Visualize a man sitting on his front stoop. A gritty black and white camera focuses on him as he looks over the wilderness before him. He observes two deer as they mate, and a mischievous grin appears on his face. One hand slides down his pants as the other maintains a firm grip on the day’s alcoholic beverage of choice. Tobacco spit runs out of his mouth and down his chin as his gaze intensifies. But then the deer stop… and the man’s face reads of frustration. He stumbles into his home, enters the basement, and proceeds to beat his son, then rape his daughter.

This is the opening scene of Cameron Casey’s Appetites. It looks like ass, and is extremely heavy handed in the message it’s trying so desperately to convey. Luckily, that’s just the opening scene. After a 10 year jump in time, we are taken into a completely different world. One that is full of color, style, and two of the most intriguing characters that I’ve come across in the last several dozen indie horrors that have arrived in our mailbox.

Before I continue; allow me to state that the opening scene (regardless of how it comes across) does actually serve a purpose. The film follows the adult versions of the children we see there. Their names are Daisy and Bubba, and they have no one but each other. Times are tough though, and the two have to eat. They create a booby trapped landscape full of automated crossbows and other deadly obstructions to capture trespassers and any other “house guests” that may arrive. While this is done (mostly) out of necessity, you can tell this is a bonding experience for them. One that they enjoy greatly. Especially the part where they eat the trespasser or house guest’s remains. Yum.

This is in stark contrast to John Doe; a drifter whos life’s fulfillment is to locate, charm, fornicate with,  and then brutally murder young ladies with tattoos. John practically oozes a calculated and premeditated “cool”. He’s absolutely insane… and just so happens to provide most of the film’s soundtrack himself. It’s very unusual, but oddly fitting in a movie as strange as Appetites. Sub plots come and go throughout the film, but at its core, this is a love story between Daisy and John Doe; two murdering and sadistic psychopaths. And that’s fairly awesome.

Lauren Parkinson (Daisy) and Bret Roberts (John Doe) deliver fantastic performances. For a while, you might forget about all of the murdering and cannibalism to find yourself focusing on their budding relationship. It’s perverse, but part of you wants to see it succeed. And while a stereotypical detective character falls as flat as a sheet of paper, other secondary characters like Charlie the motel manager and Walt the local barkeep deliver some pretty solid laughs. Well done.

Unfortunately, it’s not all golden. While most scenes are shot and presented in a respectable manner, some scenes are meant to be filmed at dusk. These scenes appear as if very little was done other than lowering the brightness levels and adjusting colors to make it seem like it’s not bright and sunny outside. It’s sort of distracting. Also, there are plenty of enjoyable practical effects spread throughout Appetites, but one shot in particular goes through the roof with cheesy CG blood spraying on the camera. That’s a shame, because the rest of the kills and dismemberings look great. Last but not least, is the audio. Most of the time it isn’t a problem, but every now and then you can clearly pick out some overdubs or sections where audio actually falls out of sync. These things come with budget filmmaking, but the other successes of Appetites make them stand out more here.

If I’m being honest, there’s no great way to write about this one. There are many ideas, concepts, and subplots at play here, and I could go on for another 600 words. Appetites is the sort of film that I probably shouldn’t have enjoyed as much as I did. Hell, I’m not even sure if some of those aforementioned ideas and concepts were even done on purpose or not. Somehow Appetites pulls its way through fluctuating production values and subplots to deliver an oddly charming and engaging tale. This one’s for the lovers out there…. sort of.

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