Gouge Away

Director - Jeff Frumess (Am I Demon?, Owen is a Dracula)

Starring - Matthew Ritacco (Beyond the Green Hole, It's Always Something), Jack Wheeler (They're Made Out of Meat, Gotta Get Mine), and Candy Fox (Lucifer's Bride 3: Born Again Lucifer, Lucifer's Bride 4: Vegas Vixen)

Release Date - 2022

Genre - Crime/Comedy/Thriller

Format - Streaming (Online Screener)

Rating (out of 5):

I get requests to review a lot of strange and weird films that may not fit in the conventional horror bubble. A great deal of the films sent my way for review that are not horror are often sci-fi flicks. I get the occasional exploitation film but if it’s not horror I can always bet on it being a strange sub-genre of sci-fi. Every so often I get a movie in that’s a little different. I’ve had a few romantic comedies, dramas, and even a crime flick here or there. A few weeks ago director Jeff Frumess reached out for me to review his organized crime centered flick. The film, Gouge Away, caught my eye with the artwork so I agreed to check it out. I knew it wouldn’t be a traditional horror flick but I still chose to include it in my October horror binge as I prepare for Halloween. I want to thank Jeff for sending this one over to check out. 

      The film follows Tony the Stamper who discovers that his close friend and mentor is missing. He pulls his contacts from his former enforcing days and learns that his friend experimented with drugs and his disappearance may coincide with a new drug flooding the streets and a new crime syndicate taking over. 

      I had no idea what Gouge Away was about when I agreed to review it. I knew it wasn’t a horror flick that I was expecting but it was a fun and enjoyable film that reminded me a lot of Nobody by way of Troma. I had a lot more fun with this one that I was expecting and I feel like many other cult cinema fans will feel the same way. The acting in this one is very impressive. I liked the characters, the humor that was written into them and how comfortable the cast was in portraying them. They worked so well together, the scenes were fun, and I liked how natural it was for so many of them to fit into their roles. The story for this one is somewhat generic in regards to organized crime flicks but it’s the addition of wild named characters, weird situations, and colorful performances that makes it stand out from the Goodfellas clones that were common during the video store age. It has that Troma humor that sometimes finds it marks and other times it falls flat. I found myself glued to the screen watching the story progress. It is dialogue heavy but the dialogue is well written. It doesn’t feel bogged down with clunky dialogue and dismal interactions. Finally, the film has some light make up effects but it’s not a bloody flick like I was expecting. The film is very character driven and doesn’t rely on the violence to move the film along. Overall, Gouge Away may catch some heat from horror hipsters expecting a blood bath but if you are fans of films with unique characters and a decent story then you will enjoy this one. Check it out.