Fluid Boy

Director(s) - Jason Impey (Psychopaths) and Wade Radford (Necrophiliac: The Lustful Dead)
Starring - Jason Impey, Wade Radford, and Samantha Keller (Z-Listers)
Release Date - 2015
Genre - Horror
Tagline - "Snuff like you've never seen it before"
Format - DVD (Personal Collection) (Screener)

Rating (out of 5):

     The indie horror underground is full of films trying to push the limits of horror.  Most try to take it to the extreme and try to make a realistic snuff film as possible because there is nothing more extreme than witnessing someone die on camera.  Snuff  and snuff films has been the topic for several of my reviews here lately.  I first reviewed the documentary from Wild Eye simply titled Snuff.  I then followed that up with one of the most important underground horror films of  recent years, American Guinea Pig: Bouquet of Guts and Gore.  Not long after that I was able to review the short film Holly from director Jason Toth.  Most know that I am not a fan of AGP but I did respect what it did for indie horror.  I enjoyed Holly so I kept an eye out for the next snuff inspired film to review.  That opportunity presented itself when director Jason Impey posted in a horror group that he released a movie titled Fluid Boy.  I was intrigued so I reached out to Jason about the film and he was kind enough to send a review copy my way.  Thank you Jason for allowing me the opportunity to check out your film!

     The film follows an indie filmmaker who is trying to cast for a female role in his new film.  Accompanying him on this audition is the film's male star who just happens to be a major asshole.  The two set up a series of camera, ranging from VHS to digital, to try and capture the actress from every angle.  The audition begins when the actress arrives late and she is unable to fully trust the filmmaker and actor.  She tries to leave and the actor knocks her out and ties her to a chair to stop her from getting away.  The director does not like this but is too scared to stop him so he continues to run the cameras as the young girl is tortured, humiliated, and then murdered.  
     Snuff films are not really my bag.  I can handle the gore but I need a story to hold my attention.  I need something more than an hour of someone screaming profanities and slapping someone tied to a chair.  Sadly, that is all that these snuff inspired films are.  That is why they have gathered the nickname torture porn.  I was curious to see how Fluid Boy would play out.  Sadly, it went the the route of so many other films like it.  The acting in this one is indie rich. The cast show a lot of heart but lack the experience needed to deliver convincing performances.  The cast is small which works in their favor but it still leaves the scenes feeling dry and bland.  The story for this one is one we have seen so many time before.  In fact, this film feels a lot like American Guinea Pig: Bouquet of Guts and Gore with the implementation of several camera varying in quality.  The film, much like so many of the others, follows a man as he humiliates, tortures, and then kills a young woman while a man records it all on various cameras.  Just like AGP, the film offers up very little substance and would have been more effective if it was a short.  This film will try the viewer's patience considering in clocks in at just over an hour.  On top of that, we get one dimensional characters that have no depth and zero likability.  Finally, the film does have does have some death but it is nothing original or memorable.  I was expecting more blood and carnage considering it was attempting the snuff vibe but it was fairly tame considering.  The practical effects are decent for what they are which did help the gags out.  Overall, Fluid Boy is a valiant indie effort that just fell short.  The story needed a little something more and the film needs the run time cut down. If you are looking for a snuff film with tons of blood then you will be very disappointed.