The Nobodies

 



Director - Jay Burleson (Unfinished Business, Feast of the Vampires)
Starring - Lane Hughes (You're Next, Halloween II), Bill Pacer (Jesus H. Zombie, Zombie Outbreak), and Jay Burleson
Release Date - 2017
Genre - Horror/Drama
Tagline - "Life imitates art.  Art imitates trash"
Format - DVD (Personal Collection)

Rating (out of 5):

 

     Every six months I pack my bags, tell my kids my family goodbye and then I drive 6 hours to Ohio where I can finally be myself.  Every April and October horror and cult movie fans gather in Ohio at Cinema Wasteland to talk movies and get properly drunk amongst friends.  It wouldn't be a Wasteland trip if I don't spend a few hours at the Troma table grabbing things I need for my collection.  This last October when I was at the Troma table filmmaker Jay Burleson and actor Bart Hyatt was there with the release of their new movie The Nobodies.  It had just hit DVD through Troma so I went ahead and grabbed a copy.  I intended on reviewing it but time got the best of me.  With April's Wasteland just around the corner I decided now was the perfect time to check it out.  I would also like to note that Bart can suck farts out of a New York City taxi. 

     The film is a hybrid of the 1993 horror film Pumpkin and a documentary around the director Warren Warner and his girlfriend.  The film follows a man who is abducted by an older man and a deranged clown who then remove his arm.  Sometime later another man abducts him to question him because he is on the hunt for the two individuals that took his arm.  Pieced throughout the movie is segments following the filmmaker and his girlfriend.  They are madly in love but when their movie career falls apart after premiering the film in rural Alabama they take their own lives as a final artistic statement to the community that turned their backs on one of their own. 

      The Nobodies is one I had heard about prior to purchasing.  I had received a press release for the DVD several months before but I had never got around to actually grabbing a copy so this was the perfect opportunity to get my hands on it.  I was actually surprised by how much I enjoyed this weird and unique approach to indie cinema.  Rather than let budget to prevent them from telling their story, they simply adapted it in a different manner and thought outside the box.  The acting in this one shows inexperience but the cast is dedicated to their characters.  Burleson is not after perfection but the exact opposite.  He wants memorable characters and their flaws over polished characters that are one dimensional and forgettable.  The story for this one is different when compared to other films like it but the way the story is told does create some confusion as the film progresses.  The movie jumps from the documentary to the film very sporadically which can catch the viewer off guard if he not paying close attention.  With that being said, I really enjoyed what the movie brought to the table.  Finally, if you want blood you will find some with very basic practical effects but this is not a gruesome gorefest that some of you may have expected. Overall, The Nobodies is that strange horror drama that you will want to check out.   This is a film that is perfectly nestled between the works of James Bell and Giuseppe Andrews.  Check this one out.