It was bound to happen:  a comedy/horror flick where the title subject is a monster made out of fecal matter.  At least with a movie entitled Monsturd, you have a pretty good idea what you’re getting yourself into.  The story follows an escaped serial killer named Jack Schmidt, who falls into a pool of toxic waste (dumped by a mad scientist, of course) in the sewers of the appropriately named town of Butte.  His DNA mixes with…well, what you find in the sewer, and before long an eight foot tall walking turd is killing people by somehow sneaking up through their toilets.  But never fear, the bumbling cops and FBI are on the case, and with the usual tools for fighting poop (diapers, Pepto, flies, etc.) the town’s Chili Cook-Off might not be completely ruined before the end credits roll.

I wanted to like Monsturd - I really did.  It’s a funny enough concept, and I’m all for a little low brow humor.  Unfortunately, writers/directors Popko and West didn’t push the funny envelope as far as they could have considering the set up.  For the most part the storyline follows the long-time monster-on-the-loose staples like Jaws and Alligator, but there really aren’t any scares and the laughs are few and far between.  There are plenty of groaners - the town of Butte, the toxic polluter is Du-tech, etc.  I don’t know, maybe the sight of someone getting liquid feces poured all over them isn’t alone enough to make me laugh - all to often it comes across like a punchline without a set up.

Part of the problem might come in the acting department, along with the direction.  Don’t get me wrong - in most cases the acting is decent, and the shots are framed well and the picture has a good look.  But Monsturd can’t seem to decide if it’s a parody of monster movies or a loving tribute.  Some of the actors play it straight, others not so much, and it’s hard to tell who they were going for as a target audience.  In some respects it’s an over-the-top comedy (the bad puns, the tools they use to fight the monster), but in other respects it’s an almost serious monster movie (like in the scene where the Sheriff talks about his wife, who died of cancer - was that supposed to be funny?  Or tender?).  It feels like a case of trying to have it both ways - a straight forward monster movie about a giant turd, as well as a gross out comedy with tons of crappy humor (so to speak).  But for me it failed on both counts.

Technically Monsturd is as solid as they come.  The locations range from average (hard to create a believable police station or FBI headquarters on a microbudget, but they try hard) to amazing (the underground sewers and the laboratory are fantastic).  The lighting and audio are both well done, and for the most part the budgetary restraints are kept off screen.  (There are a few exceptons though, like when the mad scientist and his assistant dump the company’s toxic waste - from the back of their Dodge pick up.  Or the dog that just happens to be in one scene for no real reason other than he was hanging out on the set.) In other areas, the musical score really helps to keep things moving, and might actually be the best part of the movie.  The gross-out effects are just that - effective - and the title creature accomplishes the goal of looking like a giant, walking turd.

In the end, Monsturd is one of the more ambitious micros I’ve seen recently, and in that respect it’s a success.  They tackled a big project, and delivered a decent enough micro feature.  But without any real scares, and only a few laughs, it feels more like a good first step than anything else.  Let’s just hope their next step is in the right direction.

Two and a half stars.