Cooties - DVD

Horror comedies can be hit or miss. Some fall prey to forced slapstick trying too hard comedy, while others can sometimes choose to become strict horror halfway through. It is a tough line to walk because of the unique nature of the genre. I believe this film certainly hits in almost all the right places. Much like the so often lauded Shaun of the Dead or the somewhat more recent Tucker & Dale vs. Evil, the success of a horror comedy depends on creating characters that are interesting/funny on their own. In this case, our main character Clint (Elijah Wood) is sort of the straight man for the other characters exaggerated personalities. In my opinion, Leigh Whannel's performance as a truly eccentric teacher stole the show and had me laughing at his every scene. The horror elements are there - though I will admit the effects in a few places could have been a bit better or at least better executed. Infected (read: zombified) children are running amok with devious delight and there are some well done sequences of chase and attack. We don't entirely learn what is happening all that clearly but the origin of the infection reminds this viewer of the absurd Troma classic Poultrygeist. If I had a complaint about the film, it would be that the ending left me wanting more. It felt rather abrupt when the credits started rolling as I felt there was another 10 minutes to go in this story. It wasn't a bad ending necessarily or a cheap ending but just didn't provide the kind of closure one would want - which can be the dark every dies variety or the infection is cured happy ending - but I understand they didn't want to necessarily have such resolution. Regardless, this is a fun film made better by watching it with a group. The humor is subtle in many cases which I appreciate because they didn't go for the broad stuff the whole time. The plot moves along quickly and there is little downtime between horror and funny exchanges. I am saddened that this film didn't get more exposure or good reviews upon release because it is obvious that all involved put their hearts in it and had fun making it. I hope that will not stop them (SpectreVision) from making more quality films in the future.

Ordered dvd. Product arrived super fast in perfect shape!! Thank you so much!! I love this movie!! Such a great, fun, ride!!!

Good

A better than average horror-comedy about zombie kids. Campy fun.

What to say about Cooties? It's probably one of the most funniest horror comedies i ever seen. The movie somewhat appalled me at first because of certain scenes at the beginning where children are cussing towards adults which i find extremely disrespectful but i still think the movie is very creative for it's concept of zombified kids being bad guys and teachers being good guys. At times,the film can be really meta for referencing every movie imaginable and it can be gross at times with the beginning almost made me lose my appetite for chicken nuggets. With all that said, Cooties is still a unique take on the zombie genre.

This is freakin' hilarious! If you're squeamish about kids biting into other kids, don't watch it. This is about an epidemic that starts & spreads in a school & several of the teachers are trapped inside trying to figure out what to do to get out or call for help for someone to save them. The kids are quite vicious. If you're a teacher, with the right frame of mind (ok with horror movies & kids being the monsters), this might be especially hilarious. Have already watched it twice, once w/my hubby & once w/a friend. Both thought it was funny & gross/gory. Have recommended it to another friend that is a teacher.

Did you like Shaun of the Dead or Tucker and Dale vs. Evil? This movie is right along the lines of both of those. Hilarious one liners and some over the top schlock gore makes for a fun watch and all because of some tainted chicken nuggets. Rainn Wilson and Elijah Wood lead the cast with great supporting cast to boot.

I can see why people like this film. While it started off seemingly bad (see my first con), it got good. I'd sum it up as a fresh take on zombies that tried to overdo the tropes and choked on some of them. Pros: >Awesome child zombies. They're smart, macabre, and just plain twisted. >Very good setup for the endgame deus ex machina that actually makes it smarter instead of cheesier. I honestly didn't see it coming, then suddenly realized how I should've seconds after it started. Cons: >When first introduced, I disliked Elijah Wood's character more than the P.E. coach. Ouch. Luckily, he pulled himself together into something resembling likable by the end; I'll blame the writer (oh wow that pun was not intended but works so well that I have to leave it). >Morgan Lily's character isn't seen, at all, till nearly 40 minutes in. As she plays a random student survivor, this is ridiculous; she should've been seen in the background or something if not introduced earlier. Also, no pubescent girl would do the "circle circle dot dot" as anything other than a joke unless she was hysterical; besides, she wasn't even around when the infection was referred to as "cooties" anyways. They had plenty of opportunity to make her hysterical, but they didn't do so; in fact, they made her so level-headed I was shocked they didn't arm her during their (lampshaded) suit-up montage. >The diabetic kid. What? Where did that come from? If that kid being diabetic was supposed to be a plot point, it should've been mentioned before the outbreak, like in the teacher's lounge. It wasn't; it just came out of left field and Allison Pill's character knew about it, magically. Whatever... >The janitor's late appearance was barely saved by the fact that he was the janitor, making his late appearance an understandable trope, albeit mixing him with the stereotypical asian didn't help in my opinion.