Model Hunger opens with a group of high school
cheerleaders being told they have to raise money for their squad. Two of the
girls then go door-to-door, trying to sell sweatshirts and other items. An
older man (played by Michael Thurber) seems confused about what they want, but
after they leave he smiles. What a great way to deal with door-to-door solicitors!
I must remember that. This film has several nice touches like that. At the next
house the girls visit, they are invited inside by an older woman named Ginny
(Lynn Lowry), who seems sweet and kind, and tells them her favorite television
program is about to come on.
Interestingly, the movie shifts to Ginny’s perspective.
Up until this point, we’ve been with the cheerleaders, specifically with the
one named Missy (Lisa Dee), who had been chastised by the head of the
cheerleader squad. But now, as the girls are blabbing on about the items
they’re trying to sell, we are treated to Ginny’s thoughts and observations in
voice over: “Look at those legs… the thighs have some meat to them. Probably
tasty with a little bit of garlic and onion seasoning.” And it’s not long
before things turn serious for these silly teenagers. There is a close-up of
one of them tied up and gagged (with a ball gag, no less – Ginny is kinky!),
and we hear the nearby sounds of eating. Very nice. What’s great is that when
it’s this girl’s turn, the movie doesn’t show exactly what Ginny is doing to
her. The film doesn’t need to. We see the girl screaming, and Ginny teases her,
“Oh, darling, I bet you can’t even feel this.” She takes such delight in
it. It’s so beautifully twisted. As I mentioned, Lynn Lowry is delightful. What
I love is that we get close-ups of both Missy and Ginny, and it’s left largely
to our imaginations precisely what Ginny is doing, which is so much creepier.
Meanwhile, Sal (Carmine Capobianco) and Debbie (Tiffany
Shepis), a married couple, arrive in the neighborhood fresh from New York City.
Debbie is not at all happy about the move. It’s hinted that she has
psychological problems, which seem to be the reason for the couple’s move to
the suburbs. Debbie becomes obsessed with that television program, Suzi’s
Secret. And in fact, that show begins to feel pervasive, to the point where
you might wonder if the program is somehow in the characters’ heads, for it
always seems to be on. Debbie also becomes suspicious of her neighbor, and has
trouble convincing Sal that anything is wrong because of her own issues. Both
Carmine and Tiffany do great jobs at making this believable, and picking the
right moments to show affection and concern for each other.
Through some flashbacks and voice over, the movie
provides information on Ginny’s past, including a magazine that she used to
pose for. The magazine, by the way, it called Model Hunger. Ginny has
some great lines. After picking up a hitchhiker, she says (in voice over), “I
bet if I sliced you open right now, nothing would ooze out of your head but
naïve notions of beauty and innocence.” Some of the lines had me laughing
out loud (“great southern twat”). But perhaps my favorite line is: “So,
you see, you weren’t fat, darling, and you weren’t ugly. You were just stupid.”
Lynn’s delivery is wonderful. And, holy moly, she looks totally hot in a later
scene with a mechanic named Colin (played by Brian Fortune).
Model Hunger was directed by Debbie Rochon, who is
herself known for acting in horror films. Model Hunger is her
directorial debut. I should also point out that the film’s score was composed
by Harry Manfredini. Yes, the man responsible for the music for the Friday
The 13th film series.
Special Features
The DVD contains several special features, including a
commentary track by director Debbie Rochon, with actor David Marancik piping in
occasionally. Debbie talks about wanting each character to have a secret side.
Interestingly, she talks about a gore gag not working at the beginning, and so
not being able to show it. Those are the shots I loved because the camera
remained largely on the character’s faces. So I am glad the gag didn’t work.
Lair Of Voltaire features cast member Aurelio
Voltaire answering several questions. He talks about becoming part of the cast,
about his character’s name and costume, and about improvising. He also plugs
his website. This feature is approximately twenty-two minutes. Nasty Nibblin
is a short scene with Babette Bombshell eating hot dogs in a sexual manner. It
is approximately two and a half minutes.
There are a couple of deleted scenes, both involving
door-to-door salespeople. The first features director Debbie Rochon peddling a
book. We see four takes of this scene. The second features Lloyd Kaufman, and
we get three takes of this scene. The special features also include a music
video and the movie’s trailer.
Model Hunger was released on DVD on July 12, 2016
through Wild Eye Releasing.
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