Sometimes, a film feels more like an exercise in the absurd than it does a linear narrative. Call it sleaze, or trash, or whatever, but Kenichi Ugana’s Visitors is a glorious mix of Evil Dead and classic Troma that seems barely interested in telling a real story and instead wishes to leave the viewer asking themselves what the fuck they just watched.
Clocking in at barely an hour, Visitors is an expansion of Ugana’s short of the same name. It’s broken into three segments, with the theme of possession tying each one to the next. The movie kicks off with a group of friends paying a visit to another friend and becoming possessed by…things that have turned them into incessantly chattering zombie type beings. Mayhem ensues, and…yeah. That’s pretty much it. The second segment is slightly more subdued, involving a man who awakens tied up in a diner with what may or may not be an alien. The humor in this segment lands far more effectively than the first segment, mostly because it’s a lot more subtle and less…screamy. The final segment, taking place a year after the first two, is the most effective, depicting a man who has come to terms with the possessed and even begins to see them as friends. It’s strangely touching at times and wraps the movie up in a fittingly ridiculous way.
There’s not much of a story to be told here, mostly just gory gags and absurd humor, and it’s probably best to just sit back and enjoy the ride. I mentioned earlier that it’s Evil Dead-esque, and I still think that’s true, but there’s something even more bizarre in there. More bizarre than Troma even. Think a slightly more rational Funky Forest: First Contact. Only slightly more rational. And with zombies.
It’s insane to behold, yes, and it can be a little abrasive at times, and some of the humor doesn’t always land (the friend the initial group goes to visit being apathetic to the horror around him gets stale fast) but it’s also a blast to watch and also weirdly sweet. There’s blood and green slime by the bucketful, zombies with chainsaws for hands, severed heads growing feet, zombies vomiting up insects, men in S & M gear groveling strangely at the feet of soldiers, and even some helpful dancing aliens. Something for everyone, as they say. Don’t go into this expecting anything close to a “good” movie, but instead just go in expecting an array of nuttiness and nonsense and fun.
