Rating summary

Movie		2.5
Video		4.0
Audio		4.5
Extras		2.0
Overall		2.5

Stung Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman November 5, 2015

Mention the phrase “garden party” to a Baby Boomer, and chances are he or she will start warbling Rick Nelson’s “comeback” hit from 1972. The late Mr. Nelson probably would have been ditching his guitar and begging for the world’s largest economy size of Raid had he been invited to the garden party that’s at the center of Stung, an occasionally amusing but haphazard so-called “horror comedy”. In what some may see as a loving throwback to the works of the inimitable Bert I. Gordon (Earth vs. the Spider, Beginning of the End, Empire of the Ants), Stung deals with mutant insects who threaten a gaggle of folks who have gathered for, yep, a garden party. The film is kind of analogous in a way to Bloodsucking Bastards, another recent Scream Factory release that tries to ply both comedy and horror, to fitful results. Both films take a lot of time to set up various interrelationships before really letting the mayhem spill loose, and therefore both films tend to start somewhat slowly, finally building up a bit of momentum as they progress. Stung has the more impressive visual effects, with some very nicely done (and in many cases exceedingly gruesome) insect attacks, as well as some downright silly hyperbolism as the film stumbles toward a cataclysmic climax. Unfortunately as is also the case with Bloodsucking Bastards, Stung’s humor never really finds much traction, and often comes off as mere snarkiness, overly arch and self aware.

Julia (Jessica Cook) is a would be entrepreneur whose catering business may be on the rocks. She’s booked a party at a supposed luxurious mansion, but when she and her bartender Paul (Matt O’Leary) get out there to its country location, they find that it’s seen better days. At least Julia has a friend in the mansion’s housekeeper, a sweet woman named Flora (Cecilia Pillado). Less inviting is Sydney (Clifton Collins, Jr.), the weird, nerdish son of the mansion’s owner, the daffy Mrs. Perch (Eve Slatner). Even less inviting are the wasps that Paul keeps experiencing as he attempts to set up shop in the backyard.

After some not very funny establishing sequences (including a kind of strange sidebar involving a “lounge organist” who’s weirdly installed outside in the backyard), the film segues to the nighttime soirée, where some apparent subtext between Sydney and his mother is interrupted by yet another incursion of wasps. This time the beasts, which Paul has already noticed are bigger than average, are incredibly aggressive, and they end up stinging a guest to death. Suddenly the entire party is under seige and in one of the film’s ooey-gooey effects, it turns out that once they’ve stung a person, that body becomes a host for a pupa which then magically grows to adulthood almost immediately, bursting out of its “shell” in time honored Bert I. Gordon giant form.

Julia, Paul, Sydney, Mrs. Perch and the town’s mayor (Lance Henriksen) manage to make it inside the house, but of course (in time honored horror film tradition) they can’t get out, nor can they contact the outside world. It’s probably no big surprise to state that the giant wasps manage to find their way inside the house, and much of the rest of the film plays out in a series of cat and mouse (and/or wasp and human) games.

Director Benni Diez comes from a visual effects background, and if Stung never really takes off comedically or even dramatically, its practical bug effects are really quite impressive at times. There are some really fun (if awfully gross) moments of bugs bursting out of bodies, and there are even other moments of wasp stingers trying to burrow their way into bodies. Diez likes to shoot scenes with just a piece of a wasp in the foreground (like a wing or antenna), and with the real action taking place in the background. The film might have benefited from a 3D presentation in that regard, something that might have further identified it with cheesy giant monster pictures from days of yore.

Stung Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Stung is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of IFC Midnight and Scream Factory, an imprint of Shout! Factory, with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 2.40:1. This digitally shot feature benefits by not being a CGI-fest, with many of the creature effects seemingly done practically. That gives the textures of the film some startling presence at times, with elements like bug hair almost palpable, and other, perhaps more uncomfortable elements like pieces of human or animal bodies that used to "host" the giant wasp hanging off of their appendages with bits of blood and gore attached also looking extremely vivid and well detailed. There's a running gag (perhaps an appropriate description) with crushed wasps leaving a slimy paste in their wake. Some of the film has been somewhat unusually color graded, with an almost orange-yellow or blue-green ambience added to both exterior and interior shots. A long interior sequence is swathed in darkness and shadow detail is minimal. When CGI is utilized, it looks a bit soft at times.

Stung Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Stung's lossless DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 mix is one of the most consistently immersive and aggressive horror film outings in recent memory. The sonic aggression begins "innocently" enough, with some great panning buzzes as the first wasps annoy Paul during set up. But when a little dog digs a hole in the yard and a horde of stinging insects emerges, all bets are off and the soundtrack pretty much just explodes into a low frequency throb-a-thon from that point forward. There are occasional respites for supposed character beats, including a longish sequence in the mansion's basement, but this track is pretty aggressive and loud virtually the entire running time of the film. Fidelity is top notch and dynamic range extremely wide.

Stung Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Making of Stung (1080p; 21:25) is a congenial enough EPK, with some good interviews and fun behind the scenes footage, as well as some better looks at those pesky insects.


• Production Blog (1080p; 21:30) is an aggregation of production video diaries.


• Theatrical Trailer (1080p; 2:12)


• Audio Commentary with Producer Benjamin Munz, Director Benni Diez and Writer Adam Aresty

Stung Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

There's a certain gonzo sensibility to Stung that carries it through some rough patches, and when there are just flat out goofy moments like a huge flaming wasp attacking the heroes in a food service van, things manage to find the right balance between horror and comedy. Unfortunately that particular scene comes at virtually the end of the film, and the balance before that sequence is frequently off kilter. Still, those looking for a "modern" Bert I. Gordon film might get a kick out of this, at least in dribs and drabs. Video is excellent and audio outstanding for those considering a purchase.