1993 / Philip Brophy / Shudder / NR
"The first phase is hallucinogenic... the second phase is glandular... and the third phase is AHH, GAWD !"
The Plot
The quiet culdesac of Homesville, Australia, is disturbed when a man crashes his vehicle and then succumbs to some form of cellular degeneration. It seems the man was on his way to attempt to save the residents of Homesville from a state-of-the-art diet drug. The police conduct an investigation, meanwhile, the residents of this culdesac begin to perish in strange yet terrific ways.
Creators
Director Philip Brophy doubles as the composer, beside his fellow creative Rod Bishop. They're known in Australia for their experimental music, videos, and performances. Click here to experience more of Philip Brophy's anxiety-inducing artwork.
The only actor that I came close to recognizing is Vincent Gil who plays the hillbilly leader, Pud. Vincent appears in the opening scene of 1979's Mad Max. He's just as sweaty and unsettling here in Body Melt as in Mad Max. Ben Geurens is just a child in this film, the son of the woman with the tongue enlargement, but he has become quite successful having just played a small part in Zach Snyder's Rebel Moon as Syra.
Jake's Take
I came into this film completely blind, so once tentacles started flying, I was stoked, to say the least. A few plots unravel throughout Body Melt, like the hallucinating man, the hillbilly family, and the cop trying to get to the bottom of it all. I particularly enjoyed the hillbilly family, especially the truck that only turns left, what a reveal. The hallucinating man mostly left me confused. At some point, the woman he's seeing changed appearance and I was unaware she was supposed to be the same woman. The cop happens upon some awesome body horror, but by the time the credits roll it feels as though he hasn't made any kind of impact. And then we have the overarching thread, being the corporation responsible, which reminds me of a Saturday morning kids special with how comical they're portrayed.
A guy is consumed by tentacles protruding from his neck, there's a woman whose insides are cooked by her own fetus, and some dude's junk blows up, which instantly kills him. Of all the deaths that Body Melt has to offer, I prefer the enlarged tongue that you see above. My daughter had woken up and came to sit with me at just that moment and she got frightened. I explained why it was a hoot and that some of the movies Dad watches aren't scary at all, but are instead fun. She watched a bit more, unscared and now amused, but soon enough she began to beg for cartoons.
Rapid Body Decomposition is just part of the process, you too can look like these beefcakes, and sound like Alvin from Alvin and The Chipmunks.
Sign me up, big daddy. I'm dying to decomp.
No thanks, I'd prefer my dick not explode me to death.
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