In 2005, the winner of Project Greenlight, the third season, came to light. Titled Feast, it was a darkly comic mash-up of Night of the Living Dead, From Dusk 'Til Dawn and just about every Alien-inspired monster film of the last 30 years. The story involved a bunch of characters holed up in a bar fending off a blood-thirsty family of vicious creatures. The gore was as plentiful as the number of executive producers (including Matt Damon, Ben Affleck, and Wes Craven), and the cast was an eclectic bunch that included comedian Henry Rollins, industry veteran Clu Gulager, and 30 Rock funnyman Judah Friedlander.

Well, Feast was a horror film that must have made at least $5 of profit, which in the horror film world is usually enough to generate a sequel. And what do you know? Halloween 2008 brings us Feast II: Sloppy Seconds on home video to cash in on the name recognition of the first. It also brings back director John Gulager and several of the original's cast members.

This last fact means that a review of Feast II: Sloppy Seconds will, out of necessity, contain spoilers for the original Feast. So, if you haven't seen Feast, you've been forewarned.

Feast II: Sloppy Seconds is set the day after Feast. Actress Diane Goldner returns this time as Biker Queen, sister of Harley Mom, who was unceremoniously sacrificed in Feast. Finding Bartender (Clu Gulager) alive amongst the ruins of the bar, she learns the truth about who betrayed her sister and sets out with her biker gang - and a captive Bartender - to have her vengeance. They ride into town, where Honey Pie (Jenny Wade), also a survivor of the first film, is now holed up. Unfortunately, the beasts who wreaked havoc in the original are also around and have wasted most of the town. Among the few remaining humans trying to stay alive are two used car dealers named Slasher and Greg, their mutual love interest Secrets, and Thunder and Lightning, two Mexican wrestlers.

I'll leave the synopsis alone at that. As you can tell, this is a direct sequel to Feast, and as such, it's probably best that you have some working knowledge of that movie to better appreciate this one. There's a lot of comic gore here, perhaps even more than the original. (Folks should know what they're getting into with a movie like this, especially considering it's under the DIMENSION EXTREME banner.) However, the horror itself is lacking; Feast II: Sloppy Seconds is sillier than the original. I suspect this last point is the reason why it doesn't work as well. The creatures are still quick-movin' and fast-killin', but they're almost like cartoons instead of monsters. A lengthy sequence where Greg autopsies a dead creature, while humorous in an outrageous fashion, ultimately undercuts any remaining menace the creatures truly have.

Still, I was into the darkly macabre comedic vibe of this film for the first hour or so. Judah Friedlander even shows up in a cameo resurrecting his Beer Guy character for a truly bizarre dream Honey Pie has. But then, a sequence occurs involving a newborn baby and Greg that's played for laughs. It's a scene that I won't spoil but it pushes the envelope of taste that even many hardcore horror fans will acknowledge went too far. It somehow ruined the flow of the movie and it never recovered. That and the fact that the ending was clearly going to be a total cliffhanger for the upcoming Feast 3: The Happy Finish left me feeling somewhat unsatisfied as a viewer.

Ultimately Feast II: Sloppy Seconds continues the tastelessness of the first film but does so less successfully than the original. It's an uneven production and is probably best left as a rental for those interested. With a sequel on the horizons, a boxed set will probably end up being available for fans some time down the line.

The DVD

Video:

Feast II: Sloppy Seconds arrives in a sharp-looking anamorphic widescreen video presentation. Colors look great and details are fine. Some special effects and green screen scenes don't appear realistic, especially in the second half of the movie, but this is not a fault of the visual quality.

Sound:

The lone audio track is an English language Dolby Digital 5.1, and it sounds fairly impressive. The dialogue, sound effects, and score all come off strongly and surround the viewer with no aspect overwhelming another.

Subtitles are available in Spanish and English for the Hearing Impaired.

Extras:

When the disc is played, trailers automatically precede the main menu for Hell Ride, Mother of Tears, The Zombie Diaries, and George A. Romero's Diary of the Dead.

Several extras directly related to Feast II: Sloppy Seconds are included. Most important is a commentary track with director John Gulager, writers Patrick Melton and Marcus Dunstan, producer Michael Leahy, and actors Diane Ayala Goldner, Tom Gulager, and Clu Gulager. A random sampling suggests it's a lively dialogue with a lot of laughter and humor.

Scared Half to Death Twice: The Making of Feast II (12:26) is a run-of-the-mill featurette with behind-the-scenes footage and brief comments from the cast and crew. It has an anamorphic widescreen presentation.

Meet the Gulagers (5:26), also in anamorphic widescreen, covers the familial connections amongst the Gulagers in this movie.

Final Thoughts:

If you haven't seen the original Feast, see that movie first. It's better than Feast II: Sloppy Seconds, and the sequel relies heavily upon your knowledge of it. If you enjoyed Feast, then I'd suggest Feast II: Sloppy Seconds would make a good rental. It's bloodier and goofier than the original, but lacks its punch and consistency. Be forewarned: this movie ends on a cliffhanger meant to be continued, assumedly, in the upcoming Feast 3: The Happy Finish.

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