I was one of 142 backers on Kickstarter that helped Dave Jackson and Andrew Gallagher raise $14,500 to make their debut feature film Cat Sick Blues. Every cent of that money is visible on screen.
It's a confident first film. It is well shot and sometimes very creative, experimenting with black-and-white, slow motion, reversed footage, etc. The acting is better than any other low-budget horror film that I have seen in a long time – Matthew Vaughn is very creepy as the 'Catman', and Shian Denovan is solid as the other lead. It should also be mentioned that the music is diverse and incredibly effective. Really, there's was a lot to love about this film.
Admittedly, some of the dialogue felt a little clumsy, and it jumped around a lot tonally. These were just minor quibbles though.
The special effects were really impressive. It's a pretty violent, gory film – lots of severed heads and big barbed cat dildos. This lead to a lot of memorable images – A black-and-white scene featuring a trunk and bizarre catman will stay with me for a while, as well as the excellent hostel massacre.
I also wanted to mention the ending. The plot takes an unnecessary detour in the last 15 minutes, stumbling after a strong run. The idea itself is sound and could have been effective if shortened, but is too overlong to feel worthwhile. Despite this, in its final minutes the film is able to recover and ends on a sad, satisfying note.
I really hope they are able to find a distribution deal for this little gem. If you are able to see it at some point in the future at a festival or after its eventual release, I highly recommend that you do so. You won't regret it. Hell, even if you do regret it, I'm sure you'd agree that Jackson and Gallagher are filmmakers that will be worth keeping an eye on.
