‘Schools out …and so are the zombies.’
Boy Eats Girl is a 2005 Irish-British horror-comedy film directed by Stephen Bradley from a screenplay by Derek Landy (Dead Bodies). The plot tells of a teenage boy who comes back to life as a zombie. The gory special effects were provided by Bob Keen (Hellraiser III; Event Horizon; Waxwork).
Main cast:
Samantha Mumba, David Leon, Tadhg Murphy, Laurence Kinlan, Sara James, Mark Huberman, Sarah Burke.
Plot:
While renovating a church, Grace finds a hidden crypt. Investigating, she discovers a voodoo book, however she is soon sent away by angry Father Cornelius.
Grace’s son, Nathan attends the local high school. Nathan fancies his long-time friend Jessica however is too scared to ask her out. Nevertheless, they arrange a rendezvous. Meanwhile, Jessica’s over-protective father forbids her to leave, but she eventually sneaks out.
Nathan becomes impatient due to Jessica’s lateness and, morose, leaves before she arrives. At home, he gets drunk and contemplates hanging himself in his room. Just as he dismisses the idea, his mother Grace enters and knocks the chair over Nathan is standing on, causing him to be hanged.
Grace performs a ritual from the voodoo book, which brings Nathan back to life. However Father Cornelius soon warns Grace that the book was damaged and those who are resurrected by it have the urge to eat human flesh…
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Reviews:
“Story-wise this flick gives an interesting look into teen love with its usage of the “gent” turning into a zombie before he can profess his love to his longtime friend and potential lover, who of course for the sake of all the females and romantics watching…equally loves him as well. While it comes off cheesy at times, we all probably can relate to such teen antics and that brings some fun into this film.” Bloody Disgusting
“Instead of going for what made the Simon Pegg/Edward Wright/Nick Frost film so fantastic, it put zombies in the UK (in this case, a small Irish community) and hoped horror fans would see the similarities. Unfortunately, this is more after school special than scary movie, a lesson in peer pressure, underage sex, and bullying tactics more than a wacky genre spoof.” Bill Gibron, DVD Talk
“A somewhat darker and more engaging variant on the long familiar coming-of-age teenage zombie flick … This is a crisp with stunning scenery (filmed on the Isle of Man as well as around Dublin); there are good tongue-in-cheek lines, and some creative takes on how to kill zombies.” Peter Dendle, The Zombie Movie Encyclopedia 2000 – 2010
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“Bad Irish pop music, flat characters, and quick running time aside, how is Boy Eats Girl? Fun, plain and simple. Don’t expect biting social commentary (pun intended), laugh-out-loud humor, or anything groundbreaking for the zombie genre and you’ll be fine. Some choice gore, nice looking women, and a quick pace…” Johnny Butane, Dread Central
“Mumba’s role as Jessica is atypical for a black actress. She’s not only the main love interest and heroine — saving her friends by mowing down a zombie horde with a tractor — but she’s portrayed as strong, smart and sexy, yet still a “good girl.” And race is never an issue. Bravo! Now, if they could only straighten out her eyebrows a bit…” Black Horror Movies
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Cast and characters:
- Samantha Mumba as Jessica
- David Leon as Nathan
- Tadhg Murphy as Diggs
- Laurence Kinlan as Henry
- Sara James as Cheryl
- Mark Huberman as Samson
- Sarah Burke as Charlotte
- Paul Reid as Shane
- Jane Valentine as Glenda
- Conor Ryan as Kenneth
- Deirdre O’Kane as Grace
- Lalor Roddy as Father Cornelius
Filming locations:
Dublin, Republic of Ireland
The Isle of Man
