By Geno McGahee
There is something special about micro-budget films. When a filmmaker makes a film with no money, they are producing with heart and it usually shows. This is certainly the case with the 1997 slasher “FEEDING BILLY.” Written and directed by Dwen Doggett, FEEDING BILLY is obviously inspired by FRIDAY THE 13TH, but it’s not a rip off. The story is interesting and even though the production level is low, the ambition is high.
Buck (Russ Myers) wanted a child more than anything but his wife didn’t make it through the birth. At her funeral, he sits and watches on as the crowd mourns. He sees her sit up in the casket and she reprimands him for what caused her death. He goes home and yells at the child that everyone thinks died. He raises the deformed baby and keeps him locked away, but when Buck dies, Billy is loose and looking to kill.
Buck’s nephew, Dave (Jason Patzner), invites his friends to the trailer on the lake that his uncle left him. His cousins Rachel (Barbra Belt) and Mikey (Brian Baker), along with his girlfriend, Jennifer (Jennifer Maranzino) and friends Tommy (Jonathan Lourenco), Stacy (Pam Muellerleile), Ray (Jeff Sisson) and Donna (Leslie Emerson), are all taken for the trip. They arrive and discover that there is no electricity or running water, but they are going to make the most of it. They build a campfire and begin having a good time, but there is some bad things going on.
Stacy has no interest in Ray, the guy that is hoping to score with her. She plans to steal Dave away from Jennifer and has the right weapon to do so. She notes that her boobs are going to be the key to win over the man she wants. Despite the tension, Stacy and Jennifer go for a walk in the woods to get some water from the well and see if they can find Tommy who went for a walk earlier and didn’t return. During the walk, Stacy asks if her relationship with Dave is open and that starts an argument. Stacy storms off and Jennifer continues to the well. When she pulls up the bucket, it has Tommy’s head in it. She freaks and runs away, accidentally stabbing Stacy and killing her in the process. She runs to the trailer and things go from bad to worse.
Billy (Ted Davis), a huge, mutated monster is one the loose with blade in hand and looking to murder. The group finds the diary of Buck and starts reading it aloud. I didn’t picture Buck as a diary sort of guy, but I guess under the circumstances, it makes sense. He documents his troubles with Billy as a child and how he came to be. His meeting with Dr. Necrola (Larry Poague) was in the woods and had the promise that the couple would be able to have a child. In reality, Necrola is the head of a satanic cult and plans to raise Lucifer through the birth of Billy. I liked the inclusion of a Satanic cult. There were some rather good visuals during the scenes in the church.
The bloodbath continues and we get some supernatural elements, leading to the conclusion of this decent micro-budget slasher. FEEDING BILLY is a fun horror film, if you have an understanding and love for the micro-budget films. This movie was made on heart and a love of the genre and it did a lot with a little. The locations were good and some of the visuals were quite neat. The acting was all over the place. Most of it was wretched, but some of it was good. Pam Muellerleile was believable and funny and Larry Poague did a great job. This is what you get with a film like this. You’re not getting the best of actors, but it’s one of those things that you have to look beyond or accept as you watch a movie like this.
I recommend FEEDING BILLY. It is definitely worth a watch.
Rating: 6.5/10