They Will Outlive Us All

Director - Patrick Shearer (Late Night Local)
Starring - Jessi Gotta (The Big Bad), Nat Cassidy (The Following), and Alyssa Simon (Night Orchid)
Release Date - 2013
Genre - Horror/Comedy
Format - DVD (Personal Collection) (Screener)

Rating (out of 5):

     Roaches get a bad rep.  For some reason people find them terrifying and I, for the life of me, can't figure out why.  They are no more as scary as a grasshopper or shit fly.  However, there are still several horror films released over the year depicting these nasty little fuckers killing.  Over the years we have been given The Nest, They Nest, Bug, Bug Buster, and a segment in the classic anthology film Creepshow.  A few weeks ago I was sent news that my favorite distribution company, Wild Eye, was releasing the killer roach flick They Will Outlive Us All.  I love Wild Eye and most of those films featuring roaches are fun so I reached out to them and they were kind enough to send over a review copy.  Once again, thanks Wild Eye!
     The film follows two roommates who are barricaded in their apartment building due to a series of hurricanes that have hit their city.  Someone recently died in one of the apartments and little is known about their death.  One day the two are fighting over the bathroom forcing the guy to visit the deceased man's apart to take a shit.  While in there, something spooks him and he returns to his apartment.  Before he returns. his roommate leaves the shower because her water has turned cold. She leaves to speak with the building supervisor but he is acting strange and shaking with his back turned to her.  She freaks out and leaves arriving at the apartment the same time as her roommate.  They panic but refuse to leave the building.   Later they are visited by a giant roach.  They battle it for some time but it finds a way down the young lady's throat.  They try their best to get it out which then sets the course for the rest of the film.  They soon decide that staying in the apartment is a bad idea and they need to leave.  They suit up the best they can and head outside where the roaches are waiting.
     Before I got the film I knew nothing about it other than it involved roaches.  As I stated earlier, this excited me somewhat because they are just so fucking harmless and we don't have that many killer roach flicks out there.  When I received the review copy there was a quote on the bottom of the film's artwork (seen above) that caught me off guard.  The film was compared to Cabin Fever and (one of my favorite horror films) Evil Dead II.  I had no idea this film would be a horror comedy or full of camp.  When I tossed it in the humor was rather bland but that was not what the quote was referring to when referencing Cabin Fever and Evil Dead II but I soon learned why that quote made the cover for a reason.  The acting in this film is great.  The cast is small but they all work very well together.  There is a relationship between Jessi Gotta and Nat Cassidy that is unrivaled in other films.  The two play very convincing roommates and everyone that had a roommate they were not fucking will know exactly what I am talking about.  The story for this one is a fine mix between They Nest and any film where people are locked in a confined space fighting for their life just like Cabin Fever and Evil Dead II among several other flicks.  The story is fun and always keeps the viewer wondering where it may go but does have some stale humor that falls flat on deaf ears.  With that being said, the film builds a strong relationship between the two characters and the viewer so we genuinely want to follow them along on this journey that will make your skin crawl.  Finally, the film does not have any real on screen kills for the viewer to enjoy.  The film does not have any gore or blood that one would associate with a monster movie or creature feature either.  We do get some campy big roaches and some special effects make up on our lead but the film is practically void of special effects.  Overall, They Will Outlive Us All is the type of film that pulls me into indie horror.  The film is able to tell a horrifying tale with no budget and sold purely on the talent of the cast.  If you are looking for gore or torture porn then I suggest contacting director Fred Vogel about one of his films.  If you want a film that is fun and full of likable characters then pop this one in.  I highly recommend this one.