Stacy
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Movie Reviews of Stacy
Movie Review: That crazy J-Horror!!
Summary: 4 Stars
On the surface, Stacy is low-budget schlock, a film that is decidedly amateurish in many aspects. Shot on digital video on a very tight budget it has nevertheless many charms, it's a film where you can tell that the filmmakers had lots of talent and lots of really cool ideas. But oh, that budget...If you can get past the cheapness of it all, devouted fans of Asian horror will love this apocalyptic zombie tale that pays homage to past classic films of the undead. In the beginning of the 21st century girls aged 15-17 began to die and spring back to life as zombies. People coined the term "Stacy" for them. Stacies are obviously very dangerous and must be killed but one has to abide by the "Stacies law" which says that only boyfriends and family members can kill a Stacy. If Stacies go astray and can't be killed by the ones they love then the job belongs to the Romero Repeat Kill troup, who use chainsaws called the "Bruce Campbell right hand #2" to kill the stacies. To properly kill a Stacy, it must be decapitated into 165 pieces.
One thing I particularly enjoyed was the explanations behind the Stacy phenomenon. The film goes into substantial length to describe the cause and aftereffects through a narrator, various news reports and scientific explanations from a doctor who studies the Stacies. I must say I prefer this approach (as used in the classic vamp novel "I am legend") compared to Zombie films that just throw you into a decayed world without bothering to explain how it got to be that way in the first place. As for the gore, people who choose to view the film simply for this reason will certainly not be disappointed, we're talking no-holds barred mondo splatter here. Again, the budget kind of hinders the quality of the gore in the first place but nevertheless there's something very disturbing about watching cute little Japanese girls in school outfits getting hacked to 165 bloody pieces with a chainsaw.
Stacy is quirky, funny and very bizarre. It contains a number of inventive concepts that a highly seasoned zombie film watcher as myself had never seen before. But when all is said and done, in the end "Stacy" is not about zombies, or gore, or even horror. It's a story about love. I know that might be hard to believe but the centerpiece of the story is about a guy and his girlfriend who is about to turn into a Stacy and the emotional pain that this realization does to both of them. The story is filled with heartfelt human tragedy and philosophies about love that are genuinely touching, although not everyone is going to understand this; Stacy is the epitomy of quirky, offbeat Japanese humour that novice viewers of Asian films might have troubling appreciating but I loved it.
Movie Review: Thank you. Forgive me. I love you
Summary: 4 Stars
There is a whole lotta love in "Stacy." It oozes from every open wound, gushes with every decapitated head, and every chainsaw bite is a kiss. You just know that all the people involved in making this B-Grade schoolgirl zombie flick, from the special effects gang to the director to the screaming ravenous schoolgirls, are fans first and film professionals second, if at all. After all, with "Romero Repeat Kill Squads" running around armed with "Bruce Campbell's Right Hand #2" chainsaws, it is pretty easy to see the influences.
Unfortunately, while a film made by a bunch of fans has its charms, the quality isn't really up to snuff in most areas. Chainsaws rip through puppets with all the realism of an episode of "South Park." It looks to have been shot on digital video rather than film, which doesn't help the amateur look. The acting, with a few exceptions such as the lovely Natsuki Kato as Eiko, is pretty much what you would expect.
If you can forgive all that, however, "Stacy" is a surprisingly charming and incredibly quirky love story mixed into a messy zombie flick. Much like Miike Takeshi's "Happiness of the Katakuris," which is also a zombie film, director Naoyuki Tomomatsu combined innocence and sweetness with splatter-horror in a winsome combination. There is a perverse sensibility in the story of all girls dying by age 17, after which they are reanimated as flesh-eating monsters. Like Peter Pan, these girls never have to age, never have to grow up. Of course, they are chainsawed into 165 pieces rather than fly around Neverland. But like all such stories, in the end, love conquers all.
This is definitely not a film for hard-core zombie buffs, who are looking for some cruel carnage or nudity (of which there is none.) However, anyone who can appreciate something with this much love in it, both in the making and the story, will come away with a whole unexpected and sweet ending.
Movie Review: Decent zombie flick with some confusing parts 3.5 stars.
Summary: 4 Stars
Naoyuki Tomomatsu's "Stacy" 2001 is messy and confusing, but highly entertaining and amusing humorous gore flick. I think it combines different elements from other horror films like Day of The Dead and The Evil Dead series. The plot is sadly lacking, although there are some fun moments to be had, particularly with the 3-girl anti-Romero repeat kill squad and there were a couple of nice gore scenes. However if you're gonna get yourself a decent Japanese zombie/gore flick, then do yourself a favor and buy Versus or Junk instead, this one was slightly confusing and I guess like the reviewer below you have to know more about Japanese culture to fully understand what was going on. The film's basic premise is that girls between the ages of 15 and 17 begin dropping dead, only to arise as flesh hungry zombies known as "stacies". There is no explanation or mythology behind this unusual turn of events, although I assume it is simply an excuse to fill the screen with perky Japanese girls in school uniforms. In order to eradicate the "stacies", death squads called Romeros roam the streets. Some of the funniest moments come from TV advertisements for the death squads, my favorites include the "Join the Squad and kill your own daughter!" advertisement and the Bruce Campbell chainsaw infomercial with the crazy bunny woman. The film had a moral but I'm not sure what it was and the ending was confusing, but it was still an enjoyable Japanese/horror comedy film, and I did laugh a couple of times but it could have been better and less confusing.
Movie Review: A review from Zombiefans!
Summary: 4 Stars
What a bizarre movie! While it has a lot of the "zombie movie" mainstays, it's oddly unique.
1) ACTING--while the acting wasn't incredible, it was passable. A few of the performances seemed forced, but the leads were okay.
2) ZOMBIES--the zombies are the typical "romero shamblers." The make up for the zombies was minimal, possible so the viewer could still see that "schoolgirls" were killing and eating people.
3) SPECIAL EFFECTS--WOW! The majority of the budget must have been spent of the blood and gore in this movie! The blood flows free in this one, and the gore is wonderfully over the top!
4) HOMAGES--the people behind this movie obviously love zombie movies and people like George Romero and Bruce Campbell. There are so many references to them in this movie, it almost becomes a game to try and figure out where some of the references are from!
Overall, not a bad movie. It's a fun little romp into zombieland, albeit a little strange and confusing.
3.5 out of 5
Movie Review: original but sometime irritating
Summary: 4 Stars
For some strange and unexplained reason all girls aged 15 to 17 die. In Japan this tragic event happens during schooltime, so when the girls come back to life as cute-looking but flesh-hungry zombies, they go around in those (to me) sexy uniforms killing and eating people. Since this is a situation most people under 15 and above 17 are not satisfied, the government has founded a special section to deal with the problem. HOT ASIAN ZOMBIE CHICKS! I liked this movie. Although the only problem I had with this film is there is too much lovey dovey rubbish and can get irritating. But what do you expect, it's a Japanese film. The story is desent, the gore is nice, and the chicks in this movie are all hella fine. Get this if you can find it. (lots of zombies)
most entertaining part: | the gory stuff! |