The Thingy: Confessions of a Teenage Placenta

Director(s) - Joel Rabijns (Balloon-Men, Perverse Conclave) and Yves Sondermeirer (Blue Dead Fish, Marianne)
Starring - Pascal Maetens (Remise, Paradise Trips), Karel Vingerhoets (Coppers, Come as You Are), and Celine Verbeeck (Nachtwacht, The Last Summer)
Release Date - 2013
Genre - Horror/Comedy
Tagline - "The miracle of life"
Format - Bluray (Personal Collection) (Screener)

Rating (out of 5):

     Troma has released some crazy films over the years with films like Surf Nazis Must Die, Tales from the Crapper, and Killer Condom.  Troma's titles are known to push boundaries and shock viewers into watching their releases.  For the most part it works.  They are no stranger to controversy and the weirder the movie the quicker they are to release it.  Sometime ago Troma announced that they had acquired right to release the German horror comedy The Thingy: Confessions of a Teenage Placenta.  I knew I had to see this one.  A fuckin living and breathing placenta that I'm sure kills people?  Who wouldn't want to see that?  I reached out and was able to secure a review copy and I'm glad I did.
     The film follows the living placenta Luke who lives with his single mother.  His mother was once a competitive bodybuilder specializing in the gains of just one arm instead of both.  She took time off the competition circuit to raise her son but as he enters high school and needs a mother figure she decides to start training once again neglecting him.  He befriends one of the school bullies but that doesn't stop him from facing daily beat downs.  Luke has finally had enough when a girl he takes on a date turns on him and tries to eat him.  He gets a gun, kills his mother, and sets his sights on the infant wing of the local hospital.
     The Thingy was not what I was expecting.  I thought this flick was going to be a balls out bloodbath with a killer placenta in a weird Troma inspired coming of age horror flick.  Instead, the film is an odd drama that takes a bloody turn.  The acting in this one is weird but in a fun way.  The characters are very odd and flamboyant.  They remind me of the characters you can find in an early John Waters film but not as well written.  The cast makes the film fun without delivering traditional performances.  The story for this one is not what I was thinking when I initially heard of the film.  The film actually plays out like a very unconventional drama with unrealistic characters before the last segment takes control and drives the movie like a bus on fire straight into horror.  The film does a great job at tossing outlandish scenarios and characters at the viewer to hold their attention.  Finally, the film isn't really that bloody.  We get some practical effects like the mother's bodybuilding arm and the placenta puppet but not as much bloodshed as I was expecting.  Overall, The Thingy: Confessions of a Teenage Placenta is a must for any fan of odd cinema and Troma fans alike.  You will not be disappointed.