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MOVIE REVIEW . Stacy (2001)

by Chris   ⋅   November 14, 2007   ⋅   Comment now   ⋅    RSS

If there’s one thing Zombie films have long neglected, it’s zombie schoolgirls. You would think the loose-socked lot would be a natural host for the zombie apocalypse, given their somewhat valid stereotypes of superficiality, given their youthful self-obsession, blind adherence to fads, and susceptibility to peer pressures, but it took thirty-three years from Romero’s Night of the Living Dead before someone actually stumbled across the idea.

In fact, it is Naoyuki Tomomatsu’s 2001 picture, Stacy, that sees this rather novel idea made flesh. And an admirable attempt it is. But, does it ever rise above the status of a simple novelty?

The world of Stacy sees a Japan plagued by, you guessed it, schoolgirl zombies. Suddenly and inexplicably, girls from the ages of 15 to 17 have undergone a necrotic transformation. These zombies, called Stacys by the mass populace (possibly because of their reanimated state?), quickly grow in number, prompting the government (and some enterprising renegades) to set about their extermination via organized “Repeat Kill” teams. Only these Stacys are very hard to kill. In fact, the only proven method is to cut their bodies into hundreds of pieces. With all of its young women becoming undead monsters, Japan is headed for a crisis of biblical proportions. But, then again, it could all just be one big misunderstanding.

Stacy has much of what you would expect and hope to see from any quality zombie film, including blood and guts, innovative kills, and macabre humor, but also some that you wouldn’t.

In the former section, Stacy has a number of hilarious and gory special effects. The picture is very low budget (A tad under usual V-Cinema grade, but not quite Sodom the Killer), and the purposefully unpolished special effects provide a lot of tongue in cheek fun. There are crazy chain-sawings of jello-mold victims, excessively goopy ocular explosions, jiggling severed limbs, and much much more. And the girls themselves deliver some of the best zombie performances I’ve seen in years.

Stacy also has your zombie homages covered, paying tribute to a number of classic zombie films, including Day of the Dead and Army of Darkness. Fans of both these films will instantly recognize the prominently featured plastic chainsaw/sleeve device called “Bruce Campbell’s Right Hand 2,” a group of renegade Stacy killers (including cosplay Chun Li and [possibly] Resident Evil’s Claire) called the “Romero Repeat Kill Troops,” a near exact send up of the army-man torso-pull of Day.

But Stacy isn’t all fun and games. In fact, sometimes it’s downright annoying. Case in point: the sequences involving idol Natsuki Kato’s character Eiko. Afflicted with Near Death Happiness (NDH), a telltale lead-in to Stacy-stasis, the girl is all giggles and odd talkiness. Sure, her sequences serve to convey the symptoms of their affliction, and would have been fine in short bursts, but each encounter lasts longer than five minutes…a terrible waste in an 80 minute film. But when the film gets back to business, for the most part the fun is restored.

Also worth noting is the fact that frequent supporting actor/human prop Yoji Tanaka actually gets a lengthy part in this one. Spotting him in any film is something of a Where’s Waldo affair (which we have been known to enjoy), so it’s definitely nice to see him get a bit more screen-time.

In closing, Stacy may not be the best realization of the schoolgirl zombie, but it’s quite close to it. If you’re interested in seeing something new and fun, check it out. Just leave your brain at the door.

Notes on the DVD
Synapse Film’s release of Stacy is pretty bare bones, featuring a trailer and liner notes as extras. Still, their transfer of the film, as usual, is impeccable. It’s a decent disc and worth a look.

About the Author

Chris Nelson has been a film fanatic since age six. A former film and English major, he is now a Software Engineer and contract Technical Writer living in the Silicon Valley.