Eating miss Campbell

Discovering a film from Troma Studios is like living a real cinematographic experience as each of their films mixes with more or less success, comedy (satire), horror (rather gory) and romance. It is easy to understand why the London Frightfest festival has honored this new Tromo production co-produced by Lloyd Kaufman, which can be watched with curiosity. For his second film Liam Regan revisits in his own way the satirical horror-comedy and more particularly the high school genre for teenagers. 

Beth Conner (Lyndsey Craine) is a vegan and gothic student like many others.  She has a close relationship with her English teacher, Miss Campbell (Lala Barlow) and quickly develops a problematic taste for human flesh. Her life takes a turn for the worse when she finds herself unable to commit suicide without the aid of a loaded gun. Worse, she finds herself destined to live inside a 90's horror movie filled with all kinds of clichés. When a patriarchal school board auctions off the live broadcast rights to the inaugural All-You-Can-Eat Massacre competition (the prize being a loaded handgun), Beth finally finds a way to escape horror movies for good.

The concept of a heroine who finds herself trapped in a horror movie is not innovative in itself. We still remember the very successful The Final girls (2015) but the Troma treatment totally strips this genre by not hesitating to go into all possible excesses (without going to the outrageous scenes seen recently in Terrifier 2). The film also tackles in its own way the killings in colleges and other sexual predators who are rampant without being arrested. Everything seems possible in Eating miss Campbell and the film could have been without the Troma touch simply a horrific comedy for the general public if the direction had been more traditional and less cartoonish. 

Eating miss Campbell
Written and directed by Liam Regan
Produced by Lloyd Kaufman, Liam Regan
Starring Lyndsey Craine, Lala Barlow, Vito Trigo, James Hamer-Morton, Charlie Bond, Emily Haigh, Michaela Longden, Sierra Summers, Alexander J Skinner, Justin A. Martell, Annabella Rich, Dani Thompson , Laurence R. Harvey,Blade Braxton, Lloyd Kaufman, Sarah Waldron,Jessica McDonagh, Symren Gharial Paris Rivers, Ria Fend, Danny Naylor, Katrina Tia Charles, Matthew Gregg, Julia Goodinson, Dominic Hurley, Matty Squires, Helen Gillgrass,Jess Galantino, Jason Kahl 
Music by Joe Renzetti
Cinematography : Hamish Saks
Edited by Jack Hayes 
Running time : 84 minutes

Seen on August 28, 2022

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