‘STING’ (2024) Killer campy creature-feature

well go usa logoSTING

Sting poster

12-year-old Charlotte captures a pet spider in her rundown apartment building. When her pet’s appetite increases, she is not so cute anymore. STING is creature-feature heaven.

STING-Still5-1340x754Jermaine Fowler gives an unforgettable performance as Frank, the exterminator. All eyes are on him in every scene he shows up in. Noni Hazlehurst is loveable as Charlotte’s dementia-ridden grandmother.

Penelope Mitchell (What You Wish For) is solid playing the newly postpartum mother of Charlotte and baby Liam, Heather. PS- Keep your ears sharp for Kate Walsh‘s voice.

STING-Still4-1340x754Ryan Corr gives Ethan a palpable charm in his mounting frustration. Charlotte’s stepfather, the building handyman by day and graphic artist by night, the epic snowstorm outside, the needy residents inside, and a giant ass, alien spider severely harsh his mellow.

Alyla Browne is magnetic as Charlotte, an adolescent badass, budding graphic novelist, and into the macabre. A mix of fearless with a side of abandonment issues, she owns every second of screen time.

I adore the nod to Charlotte’s Web in our little ingenue’s moniker. Please give me a scenario where she teams up with Lulu Wilson (BECKY franchise), and that is an entirely new genre franchise laid out in front of you.

STING-Still1-1340x754The film boasts a sometimes curious childlike score, an absurdly upbeat soundtrack, smart-looking opening credits, and an unmissable homage to Alien and Terminator. Our titular character is a creative wonder. Sting is something you have to see to appreciate. It is magnificent. Thank you, WĒTĀ Workshops.

Writer-director Kiah Roache-Turner (The Wyrmwood films) delivers tons of gorey fun with gross transitions and gagworthy practical FX. STING is a cleverly updated stab at a classic horror trope. You will devour it.

Opens Wide in North American Theaters on April 12th

After raising an unnervingly talented spider in secret, 12-year-old Charlotte must face the facts about her pet—and fight for her family’s survival—when the once-charming creature rapidly transforms into a giant, flesh-eating monster.

Directed by: Kiah Roache-Turner

Cast: 
Ryan Corr
Alyla Browne
Penelope Mitchell
Robyn Nevin
Noni Hazelhurst
Silvia Colloca
Danny Kim
Jermaine Fowler

#StingMovie

STING has been rated R (for violent content, bloody images and language).

 

Review: ‘WYRMWOOD APOCALYPSE’ screams franchise potential.

WYRMWOOD: APOCALYPSE

Synopsis: Rhys lives in the zombie-infested wasteland. His job is to capture civilians and deliver them to what’s left of the military. When Rhys captures a half-zombie-half-human named Grace, he comes to believe she is the key to ending the apocalypse.


*Let me begin their review by stating that I have not seen the original Wyrmwood. I can only comment on Wyrmwood: Apocalypse as a stand-alone film.*

I was immediately drawn into the film hearing Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds‘ track “Red Right Hand,” alongside the quick-cut editing. Equal parts quirky and cool, I was committed. The costumes and sets are elaborate eye candy. The special effects makeup and practical FX are deliciously gruesome. The score, combined with the red lighting, makes for the perfect touch of camp. Wyrmwood: Apocalypse has legit legs for a franchise reboot. 

This cast is gold. The commitment to these characters is commendable. The fight sequences and choreography are damn entertaining. These actors go hard into the action. Bravo, to Luke McKensie, Shantae Barnes-Cowan, Jake Ryan, Bianca Brady, Tasia Zalar, Jay Gallagher, and Nick Boshier for their phenomenal chemistry.

The plot possesses a similar concept as Zydrate from one of my all-time favorite films, Repo! The Genetic Opera. There’s revenge, cognisant zombies, mind control, harvesting, and family dynamics. You name it, and it’s in Wyrmwood: Apocalypse. There’s enough meat in this storyline to justify a series development. I could easily see this doing well on the SyFy network. It has to be from writer-director Kiah Roache-Turner and co-writer Tristan Roache-Turner. Consistency is key to maintaining a fandom. The bottom line is Wyrmwood: Apocalypse is a new beginning.


Zombie Action-Horror WYRMWOOD: APOCALYPSE — OUT DIGITALLY IN THE U.S. APRIL 14!


Genre: Horror

Country: Australia

Runtime: 90 mins

Year: 2022

Language: English

Rated: NA


Michael’s Review: ‘Wyrmwood: Road of the Dead’- A Fun New Twist on The Zombie Genre

wyrmwood-posterZombies are at the height of their popularity, but there is no genre more saturated and tiresome. It’s a genre that has become a parody of itself, so when a movie comes along with a fresh, new take on the undead, you take notice. This Raimi-esque zombie tale from Australian filmmakers Kiah and Tristan Roache-Turner is highly entertaining and stakes it’s claim for most innovative take on zombies in a long while. If you’re looking for a film to remind yourself why we love these films, Wyrmwood: Road of the Dead might just be the film for you.

1_ARMOURED-UPFollowing a meteor shower over the Earth, a strange disease, which turns people into zombie has infected most mankind, leaving few survivors. Barry (Jay Gallagher) is one of those survivors who has lost his wife and child to the disease and now searches for a way to get to his sister Brooke (Bianca Bradley). Along the way, Barry meets Benny (Leon Burchill) and Frank (Keith Agius), two men looking to survive. The three men agree to set off together to look for Brooke, but after they discover that all existing fuel sources have been rendered unusable by the plague, they must find another way to escape the zombie hordes.

7_SOLDIERS_W_ZOMBIE_CAPTIVEMeanwhile, Brooke is kidnapped by military faction who bring her to a medical lab run by a psychotic doctor looking to experiment on the undead and the living alike. After a series of experiments, Brooke soon discovers that there is more to this disease than what’s on the surface. Brooke is determined to escape her captors and reunite with Barry, but can the siblings make it to one another before all is lost?

wyrmwood01Wyrmwood: Road of the Dead is a treat for lovers of off the wall zombie apocalypse movies. The slapstick nature of the surroundings and the overall storyline harken back to the Evil Dead franchise, all the way down to the comparisons between Ash and Barry, but Wyrmwood has a card up it’s sleeve with the payoff, which is as ridiculous as it is genius in its originality. Will Wyrmwood win any awards? Of course not, but it’s a good fun movie to watch on a cold night.

Stars:

3 out of 5

After Credit Scene?

No

Trailer: