Cat Sick Blues

From what I read on the synopsis and some of the reviews here on IMDb, then I decided to sit down to watch "Cat Sick Blues", because it did seem like it might actually be odd enough to actually be good.

However, I was wrong. "Cat Sick Blues" fell far outside of what I consider to be a properly entertaining movie, and it was just way too bizarre and slow paced for my liking. And I can't claim to have found any interest in the storyline or the characters portrayed in the movie.

The movie is about a deranged man's urge to kill people and transform himself into a cat in an attempt to bring back his dead cat.

Weird! And it wasn't even enjoyable weird, not in any way. There just wasn't anything worthwhile in watching a nerd in a red shirt and a cat mask wearing an oversized strap-on dildo while killing people. It was just a sad excuse of a movie.

I made it through just about halfway before I just lost the will to go on. And it was either watch something else or start using my mobile phone, so I opted for watching something else, because not even the dialogue in "Cat Sick Blues" proved to be fun or entertaining.

As for the acting in the movie, well I am sure that people were doing adequate jobs, but it just didn't take a hold with me, and I wasn't impressed with what I saw.

With no intention of returning to finish "Cat Sick Blues", then I am rating it a mere two out of ten stars, given the fact that it did have some fair enough production value to it.

I liked much of Cat Sick Blues because it's twisted and different. Its opening is very strong (killer music, man) and parts of it are enjoyably visceral, like the scene where Ted remembers his cat exploding.

Other parts of Cat Sick Blues are unpleasant, and bad unpleasant, even for horror. Case in point: the rape scenes. The argument against pornography is that it objectifies women: it turns them into sexual objects. Very obviously, that goes for rape and murder, and women seem to exist only in this movie to become brutalized. Additionally, the barbed, phallic prosthetic that Ted wears is nothing short of disgusting.

These major shortcomings aside, much of Cat Sick Blue can be enjoyed: its tone, editing, colour, and sound are all well done. There are some great images, like Ted running down the canal, scaring away the seagulls, as well as the opening credits. I especially like the music and the screwed up mood Cat Sick Blues shoots for. Additionally, our leads, played by Shian Denovan and Matthew C. Vaughan, both bring a lot to the film. Shian especially, a beautiful and talented young actress. (Go Scotland!)

...But I can't condone the rape scenes. I know horror is meant to appeal to the senses, but those scenes are gratuitous. And the less said about Ted's prosthetic the better.

Now there seem to be a couple of short movies - which I have not watched, so can't say or tell you what to make of them. But they all seem to have the main role (baddie) in common. I reckon the theme is similar in them too. You have someone who lost his cat and is ... well "mourning" in a way that is not really good for others. And that is putting it mildly.

There is a lot of sick stuff here, some can be seen other things only heard. Like the sexual attack our main heroine has to endure. Right after something horrible happens to her cat. One of the major issues being that the acting talent is not enough to convince us of much here.

On the other hand, it is not like the script is super tight or the direction would remind one of any great horror movie legend either. Now not everyone can be the best in what they do - or it may also be the lack of money the movie had (or didn't have). There are some interesting concepts and ideas ... but the production values are not helping.

This feels a bit like amateur hour, but it has some bright (violent) spots. Overall disgusting and appalling - which you can see as a badge of honor or as something you are not going to watch for sure. That will be up to you. But it never goes as extreme as other movies have gone (there is one scene in particular where our main bad guy is rewatching a video tape and it seems like was going to do something horrible in the video ... but we cut away or rather he rewinds to a different place/timecode, to watch a different kind of sick moment instead)

I was one of 142 backers on Kickstarter that helped Dave Jackson and Andrew Gallagher raise $14,500 to make their debut feature film Cat Sick Blues. Every cent of that money is visible on screen.

It's a confident first film. It is well shot and sometimes very creative, experimenting with black-and-white, slow motion, reversed footage, etc. The acting is better than any other low-budget horror film that I have seen in a long time – Matthew Vaughn is very creepy as the 'Catman', and Shian Denovan is solid as the other lead. It should also be mentioned that the music is diverse and incredibly effective. Really, there's was a lot to love about this film.

Admittedly, some of the dialogue felt a little clumsy, and it jumped around a lot tonally. These were just minor quibbles though.

The special effects were really impressive. It's a pretty violent, gory film – lots of severed heads and big barbed cat dildos. This lead to a lot of memorable images – A black-and-white scene featuring a trunk and bizarre catman will stay with me for a while, as well as the excellent hostel massacre.

I also wanted to mention the ending. The plot takes an unnecessary detour in the last 15 minutes, stumbling after a strong run. The idea itself is sound and could have been effective if shortened, but is too overlong to feel worthwhile. Despite this, in its final minutes the film is able to recover and ends on a sad, satisfying note.

I really hope they are able to find a distribution deal for this little gem. If you are able to see it at some point in the future at a festival or after its eventual release, I highly recommend that you do so. You won't regret it. Hell, even if you do regret it, I'm sure you'd agree that Jackson and Gallagher are filmmakers that will be worth keeping an eye on.

This is quite possibly the worst film I've watched in all of 2021. Seriously, this movie is just terrible, but I watched it and I was curious as to how it would end, and when I got to the end I decided that it was even worse than I thought it would be, so let me break it down for you in the easiest way I know how.

Direction- Abysmal. Student film level camera angles, poor composition, terrible transitions and a complete lack of talent in how to frame a convincing scene. It's so bad, I just don't understand how this person is allowed to direct a wedding video, let alone a feature film.

Acting- The lowest point of the film, every single person in this movie was terrible. The lead female was a travesty of the greatest magnitude, but every single person in this movie was untalented, struggled to emote properly while others struggled to remember their lines, and the actual death scenes where rife with the most overacted and hilariously bad performances this side of Sharknado. I am embarrassed for these people. It was a disgrace.

Special effects- I just don't know how anyone could have thought that red paint and water/food coloring makes for convincing blood. It doesn't! No SFX used in this movie looked convincing, and the few that were almost passable were still poorly done. It was like a neighborhood haunted house levels of lame.

Cinematography- The absolute worst part of this steaming pile of garbage. The cinematographer has to be the worst one I have seen in a movie in quite a while. It's like this person had no idea what he/she was doing, and it yielded an ugly movie with bad angles, poor framing, and a sore eye of a film. It was literally and figuratively hideous to watch.

Ultimately, I'm just embarrassed for anyone who thought it was a good idea to attach their names to this. It was horrible, and not in a "so bad it's good" type of way. It was truly, utterly abhorrent in every possible way, and you are better off ignoring it exists. I am not exaggerating in any way. This movie is absolute trash.

People, I know you have friends and family that make these movies and you want to support them, I get that. But telling them that stuff like this is good is not doing a service to them or to the people who ultimately have to watch it. Stop lying to these people and let them know that their work just isn't good. Trust me, it's better for them, and it's really good for the audience as we are spared any more of this sophomoric bile.

Oh, I gave it 3 stars for the music. Some of it reminded me of Silent Hill's soundtrack.