Full disclosure – we’ve all had to take a shit that felt like we were giving birth, right? Well, in Bad Milo!, Jacob Vaughan’s 2013 horror comedy, Ken Marino actually gives birth via his ass!
If you were ever a fan of David Cronenberg’s 1979 body shocker The Brood, then you’ll already be familiar with the premise of this unconventional little flick. Marino stars as Duncan, a regular 9-5 working bum, whose daily stresses manifest themselves in the form of a hideous little ass goblin, that embarks on some pretty fucked up murder sprees, before retreating inside Duncan’s presumably cosy colon.
The whole film works as a metaphor for the fears of child birth from the perspective of the man. Duncan and his wife Sarah (Gillian Jacobs) are trying for a child, and it’s ever present on his mind. His inability to give his wife what he wants, all the while concealing little Milo betwixt his butt cheeks, only serves to make matters worse. I’m sure it’s a problem most future fathers have at one time or another.
Bad Milo! is hardly Citizen Kane. The only questions you’ll ask yourself here is just how big is Duncan’s ass hole after all the inning and outing? I’m not saying that this isn’t still one of life’s truly important quandaries, however it isn’t your typical question set for a film that isn’t preceded by XXX. The film is a throwback to a bygone era of horror. It brings to mind movies like Basket Case, Ghoulies, and The Gingerdead Man. It is the horror genres answer to Mac and Me (Crack and me?), which was already pretty horrifying to begin with.
It’s a pretty bonkers premise on paper for sure, but Bad Milo! falls short of living up to the exploitation movies of Troma, which it has a clear affinity with. That being said, unlike a lot of Troma’s back catalog, it never goes so overboard with its humour that it will totally alienate non-genre fans, even when Duncan is sticking a live mouse up his ass to feed his offspring. Is offspring the right word?
It may be fun, it may be original, but Bad Milo! fails to elevate itself above the level of a straight to video effort from the 1990’s, and that’s what truly hurts it. In fact, if this film was a turd, it would be one of those that surprised you when you first saw it, you might even tell a friend about it, but you’ll forget about it shortly after the first flush. It’s still the best film about poop you’re ever likely to watch though, and if it’s not … then you’re into some seriously messed up stuff, man!
