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The low-budget zombie flick is quite often the bane of gore-starved horror fans everywhere. Half the time, you’re watching some twat with corn flakes glued on his face wiggle his mouth on somebody while smearing fake blood around. The other half of the time, you’re stuck with a story that is generally bland and has been done before. Thankfully, indie director Henry Weintraub has crafted a stellar piece of zombie fare that combines equal parts revenge flick and goofy comedy in the 2009 release of Melvin.

In Melvin, a group of punk rock ruffians ruin the life of a nerd named Melvin. The three chuckleheads, named Trash, Spit, and Knuckles respectively, take their fun too far one evening, and poor Melvin is murdered by accident. Being the drug-loving lowlifes that they are, the three punks cover up their misdeeds… which leaves the spirit of Melvin a little restless. Sometime later Melvin rises from the dead and bites a nerd named Norton. Soon, Norton begins the ghost of Melvin, losing consciousness for long periods of time, and vomiting blood every opportunity he gets. Norton must figure out a way to cope with his newfound curse or wind up killing everyone and everything in town.

Weintraub’s Melvin is a truly terrific film. Made on almost no budget, this film puts big-budget horror flicks to shame with solid scenes of violence, goofiness, and all around quirky mayhem that’s got more going for it than most pieces of shit that you’ll find at your local megaplex. The film is told in a non-linear style, which while a little confusing at times, pays off big in the end. It’s clear that Weintraub’s influences run the gamut of B-movie classics from Troma flicks to your tawdry ridiculous slasher flicks.

Weintraub’s tale, though far from complex, is the type of stuff that horror fans will drool over. Yeah… blood is prayed around like champagne in the locker room of a World Series winning baseball team. Sure, the dialogue feels like it was pulled off the walls of a bathroom stall… but it’s all by design. This is a movie that knows what it is and plays to those conventions with great effect. Low-budget directors everywhere could learn a thing or two from Weintraub’s unpretentious zombie flick.

Of course, I’ve tossed the tag “low-budget” around enough to make your common horror fan wary. We all know that the descriptor typically means cheesy looking zombies and special effects that are only special for the fact that they make you laugh at how shitty they are. But rest assured horror fans, Melvin sports effects that should make the average horror fan sport wood in their trousers. These all-practical masterpieces will satiate any bloodhound’s appetite, and while they aren’t universally great, the stuff that isn’t is sure to get a laugh out of you as they are taken from the Lloyd Kaufman bag of tricks… only without the watermelon. That being said, there are a couple of gore pieces in the film that would be right at home in your multi-million dollar horror masterpiece… including one unforgettable scene involving a beer bottle and a clumsy reanimated corpse.

The acting in the film is a cut above most B-movie flicks, and it’s clear that Weintraub, whose previous short films have always been a little sketchy in the thespian department, has become more comfortable bossing around his cast and crew. Patrick O’Driscoll is a solid find as Norton, the cursed nerd. O’Driscoll feels as if he stepped straight out of a ‘60s B-movie and he is perfect in the role. Leif Fuller also kicks some ass as Melvin, the titular victim. Fuller’s performance is at times comical and at others downright menacing. The rest of the cast is filled with interesting characters, who, even if they aren’t the best actors in the world, keep the spirit of the film going. The great news is that there are no dealbreakers to be found within the cast.

Melvin is just the thing for horror fans bogged down by PG-13 ghost movies and slasher remakes. It’s a breath of undead air infused with indie ethos and a true love for the horror genre… something that seems to be missing in more mainstream productions. While the film may not be for all horror fans, it certainly is for the ones that count.

Final Synopsis: Melvin rocks. Why aren’t all horror movies this fun? Probably because they’re made by no-talent twinks that just want to make a quick buck… but uhh… Melvin isn’t like that, so check it out when you get the chance. Or buy it… and support movies that actually give a damn about the horror genre.

You can buy this kickass movie from the following site: Buy Melvin Now!

Points Lost: This is an indie flick, so I don’t do that shit… instead, I just give you the general flava.

Lesson Learned: Don’t piss on graves.

Burning Question: Shouldn’t the film be called Norton?

Melvin
8/10

Tags: 2009, 531 productions, andy larson, ben chinburg, comedy, henry weintraub, horror, horror movie, hudson hongo, indie, latest movie review, leif fuller, lilly maher, lloyd kaufman, low-budget, New Independent Film Reviews, new independent movie reviews, patrick o'driscoll, punk movie, punk rock, recent2, yonatan schultz, zombie, zombie movie, zombies