathroom humor, read on for my review of Poultrygeist.

If you haven’t heard of Poultrygeist yet, you are probably not a fan of Troma films. Lloyd Kaufman, president of Troma Entertainment, has been working on his latest Tromasterpiece for over 3 years. Troma is the longest running independent film company in the world with over 1,000 titles to their name. They have a unique brand of entertainment, with most of their films being chock full of all the wholesome goodness I listed above except for the singing and dancing.

Poultrygeist begins with Arbie and Wendy dry humping in an ancient Tromahawk Indian cemetery while a crazed metal patient with an axe watches and masturbates. He dies when a zombie chicken arm is shoved up his ass and pokes through his mouth, but only after he sniffs Arbie’s discarded underwear. One college semester later, Wendy has become a lesbian and is protesting the grand opening of an American Chicken Bunker fast food restaurant that has been built on that very same sacred Indian Burial ground. Arbie, upset about seeing Wendy with her girlfriend Micki and the fact that they probably won’t go for a threesome, decides to get even by taking a job at the fast food joint. He starts his job working with Denny, Paco Bell, Carl Jr. and even the future version of himself.

You may think this movie sounds completely insane and is just an excuse to shock and disgust the viewer. Well, it is. But the film also has some commentary on the fast food industry, big business, protestors, racism and other important social issues. You may have noticed the names of the characters all refer to famous fats food restaurants. In addition to making a statement, the film is also pretty damn entertaining. The musical numbers are pretty funny; I especially loved the last one. In fact, I loved the entire ending. Actually, I’m going to take it a step further and say that the last 30 or so minutes of the film was pretty much perfect. The zombie chicken massacre was amazing, the humor was on point and the ending was hysterical, even though being a Troma fan I immediately predicted it would happen once they got into a car.

The rest of the film was also very entertaining. There were some great one-liners and some interesting set pieces. There are also some funny fantasy musical sequences, including one that happens during a semi-dance-orgy in Wendy’s dorm room. The special effects were very good, especially for a Troma movie. My favorite effect involved a small order of chicken nuggets attacking a screaming customer. The acting ranges from decent to over the top, which is exactly what is needed in a film like this. The film moves at a quick pace and it’s fun and crazy tone is set early on and kept throughout the film.

In addition to a great film, the DVD is packed with bonus features. Like most of Lloyd’s films, the second DVD has a feature length making of the film called Poultry In Motion. I did not get to watch it yet but I’m sure it will be as informative and entertaining as his previous making of documentaries. There are also a few deleted scenes and an alternate ending. My favorite deleted scene involves Lloyd’s real life daughter’s death by soda machine, which was cut from the film. The third disc will probably be more popular at parties since it features the songs from the film in a karaoke version. You can sing along with the characters by following the words on screen or remove the voice track and sing solo. There are also some hidden Easter eggs including a small interview with Trey Parker, which seems to be excess footage from the just released Cannibal: The Musical 13^th anniversary edition DVD.

Before I finish, I do want to add that this is not a film for everyone. If you like Troma movies, you will definitely love this. If you haven’t seen a Troma movie, this is a good one to start with. It is a tad less offensive than most Troma films and it has some of the best production value even though there are no fire trucks present. If you are looking for a wildly funny movie filled with bodily functions, various fluids spraying across screen and zombie chickens, this is a movie for you. In honor of Lloyd Kaufman, I will end this review with a really bad pun. You’d have to be a cluckin’ idiot not to enjoy Poultrygeist!

[Rating: 4 out of 5 Zombie Chickens]Â  

Jerry Cavallaro – www.AreYouStuckLikeChuck.com