I recently watched
Netherbeast Incorporated, which I bought at a Blockbuster sale, mostly because I needed one more movie to get the "5 for $20" special. I was pleasantly surprised. I can't say it's the greatest movie of all time, but it is more entertaining than many of the big budget junk I've been exposed to.
The movie started as a short film that was well received at a film festival (sorry, don't remember which one), and the Ronalds brothers got the financing to expand it and turn it into a feature film. It was all shot on a sound stage in Phoenix, a fact that is only evident in a couple of scenes.
The story involves a group of "vampires" (a term used somewhat loosely for this movie) that formed Berm-Tech Industries shortly after the death of President James Garfield (one of the vampires). In this movie, vampirism is a mutation of the heart that allows very fast healing of any injury (though without any regeneration of severed limbs or healing of any scarring) and longevity (though apparently, some aging does occur). These vampires can be killed by destroying the heart; wooden stakes are optional. To heal from any non-fatal injury, blood is necessary, but it must also be accompanied by human flesh, so these "vampires" are also cannibals. I won't cover the details of the plot in order to avoid spoilers, but it is a pretty good story.
The movie is mostly a comedy, and while I didn't find it to be exactly a gutbuster, it was funny. The cast includes Darrell Hammond of
Saturday Night Live fame, Judd Nelson (who really seemed to me to be going through the motions of acting more than actually putting any effort into his performance; he really disappointed me here), Steve Burns (Steve from
Blue's Clues is a vampire!), Robert Wagner as President Garfield, Jason Mewes (Jay of Jay and Silent Bob), Dave Foley, and Amy Davidson (I wasn't familiar with her, but she puts in a good performance here), among others.
This is definitely a B movie, but it is a worthy low-budget effort, obviously made with love, not just thrown together for a quick buck.
