Rabid Grannies | Digital Retribution DVD Review

Rabid Grannies (1988)
By: David Michael Brown on June 24, 2006.

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Stomp Visual (Australia). All Regions, NTSC. 4:3. English 2.0. 89 minutes

The Movie

Cover Art

Credits

Director: Emmanuel Kervyn
Starring:Danielle Daven, Anne Marie Fox
Screenplay: Emmanuel Kervyn
Country: Belgium
AKA: Les Mémés Cannibales

Bizarrely for a film entitled Rabid Grannies there is no mention of the disease rabies but we do get a nice line in extremely ferocious grandmothers hungry for human flesh. It seems to have been a bit of over imaginative publicity from Troma as the film was called Les Mémés Cannibales in Belgium. Picked up by Kaufman and company Rabid Grannies fits into the studios oeuvre of work almost too perfectly.

The film takes place in an old dark house as a dinner party is about to eventuate. Two of the elderly guests are transformed into flesh hungry demons when they open a mysterious package and proceed to chomp their way through the dinner guests. That's really it, guests come and go; some are eaten, some are ripped to pieces, some go insane but all will never be the same again. All thanks to a couple of carnivorous grandmothers.

The film reminds me of the dining table scene from Peter Jackson's Braindead without the style panache and spread over 98 minutes. The acting is terrible, the gore is amateurish and unfortunately trimmed in the main feature and the first half of the film does drag a bit but it somehow remains pretty good fun, definitely falling into the so bad its almost good school of filmmaking.

Video

The print is a bit faded, lacking in vibrant colour and features a fair amount of dirt and speckling.

Audio

Nothing much to report but what do you expect, its cheap and cheerful.

Extra Features

There are quite a few extras on this single disc, all presented in the inimitable Troma style. As always Lloyd Kaufman introduces the film explaining how Troma got involved with The Belgium horror film. A selection of out-takes are put to a rocking piece of cheesy guitar. Rabid Granny Gory scenes shows us what was cut from the film but seems to repeat some of the out-takes. Saying that you do get to see scenes entitled rabid pooch, ladies fingers and full metal priest, again with the awful soundtrack. It's a shame the gory scenes weren't put back into the film.

Producer and effects man Johan Vandewoestijne is interviewed about the making of the film and includes some interesting behind the scenes footage on how they created some of the more horrific scenes. Director Emmanuel Kervyn also provides a running commentary.

What the hell Happened to You features an interview with an original rabid granny that ends with the interview killing her. It's all a bit silly really.

Bizarrely the extras under the banner Tempting Tromabilia include a trailer for Terror Firmer, an interview with Dario Argento on The Standhal Syndrome, Troma comics, Kabukiman takes matters into his own hands PSA and Hotel Room Fraud PSA (both from Troma's Edge TV). Aroma de Troma is a series of clips from Troma's films put to the music of Motorhead.

Finally we get an autobiography of Lloyd Kaufman which is actually a plug for his book All I Need to Know about Filmmaking I Learnt From The Toxic Avenger.

Once again the Troma Intelligence and trailers are conspicuous by their absence.

The Verdict

To be honest if your buying a film called Rabid Grannies presented by Troma you know exactly what you are getting. The film is a bit of low budget silliness and Stomp Visual have put together a nice, if daft, selection of extras.

The Rating