User reviews

When a troubled daughter turns up to meet the father who never knew she existed, they both witness a bizarre killing and go on the run from the relentless perpetrator.

Zany sci-fi horror that sort of mashes up It Follows with Body Snatchers. The opening scene is excellent and really got me hooked, but what comes after that is patchy entertainment. While the energy and the concept are engaging and the two lead performances good, I think this needed more development at the storyboard stage.

One mark of an undercooked story is that half the dialogue comes in the form of questions, and most of the scenes ramble around before deciding to put in a plot point. That looseness takes the snap out of the humour, and while there is character development it doesn't feel earned.

Still, the characters are likeable, and the switch of direction at the halfway mark allows the story to end on a satisfying note, with a reassuring reflection on how we can adapt to life, no matter how desperate our plight.

The music is light, some ominous stuff to accompany Chompy and the girls, and the camera work and lighting do give some ordinary locations a sense of spooky isolation.

Overall: Heart in the right place, slightly off on the writing.

Something strangely appealing about the cast and oddball premise, but too much reads like an initial promising draft that wasn't pushed anywhere more interesting. However: Christy St. John is marvelous as one of the leads. How is she not a star yet??

As much as I can find interest in broke horror-affiliated flicks that make the best out of their limited means, exploiting their economical poverty to give more boldness to their creative potentialities, Chompy & the Girls fails to raise its ambitions above an average bored-children-targeted show.

Poor special effects are never an issue as long as the plot is solid enough; this one isn't sadly. As enjoyable and delightful its absurdity can be, and beyond the 'wow-what-is-this?!' factor of the first appearance of Chompy, the writer plays it very safe and lazy. In retrospect, it feels like lots of original opportunities have been virtually wasted by a lack of imagination, and the story turns out very basic in the end making Chompy and his quest orphans of what could have been a really crazy tale.

The film obviously tried hard to counterbalance its loony side with the presentation of some human situations... that didn't convinced me more. Here again, the film misses its target: the young female character is too histerical, too superficial to bring about any valuable emotion to the father/daughter relation the writer obviously wanted to become the center of gravity of the plot. If the daugher's character is thin, the father's personality is empty (although I found the actor was good in all his restraint); and physically, really, he bears no resemblance at all to his alleged daugther - what at least could have make the possibility of a family link more tangible (there's still a doubt about the reality of the link however, but its too vaguely expressed to bear any relevance). As for the couple's crisis that abruptly reveals it-self towards the end, it is too very roughly sketched to make any sense at this point of the film.

The grand final is as funny in a good way as it is laughable in a bad way, and the happy-end epilogue drags like the crew didn't give a damn anyhow, what also raises the question of the editing and of the overall - messy - rhythm the film has. Again, like for many horror-tagged movies, what I miss the most here is an atmosphere, the sense of a peculiar mood that would really take you on a ride. Too bad, as its monster-ish character has a strong vintage Joe-Dante appeal and it could have opened to a more exciting experience.

4 stars Low budget, but decent to watch if you just wanna check out something different. Turn off your brain and trip out for a little while. This is something I could see ending up on Syfy channel.

Sorry, any rating higher than a 6 must be done by someone that was in the movie or is judging it based on how low the budget was.

Like something lifted straight out of a nightmare and so surreal I won't be sure in the future if this movie exists or I just dreamed it.

The story kicks off within the first 15 mins with its intriguing inciting incident, which could have unfolded into a clone of something like 'It Follows' or any other generic slasher, but instead goes some place else entirely. The two leads are instantly likeable (one remains so for most of the film, and the other...) and I stayed invested as it twisted in directions I didn't expect, even at the end when the limits of the budget became distractingly apparent.

I appreciate that the director/writer clearly understands the premise alone couldn't sustain the albeit swift 90 min runtime and knows the characters have to be...well, characters. It does drag in spots as Jackson begins droning on in a schtick that wears thin, but it informs her character's place in life and Braband does a decent job establishing basic, understandable traits and desires with simple things like a noose and a pair of cowboy boots. As an avid viewer of low-budget trash, this was a welcome above-average effort for a film of this caliber, which earns it a 7 for me.

It never looks incompetent or cheap (except, again, until the last fifteen minutes), is well shot, edited and paced, and if Braband continues to hone this off-beat style, he has a bright future. I'm looking forward to his next film.

This is a complete mess.

I've read someone talking about a 'good starting point' gone wrong but in my opinion this movie doesn't even got to that point. The only outrageously funny thing is the graphic concept of 'Chompy'. And that's about it. Period.

You are free to spend your time as you like but later you can't absolutely complain you weren't warned in advance...

There is no hiding the fact that this is a low-budget film. The special affects and CGI are passable at best, but mostly obvious. With the exception of Udo Kier's vocal cameo, the cast is pretty much unknown.

It would be easy to write Chompy & The Girls off as just another low budget indie flick, but it really is so much more than that.

The general plot is, admittedly, ridiculous. Bit the way it plays out is brilliant.

We have dark humour which is totally on point. Plot twists that nobody will see coming. Relationship drama that is presented comically, but also very honestly and realistically.

There are moments in this movie that, despite the absurdity of everything else that happens, really hit an emotional nerve; it really doesn't take itself too seriously, but can still pack a punch when it wants to.

Ultimately, this is a film that does wonderful things on a shoestring. Make no mistake: it's an absurd, silly story. Anyone wanting a serious, cerebral horror will be disappointed.

On the other hand, if you're willing to go along with the crazy story and madcap events, you're in for a wild, entertaining ride.

I usually go for movies like this, and enjoy them. This movie, however, was a nightmare. The two leads are not bad at all, their acting is well done. The premise of the story is not that original, or that catchy. I had a hard time identifying with, or feeling bad for, any of the characters in this movie. It got more ridiculous, story-wise, the longer I watched. The ending absolutely ruined it for me. There are too many questions I have, that I would prefer be answered, in a movie for me to enjoy this flick. The ending was absolutely disappointing. Talk about a let down. All this build up, that I had hoped would end in something really cool, ended up just being something that could be fixed in a matter of mere minutes. Old movies, like the New York Ripper, are absolutely ridiculous but super fun movies to watch. A movie like this is just ridiculous without the fun parts. It's not engaging at all. I certainly wish I had watches something else last night. I rarely feel that a movie is a total waste of my time. But this one, sadly, was. I can't recommend it to anyone that likes a good horror/fantasy/sci-fi.

Its a fun little film, the 'gimmick'of the film, chompy is a great idea, then it kind of fizzles a bit, but i had a fun time with it, kind of horror/comedy but quite light on both aspects, acting was great!

Now, I had never actually heard about this 2021 horror comedy titled "Chompy & the Girls" from writer and director Skye Braband prior to stumbling upon it by random chance. And given my lifelong romance with horror movies, of course I opted to give the movie a chance, even without knowing what I was getting myself into here.

Well, the storyline in the movie is definitely not your average run-of-the-mill horror comedy formula. The concept of the movie was a bit strange, and rather slow paced. I have to admit that my interest in the narrative was waning about halfway through, since nothing much had actually happened by then. We see a man with an impossibly large mouth devour a little girl, then it is essentially just following Jackson and Sam around as they run around like headless chickens without much of any purpose. However, points are given for creativity in the writing of the storyline here.

I wasn't familiar with the cast ensemble in the movie, aside from Udo Kier doing the voice of Chompy, but leading actress Christy St. John and leading actor Steve Marvel carried the movie quite well. The acting performances in the movie were definitely quite good and helped keep the movie afloat.

The character gallery in the movie was quite good, and writer Skye Braband certainly fleshed out the characters nicely and made them believable and relatable.

It sort of felt like writer and director Skye Braband didn't really know in what direction to take the movie, so it felt a bit erratic and somewhat all over the place.

"Chompy & the Girls" is a very odd movie, and it is definitely somewhat of an acquired taste. It doubt that this movie will easily find a large liking among the average movie viewer.

Visually, then I will say that they managed to pull off the effects nicely. Sure, it was weird and quite a mouthful to take in - pardon the pun - but it certainly looked good on the screen.

There was definitely potential to the movie, but it needed some refinement and fine tuning in the writing process. While the movie is listed as a comedy, don't expect to be brought to laughs.

My rating of "Chompy & the Girls" lands on a five out of ten stars.

This is definitely low-budget gold.

A crazy little flick that mixes in an assortment of themes (from girl with daddy issues, suicidal depression, drug addiction, paranormal entities, bad driving and "mouth angels") and shows some weaknesses (like the Lotus character, who is a complete bust - just remove it from the final cut, you'd get a better movie), but proves to be an entertainingly weird and original piece.

Watchable. Not a great film by any stretch but the practical effects were really above and beyond what I was expecting.

Christy St John played her role really well, and was a stand out, the dynamic between her and her estranged father was funny and borderline believable.

Well done.

I honestly wish I had never watched it, disjointed ,yelly, horrible acting with no rapport between the actors, horrible, childish script, everything about it stinks don't bother.

Seemed a bit budget at first but could wind up a cult classic. A fantastic must watch for any fan of the horror comedy glory days when Hollywood wasn't afraid to make weird, authentic movies. This should be continued on a larger budget with the same cast!

I thought with the name like Chompy and The Girls it was going to be another waste of time BUT no, it's not! Much to my surprise, it's a fun and interesting movie albeit low budget but that' ok. All the main actors acted quite decently.

Fun movie. Slow start. Stick it out until the action starts. Very creative.

This is a great example of doing a lot with a little. Very Solid overachieving Comedy that's going to be enjoyable for most people. I worked in an independent video store in the 80s before Blockbuster ruined everything. This is the kind of movie that we would have recommended to people who were looking for something different. If you liked movies such as "Safety not Guaranteed", "Little Miss Sunshine" with perhaps a very light dose of "Greasy Strangler" then you should enjoy this too. Again think lower budget. I really enjoyed the two lead actors and think they did a tremendous job selling a pretty outlandish story. Christy St. John could be a star. Nice work to everyone involved. Hey Hollywood ~ Give these people more money to work with!

Delightful quirky story with an It Follows feel. An estranged daughter and father who have only just met for the first time mere minutes ago witness a man open his mouth to gargantuan size and swallow a tween whole. Then he comes for them - running. It's a goofy and great story about figuring this thing out with the help of a wise magician and the wife. It speaks to the possibility that there are ways to handle things that don't involve fighting or running.

A strange and fun low budget effort with a funny script and some solid performances from the two leads is really let down by a terrible ending.

Cool concept, would've been better had some effort been put into costumes, set design, characters, dialogue, editing, cinematography.

The problem with these low budget films is everything is so clean. Grungy addict girl looks like her clothes are fresh out of the box from Amazon. She drives a nice, clean new model Toyota. Drug dealer lives an apartment with clean, empty white walls, clean floors, clean kitchen. Nice, clean, beige backsplash. Crazy drug party full of nice clean people. There are printed pictures of Jesus on the walls, like how kitschy, cause it's a "chapel" party. But, like, does the drug dealer have a laser printer? Did he spend the afternoon printing and cutting out pictures to tape to the wall?

None of it convinces of reality. It feels like a cheap simulacrum, a place holder for what could be reality. I know that's what a film is, but the filmmakers fail to bring me into this world.

The dialogue also, is just so clean and rehearsed and flat. The comedy is pedestrian. The characters are pretty boring. The motivations are less than clear, affecting the plot pacing. Much of it feels like filler, like going through the rote paces of what the filmmaker imagined was necessary, but isn't and generally goes nowhere.

Biggest thing would be the cinematography. The lighting is bright and flat and boring, like a commercial for a local window installer.

But also, just some fun angles or snappy editing would've helped. Something to show that attention was being paid to the craft of filmmaking.

At one point a minor character makes reference, comedically, to her shirt being set on fire, and so she's wearing a trash bag for a shirt - but we don't even see the trash bag. The drug dealer's house is adorned with googly eyes on the furniture. But not enough to really call attention to it if you aren't looking. It's like they bought one bag of googly eyes and used them as judiciously as possible, To no effect.

The two mains were good. I think they did the best with what they had, but it wasn't enough to redeem. There were little moments of truth. If you listen to the diner scene, without actually watching it, it works. But watching it, again, it just feels blah.

Any scene involving the mains speaking earnestly falls flat due to the shortcomings described. It just sucks to watch.

I just wish this movie was better. Every filmmaker should get credit for trying, but, come on. As someone who WISHES they could make film, this project feels like a big waste of possibilities.

LOVED this movie. Actually felt for the characters in this film. Interesting and original premise and kept us riveted the whole time. Some really funny parts.

This does seem to be a low budget film, some of the acting is a little off but it was still a super enjoyable, strange film.

Would highly recommend if you have a dark sense of humour and are looking for something very different!

Some people say that all the best stories have been told. Others point out that there are only really a handful of stories to tel and that it's all about doing them differently enough to pass as something even vaguely original. I watch a lot of (bad, straight to streaming service) horror films. They're just a monster stalking your average bunch of teen until they're picked off one by one. Most are bad, some are okay, but none really stick with me on account that they really aren't anything new that will actually stand out.

I'm not saying that - the weirdly-titled - 'Chompy and the Girls' is an amazing film which will stay with you until you die, changing your life for the better. But it certainly is different. And, in this case that was good enough for me.

The premise is that a teenage girl is meeting her long lost father for the first time in the park when they notice a strange man with a jaw which can dislocate, expand then seemingly swallow an innocent little girl whole. Naturally, seeing this only a few meters away freaks them out and they do what most of us would do in their predicament - run.

The only problem is, 'Chompy' (as they christen him) starts to follow them round with his mouth open, as if he's selected his next two meals.

Yes, this film probably sounds a bit wacky and 'out there.' It is. You have to let your brain accept some pretty crazy premises to get anything out of this. But hopefully the characters should keep you invested. They're hardly a particularly brave and noble bunch, but, starting out like this, it does give them a long way to go in terms of growth as the movie progresses.

I'm not sure I'd call this an outright 'horror' movie. Sure, it has some horror elements, but more creepy scenes and a lot of black comedy and banter between the main characters. It's not perfect. The main character can be a little annoying with her brat-like behaviour, but she learns a lot on the way. Otherwise, if you're in the mood for something a little different from your typical Hollywood output then this is actually quite fun.

I thoroughly enjoyed this movie! VERY creative premise, and I was completely engaged in it the whole time. Even though it was low budget, the great casting, the weird twists and turns, the humor, and great character development made the lack of budget a moot point.

All of the main actors were very believable, and really sucked me into the story. The lead actress was fabulous - I hope she gets many more roles after this. I highly recommend this movie! Also, ignore all the 1 star reviews....those people clearly have no taste, no sense of humor, and probably rush in droves to go see the next BIG action movie when it hits the theaters.