Bubba The Redneck Werewolf
directed by Brendan Jackson Rogers
starring Fred Lass, Malone Thomas, and Mitch Hyman
Two Rubbing Nickels, And You Films, MVD Visual
If you’re going to make fun of people, might as well aim low. This low-budget, high-concept comedy comes to us from the highly regarded comic genius Mitch Hyman. Here he stars as his own creation, a red-faced Satan out hunting for souls in Broken Taint, a small hamlet in Cracker County, Florida. After signing up various locals and giving them horrible deformities, he hits on innocent Bubba (Chris Stephens) whose day job is cleaning up poop at the dog pound. Once the papers are signed, Bubba becomes the intimidating hairy kind-hearted monster played by Fred Lass. Nubile Bobbie Joe (Thomas) falls for him, and while it’s a romance it skates that fine, fine line between interspecies dating and a Furry convention. But they do make a nice couple even if the make out scene is disturbing. Great special effects include a guy with a baseball bat stuck through his head, a guy with extra hand growing out of his head and a Gypsy vomit fountain. In order to get his soul back and save his fellow towns people Bubba challenges Satan to a drinking game, and even more slime erupts. It’s a yee-haw feel good romp.
This films aims for laughs more than grimaces. Wolf Bubba is lovable and no one, not even Satan, is truly evil. I was pleasantly surprised to see local actor Gary Norris in the role of Drunk Cletus, and the project was shot in a local Deland dive bar. Great lines abound; Cletus hopefully tells Bubba “I’m trusting you with my corn hole” and reveals “I lost my testicle in ‘Nam.” Other gags abound: the whiskey contains “ball sweat of the damned” and Bubba’s signing bonus includes the “Four Slice Toaster of Quetzalcoatl” and the “Vegetable Peeler of Cthulhu.” Valuable items indeed, but not really enough to compensate for a lost soul, even if it’s not in use at the moment. Funny, crude and brilliant, this is the sort of locally produced film I love. Support this if you can; it’s showing up in festivals and the usual on line sources. Run out and get it NOW, or I’ll send Bubba around to convince you.
