Troma fans never know if the film they’re diving into is good-bad or bad-bad. This is more of an issue when watching a movie the company recently distributed instead of producing, but it’s always something to be aware of. Aside from Shakespeare’s Sh*tstorm (2020), I haven’t connected with much they’ve released over the last few years. I was pleasantly surprised by Eating Miss Campbell (2022), the sophomore feature from writer/director Liam Regan. It’s a low-budget horror/comedy filled with the gore and offensive humor you’d expect from a Troma feature.
Beth (Lyndsey Craine), a vegan high schooler at Henenlotter, finds her world turned upside down when she falls for her enigmatic new English teacher, Miss Campbell (Lala Barlow). But this infatuation awakens something far darker within her, a previously dormant craving for human flesh.
As Beth grapples with her horrifying new desires, she sets her sights on the school’s annual contest, the “All You Can Eat Massacre,” as a way to eliminate the girls who torment her. Beneath her quiet exterior, Beth’s hunger and vengeance simmer, threatening to consume everything in her path.
This is one of those films that was proudly influenced by ’80s and ’90s teen films like Mean Girls or Clueless. I’ve been a Troma fan for more than half my life, and with no disrespect to other films from the company, I was surprised to see just how well done it was. It’s a low-budget film, but it didn’t look cheap. The budget was spent well, and it went a long way.
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The humor is meta and self-referential, with jokes about teenagers being played by adults, etc. Not all the humor lands, but I laughed out loud a few times. The cast is pretty solid, with Lyndsey Craine being a real stand-out. I had previously enjoyed her work in Book of Monsters (2018).
It’s a Troma film, so expect offensive humor and cheap gore. Director Regan is an obvious Troma fan, and you’ll be able to pick the references pretty easily. Even Troma co-founder and creator of the Toxic Avenger, Lloyd Kaufman, makes an appearance. When no one is home, I enjoy watching this type of film, and I had a blast with it.
Troma always loads on the bonus features, even putting the same ones on basically all of their discs, and this is no exception. You can find an audio commentary, a making-of documentary, deleted scenes, outtakes, gore-real, cast interviews, the FrightFest Premiere, an hour of raw behind-the-scenes footage, a VFX reel, an introduction from Lloyd Kaufman, trailers, and much more.
Eating Miss Campbell will not be for everyone, but if your sense of humor balances that border of bad taste, then be sure to take this trip to Tromaville and have a taste.
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