Jimmy and the Stages Review – Silly, Skull-Psychedelic Alien Invasion Threads | film

TIt’s a DayGlo, heavy metal horror film that clearly hopes to induce nausea in viewers with its abundant cut-up scenes and copious use of shaky first-person shots. But considering that the gushing “blood” is mostly bright orange and belongs to unusually fake-looking alien creatures, the effect is neither gross nor even interesting at all; It’s just boring and headache-inducing. Just as you should bring tissues to see Hamnet, viewers are advised to bring painkillers to this setting, and perhaps a good book to read during the boring interstitials.

Created over several years in a single apartment, Jimmy and Stiggs is the brainchild of star writer, director and producer Joe Bigos, who made the Christmas movie Bloody Christmas a few years ago and who plays the character Jimmy here. Having made a bunch of horror films with his lifelong friend Stigs (Matt Mercer) — we see fantasy trailers for them at the beginning, which is certainly the high point from which it all descends — Jimmy’s career is clearly in the doldrums and he spends his time drunk and high in his dingy shack, which has a chilly jellyfish tank and appears lit exclusively with black lights, like the dream fossils of a 14-year-old metalhead.

Then the aliens invade and Jimmy must fight back, although he’s not sure if they haven’t implanted him with mind control devices, as such creatures do. Fortunately, alcohol is toxic to them and that’s the only thing Jimmy has a large supply of. Stiggs is persuaded to come and help but is reluctant to prove that he is not an alien by drinking whiskey, since he has been sober for six months. It’s hard not to wonder if Bigos and his co-stars had a bad experience with AA or rehab, and this is all some sort of revenge metaphor, but in all honesty, if so, it’s a pretty stupid takedown.

● Jimmy and Stiggs is available on digital platforms from February 16.