Stomp! Shout! Scream! (2005) User Reviews

This pale she was carrying matches these sandcastles exactly!

[masterfurny · 6/10 · 18 July 2006]

I watched Stomp! Shout! Scream!. Twice. The first time I watched it in a movie theater with brew in hand. The second time I watched it at home on DVD. I recommend the former over the latter. That right there should tell you a lot about this movie.

Grab some brews, some friends, and pop this movie into your DVD player. Better yet, get wasted with your friends and watch it outside, projected onto a sheet. But for optimum viewing pleasure, watch it during the summer, wasted, with friends, at the beach, and projected onto a sheet, at night! Oh no. Now you've done it. You set up the perfect Stomp! Shout! Scream! viewing experience, and you've become a part of it's B-movie, kitschy as hell, beach party/rock n' roll/monster world.

I've never written a movie review. Ehem.

This quirky independent flick is the brainchild of Jay Wade Edwards, who achieved worldwide fame and fortune as the editor of Cartoon Network's Aqua Teen Hunger Force. The movie looks beautiful, with colors virtually popping off the screen thanks to cinematographer Evan Lieberman. The catchy tunes from little-known modern Garage bands help give the movie an original 60s feel. Of special note is the Atlanta/Athens based all-girl band Catfight!, who wrote original songs for the movie's fictional band, The Violas. The acting is right on, with the two standouts being Jonathan Michael Green as know-it-all scientist John Patterson, and Christopher Hines as the very funny Deputy Bob.

For those of us that weren't around during the beach party rock n roll movie craze, Stomp! Shout! Scream! can best be described as a Scooby Doo episode sans Scooby but avec beacoup Doo, 60s hair doo, that is. It has the required small town, group of young kids, and a crime to be solved. I almost expected the villain to pull off a mask at the end and curse the darn kids.

So what the jizz is it all about? An all girl rock band, The Violas, are on tour when their van breaks down in a small southern beach town that is being terrorized by the Skunk Ape, Florida's version of Bigfoot. The 1960s town is complete with death, corky romance, rock n roll, and of course the local police force, with their very own disgruntled, arrogant sheriff who seems to have a personal vendetta for killing the gorilla… I mean Skunk Ape. Naturally, the local mechanic and the scientist are very attracted to The Violas' lonely lead singer, Theodora, but they are not the only ones. The mysterious ape seems to have a King Kong syndrome. What is the Skunk Ape doing in this small town, who will survive, and who falls in love? Find out, when you watch Stomp! Shout! Scream!

So we've got a well written script filled with humor, witty dialog, and enough kitsch to open your own miniature Eiffel tower shop in Paris.

This B flick gets a +.

Not so good.

[13Funbags · 4/10 · 21 November 2019]

This movie has all the staples of the bad 60s beach movies but the site I watched it on claimed it was a comedy. Nothing even remotely funny happens until 59 minutes in and that's a song. I guess their idea of comedy is a deputy correcting the sheriff a hundred times. While the music is good, the rest of the movie just comes off like those old bad movies.

Fun Low-Budget Monster Beach movie

[sal_paradise-845-233635 · 6/10 · 9 June 2023]

The girls singing group called "The Violas" is very similar to a real group called "The Surfrajettes". The Monster is attracted by their musics and lurks in back of the garage as they play. I have never seen any of the actors, they all seem to be fairly new, but they're all pretty good actors and actresses. The dialogue could be improved a little. Set in the early 1960s, the girls are drinking black label beer in the club. If you don't set your expectations too high, not a bad little movie. Worth watching. The songs that the Violas sing are pretty good. I'd be curious to know who wrote the songs.

Garage Party

[rstef1 · 3/10 · 14 August 2012]

First off, there is NO beach party in the movie. The party, such as it is, actually takes place at the very end of the flick in front of a garage. Strike one.

Next, the "monster" which they call a skunk ape, is a man in a really, really cheap gorilla outfit. It's a skunk ape cause it smells bad. Strike two. I expected them to pull a Scooby-Doo and reveal at the end that it was actually a killer in a gorilla costume, but no, they stick with the monster story.

Finally, the attempts at humor fall flat. It makes you long for Frankie Avalon and Annette Funicello's comic delivery. Strike three.

A bunch of songs are peppered throughout, just like the Beach Party movies, except these tunes are all pretty forgettable, with the exception of Syphilis, which was mildly amusing, and Go Go Gorilla which is a bit catchy. The songs are all sung badly.

I'll give the film 3 stars because I grant leeway for low budget indies and the performers seem to be having a good time. Also, they try to recreate the 60s feel of the Beach Party movies with the cars and clothes, and do a decent job for little money. Just the same, I'd rather watch Ghost in the Invisible Bikini than see this again.

Stomp! Shout! Scream!

[troydillinger · 6 May 2006]

Adult Swim wunderkind Jay Edwards' first full-length feature "Stomp! Shout! Scream!" is a nostalgic romp through the adjacent genres of kitch beach movies and even kitchier low- budget monster movies. A film for fans of both Edwards' AS work ("Space Ghost Coast2Coast", "Aqua Teen Hunger Force", "Squidbillies") and of post WWII nuclear age pop culture, S!S!S! is a real treat.

Set during an East Coast tour of a up-and-coming all-girl rock trio, the story plods faithfully through B-movie premises including forbidden love, comic authority figures, and "the big show". Nods to horror, beach, and water-themed movies from the last four decades are everywhere. The plot's punchline is a fun anachronism that fortunately wrecks any hopes of a deeper message, reminding fans that this is the same guy who makes cartoons about meal-deal superheroes and redneck calamari.

Stomp! Shout! Scream! Is shot on 16mm film and has a lot of the glorious primary colors and framing of the classic flicks, although at times some of the lighting and cinematography is downright gorgeous, jumping out of the simplistic realm of those genres. Otherwise, continuity on this film is commendable to even the most anal retentive prop watchers. The movie's soundtrack is a lot of fun and true to the period nature of the film as well.

By Edwards' own estimation, if you're looking for unflinching modern cinema, look elsewhere. But if you want a modern recreation of the early 60s most inexplicable movie constructs, hop aboard and enjoy the ride. Don't ask too many questions and don't dare take your tongue out of your cheek.

***For a valuable cult classic experience, please yell "Skunk Ape!!!" as loud as possible whenever the creature enters frame. And yes, I'm taking credit if the craze catches on.

Silly fun

[valiant-54491 · 7/10 · 12 November 2023]

A cheesy beach party movie set in the 60s. It's cheap and silly and it knows it's cheap and silly. The acting is better than it deserves to be. The gorilla suit is SUPER cheap! It really works in this setting. A well made or scary monster suit would ruin the vibe. The sets did a reasonably good job of having period correct things. I'm sure the guitars and guitar amps are reissues but they look right.

Speaking of guitars and amps, the music is the real star in my opinion. I'm a big fan of garage rock and this nails it. I think the girl group songs were written and performed by Catfight. I will definitely be looking up more from this band.

The Best Thing That happened to Beach-Monster movies since 1965!

[oren-15 · 10/10 · 15 May 2006]

One of the only genre feature films I've seen recently that pay a respectful homage to the original films and still take themselves seriously without indulging in their camp-value - which usually creates the exact opposite of what they attempt, there is nothing worse than "camp" that's not entertaining. But again, this is not the case. "Stomp! Shout! Scream!" is funny, looks great and features excellent actors (a very lovely Claire Bronson in particular). Great original songs by Catfight! and excellent selections from various modern Garage bands including The Woggles, who are amongst the scene's best. For fans of the original 60's films, this is a must.

Glorious!

[madjackflint · 10/10 · 25 May 2006]

"Homage" is an oft abused term, but it is completely apt for this beach party send up. This film isn't for everyone...but if you have a passion for the offbeat, camp, or AIP flicks, then this is the movie for you. The girls are sexy, the music is rockin', and the intentionally kitsch dialog delivered so straightforward and heartfelt is hilarious. The monster is ridiculous, but that adds to the effect rather than detracts. Watch for Deputies Bob and Tillus to steal the show, but the rest of the cast is great too. This would be an excellent film to double feature with The Lost Skeleton of Cadavra, preferably at the midnight Drive-ins.