Eating Miss Campbell Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		1.5
Video		3.0
Audio		3.5
Extras		5.0
Overall		3.0

Eating Miss Campbell Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Brian Orndorf March 31, 2025

Writer/director Liam Regan is out to replicate the Troma Entertainment experience in 2022’s “Eating Miss Campbell.” It’s a picture that’s aiming to be outrageous at every turn, poking fun at topics such as teen suicide, school shootings, and sexual assault. Troma has built their empire(?) on such provocative releases, giving Regan a North Star to follow when it comes to compiling potentially offensive material, shot on the lowest budget possible. “Eating Miss Campbell” is a comedy, though one that’s weirdly without any laughs, finding Regan pushing hard to make something wacky and painfully self-aware, trying to stay ahead of the joke…if there was an actual joke in the feature. Instead, the helmer throws in references to all kinds of cinematic achievements and pushes his untested cast to go broad with their performances. The offering is obnoxious, but that’s the point. It’s also poorly constructed, performed, and written, which doesn’t seem quite as intentional.

Beth (Lyndsey Craine) is a 17-year-old student at Henelotter High School, and she’s suicidal, looking to exit her life, getting away from her oversexed father, Mark (James Hamer-Morton). Unfortunately, she can’t complete the deed, forced to endure her classmates, including aspiring rapist Ethan (Alexander J. Skinner) and Clarissa (Emily Haigh), the leader of the Mean Girls. Sawyer (Vito Trigo) is the new headmaster of Henelotter, and he’s preparing to celebrate with an “All You Can Eat Massacre” contest, which gifts the winner a gun for self-termination purposes or for a school shooting. Beth wants the weapon, but she’s distracted by new English teacher Campbell (Lala Barlow), with the pair embarking on a sexual relationship while the older woman tutors the student in the pleasures of cannibalism, allowing Beth to seek revenge on those who’ve wronged her.

Beth is basically the host of “Eating Miss Campbell,” breaking the fourth wall as she invites viewers into her world, which is populated with predators. She’s sarcastic and Regan’s script is mostly built out of references to movies (especially Troma endeavors) and television programs, looking to reach viewers through knowing wordplay (it’s reminiscent of a Jason Friedberg and Aaron Seltzer production), though a decently crafted character would be more interesting. Instead, there are cartoon players in “Eating Miss Campbell,” which establishes a climatic event in the eating contest, sending Beth on a mission to win a gun, only to learn she’s a vegan who enjoys the taste of human flesh.

“Eating Miss Campbell” is violent, watching Beth snack on a few enemies before meeting her English teacher, who’s ready to show her a new tomorrow in cannibalism. Gory events are periodic, but they remain strong, extending to a scene where Campbell bites the penis off one of her victims. The pair share a “lust for death,” but what’s so odd about “Eating Miss Campbell” is Regan’s lack of interest in his main characters, often handing the saga of Sawyer and his problems for long stretches of the film. The headmaster isn’t a compelling personality, and his journey borders on pointless, but Regan loves him, which confuses overall storytelling in the movie, making for a disjointed effort.

Eating Miss Campbell Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The AVC encoded image (1.78:1 aspect ratio) presentation remains in line with most Troma Entertainment releases. Compression issues carry throughout the viewing experience, with banding a common sight, varying in intensity. Encoding problems are present as well, leading to mild blockiness. Detail has its moments, offering adequate texture on close-ups and some costuming Gory events also register with mild definition. Color is acceptable, remaining in the realm of this low-budget endeavor, prioritizing bold primaries, including plenty of red blood. Skin tones are natural. Blacks are a tad milky at times, but delineation isn't completely threatened.

Eating Miss Campbell Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The 5.1 Dolby Digital mix provides a thinner understanding of the "Eating Miss Campbell world, finding low-end unchallenged during the listening experience. Music is also subdued at times, missing some emphasis, especially during montages. Dialogue exchanges remain intelligible, handling accents and acting capabilities. Sound effects are pronounced at times, registering with goopiness.

Eating Miss Campbell Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Commentary features director Liam Regan, editor Jack Hayes, and sound artist Finn Brackett.

• Intro (1:01, HD) finds Troma Entertainment honcho Lloyd Kaufman offering a message of solidarity with Ukraine the only way he can: by having the Toxic Avenger attack a Russian tank.

• Intro 2 (3:18, HD) joins Sgt. Kabukiman on the set of "Eating Miss Campbell 2," sharing some information before throwing it over to Troma Entertainment honcho Lloyd Kaufman, who covers the audition process for the company, which involves studying a woman eat cake for a full minute.

• "7 Days of Hell" (39:18, HD) is the making-of for "Eating Miss Campbell," which went through a rather torturous moviemaking experience. The initial cut of the picture only clocked in 60 minutes, necessitating the creation of additional scenes to bring the endeavor up to a sellable run time. Soon enough, the pandemic hit and one of the actors couldn't return, while another passed away. The documentary covers the creation of the fresh scenes, or "additional shooting," following director Liam Reagan and his team as they try to bring new life to old footage, hoping to come out with an actual feature in the end. This is wonderful fly-on-the-wall stuff, capturing the atmosphere of the set and the hustle of its working parts. And it's relatively honest, displaying a few mistakes made, especially with blood stains on white walls, including some footage from 2015's "My Bloody Banjo" to emphasize that Reagan has learned little about special effects.

• "Learning Lessons with Uncle Lloyd" (2:32, HD) is a short comedy piece featuring Troma Entertainment honcho Lloyd Kaufman, who inspects the wonders of "tea-bagging" with "Eating Miss Campbell" director Liam Reagan.

• Deleted Scenes (6:50, HD) are offered.

• Gore Reel (11:22, HD) is exactly as advertised, highlighting a collection of bloody highlights from "Eating Miss Campbell," also exploring the wild acting involved to bring these gruesome moments to life.

• B-Roll (10:30, HD) examines raw takes from "Eating Miss Campbell," studying the actors as they prepare for their moments and handle direction.

• Cast Interviews (4:37, HD) discusses the ways of "Eating Miss Campbell" with actors Vito Trigo, Laurence R. Harvey, Lyndsey Craine, Alexander J. Skinner, Lala Barlow, and James Hamer-Morton.

• "FrightFest Premiere" (4:13, HD) is a celebratory clip from a film festival screening of "Eating Miss Campbell," watching director Liam Regan become a little emotional as returns to FrightFest years after making his debut there with "My Bloody Banjo." He also shares his love for Troma Entertainment, delighted to finally be working for the company.

• BTS Footage (58:05, HD) is similar to the making-of on the disc, once again returning to the "Eating Miss Campbell" shoot to study how the production experience comes together, watching various members of the cast and crew go about their daily business.

• Tribute (5:04, HD) is a look at the late Blade Braxton and his connection to Troma Entertainment and director Liam Regan.

• Outtakes (7:19, HD) examines all the flubbed lines, giggle fits, and actor interactions from "Eating Miss Campbell."

• "Radiation March" (:56, SD) is a brief dance piece concerning the dangers of pollution.

• "Troma in Times Square" (1:01, HD) is a commercial for Troma Entertainment's streaming service, taking the action to an NYC tourist spot, where the Toxic Avenger does battle with evil streaming giant "Netpix."

• "Tromatized" (1:50, HD) is a music video by Abbie Harper.

• And a Trailer (1:31, HD) is included.

Eating Miss Campbell Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

"Eating Miss Campbell" hopes to be offensive and gross, providing plenty of reasons to look away from the screen. Regan wants a punk rock moviegoing experience, trying to pay tribute to Saint Lloyd and the Troma brand with an effort that's mostly about extremity. However, so much of "Eating Miss Campbell" feels amateurish and childish, while the film itself is almost incomplete, often searching for things to do when it runs out of ideas, and that's pretty quick in this tedious endeavor.