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Poultrygeist: Night of the Chicken Dead

Humans... the other white meat... Unless you're black, then it's dark meat... Or if you are Asian, then it's yellow meat... Or if you are Native American, it's red meat...
Starring: Jason Yachanin, Kate Graham, Allyson Sereboff, Robin Watkins, Joshua Olatunde, Rose Ghavami, Caleb Emerson, Khalid Rivera
Rating: 9/10
Directed By: Lloyd Kaufman
Runtime: 103 minutes

"Is anyone in here thinking they're gonna see August Rush? Cause if you are, you need to get the fuck out now!" That's how the screening of the new Troma film started. Once we had established that everyone in the theatre was indeed there for a film that most definitely was NOT a PG rated drama with fairy tale elements, we were introduced to the man we had all come to see . . . the legend himself, Lloyd Kaufman. For those few of you out there who may not know who Lloyd is, or why he inspired so many people to come out for an appearance, I'm not even sure how to explain it. Do the words Toxic Avenger mean anything to you? How about Surf Nazis Must Die? If not, do your own damn research . . . what do you think I am, your tutor?


After a few brief words from Lloyd, we were treated to a screening of his most recent masterpiece, Poultrygeist: Night of the Chicken Dead. I had a hard time giving this one a rating, because on one level, it's a horrible movie. It's a trashy piece of low-budget exploitation made by a bunch of childish amateurs. On the other hand, I fucking love trashy low-budget exploitation movies, especially when they're so much fun! If you wander into a Troma film expecting anything other than what it is, you'll probably be sorely disappointed, quite possibly offended. Troma practically invented a genre of film that has come to be known as slapstick gore, and has been cited as an influence by such luminaries as Peter Jackson, Quentin Tarantino, Takashi Miike and Guillermo Del Toro. So who the fuck are you to put it down? Given that I came to this wanting a trashy B-movie filled with bad jokes, blood, titties, entrails, explosive diarrhea, a semi-naked morbidly obese man, titties, a mop-handle dick, chickenhead breasts, titties, a flipping/exploding car, zombies, titties, lesbians, and more titties, I have to say this was one of the most satisfying films of the year!



If you like Troma, you want to see this one. It's actually got a semi-relevant plot . . . attacking the fast food industry and corporate greed. A major fried chicken franchise builds a new store on an old Native American burial ground, hundreds of people show up to protest, weird things start happening, and the next thing you know there are hundreds of chicken zombie people running amok. Oh, and it's partly a musical! In what Kaufman has referred to as a fromage to The Happiness of the Katakuris, there are several interludes where the characters break into song and dance.

The plot is really not what we go to a Troma film for, though. Poultrygeist has some of the best B-movie shock scenes that I've seen in years. The opening scene may have stole it for me . . . picture (if you can) . . . a pervert in a graveyard, sniffing a used pair of men's boxer shorts and masturbating. A Native American corpse hand comes up from the grave, reaches into his ass, deeper and deeper, until it comes out of his mouth, grabs the shorts, and pulls them back down through his body, out of his ass, and back into the grave! Troma regular Joe Fleishaker once again makes an appearance, this time as Jared (and yes, they are referencing THAT Jared). What follows his appearance is one of the best explosive diarhea scenes ever filmed. Did I mention this film was disgusting?

I don't want to give much else away. I'll just say that this is the best film Kaufman has made in years, and in some respects it's the most accomplished film they've ever done. I'm not willing to say it's the best . . . The Toxic Avenger and Tromeo and Juliet are still battling in my heart for that title, but it's damn close. I was damn impressed. And if any film makers are reading this, you should immediately consider grabbing the female lead, Kate Graham, for your next project.

If you get a chance to see this in a theatre, you have to go! There are fewer and fewer independent theaters every year, and fewer still that will take a risk on a film like this. Call your theaters and beg for them to show this, and then get everyone you know to go see it. Troma is what independent cinema is all about - a bunch of folks getting together and making a movie for the sheer love of making a movie. Lloyd financed this one with his wife's retirement fund. The crew and cast all shared a big church as a headquarters/home, sleeping on the floor, eating sandwiches, doing what ever it took to make the movie they wanted to make. It's up to people like us to make sure that indie film, REAL indie film, has a future.

OK, here's the music video trailer . . . be careful if you're at work . . .