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Review: Christopher G. Moore’s GUT PUNCHED

I’m going to jump right into this one and say that Gut Punched is an incredible, thirst quenching comedy-horror short that shatters all five of your senses at once. It’s no surprise that I’m a big fan of film-maker Christopher G. Moore, creator of film festival favorites like Foodie, Disengaged and Knob Goblins, but he really outdid himself with this one. The future success of Gut Punch can be attributed to the clever, balls to the walls script from Moore and Eryk Pruitt as well as the camera work and cinematography from Ismail Abdelkhalek. I’m going to address the latter of these components before doing some backtracking. Mr. Abdelkhalek, you are so talented behind the camera that I immediately compared your work to the style of CBS comedy series or the American Pie spin-off films. I wish the straight-to-DVD titles were still getting churned out so I could lobby to get you on board with them. Crystal clear and expensive while maintaining the right about of small studio flair.

Going back to the script, Moore and Pruitt wrote a hip and sexy story that assaults you from ever angle. It’s definitely more comedy than horror, so it will lose some points there, but the writing is witty, original and surprisingly supernatural. When I mentioned it battles your senses above, I wasn’t lying. Thinking about it now… I heard some of the weirdest lines of dialogue in the independent scene. I saw more nudity than I was expecting and decent gore. The locations were used to their full potential in such a way that I tasted the punch and smelled the beer being served in the bar. And I felt awkward sitting through one of the most bizarre short films to come out in 2017. It was certainly an interesting experience and completely cinematic experience that’ll really suck you in. Perfect screenwriting from start to finish.

Gut Punched, presented by Gruesome Magazine, is the ultimate tale of a one night stand gone wrong. Follow this tragic missed connection as a purple haired femme fatale lures a horny young man back to her house with more than sex on the agenda. And, hey, you can’t say she didn’t warn him. Gut Punched stars Tom Major and Sara Gorsky with Kelli-Anne Harris and Carrie Jones. Major and Gorsky bounce between realistic awkwardness and over-the-top idiocy and that means I have to pinpoint another performer as my favorite. I’m talking to you, Carrie Jones. Lilith Prime seemed like such a hoot in the short time she appeared on screen, but I can tell she was a big ol’ ho at one time and has a million stories to pass on to the next generation. Well rounded portrayals and contrasting characters helped to round out this blood red laugh riot from producers Christopher G. Moore, Ismail Abdelkhalek and John Mazza.

Gut Punched premiered at Wreak Havoc Horror Film Festival in September, and I encourage you to look for it at future film festivals near you. Christopher G. Moore has another hit on his hands, and a whole lot of entrails, too. Final Score: 8 out of 10.

Michael DeFellipo

(Senior Editor)

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