Jessicka Rabid (2010)

Marley and Brad Hoffman are a couple of vile white trash degenerates who treat their mute mentally stunted cousin Jessicka like a pet: They make her wear a collar, force her to eat dog food, take her out for walks on a leash, and even occasionally lock her up in a dog cage. However, things go horribly awry when Jessicka contracts rabies after being bitten by a dog.

Jessicka Rabid will most likely be my last awesome B-Horror discovery of 2011. And what a way to end the year. This movie's about a bunch of incestuous, white trash cousins, all shackin' up together, with the half-retarded mute (?), Jessica as their neglected pet. At first, it seems as if she's a victim, being held there against her will, but they take her places, sometimes, and sorta acknowledge her as a member of the family.

Yet, there's also the parts where they cage her up, simply cuz it's more convenient. Now that I think about it, she's definitely a victim, too, considering all the rapings and beatings. I mean they hose her down, from time to time, & they give her plenty of dogfood & whatnot, so, it's not like she's got it THAT bad. But being that Jessica's too slow to know good treatment from bad, she's oblivious to any treatment that might not be considered favorable. But ain't it funny how a little rabies can change everything? I gotta tell ya, I haven't been even remotely excited by anything Troma's come out with in forever. They done good, this time. I found every second of this movie to be beyond entertaining. The first thing I noticed was the quality of the film. The movie is shot grainy, fuzzy, purposefully out of focus in parts. It's got the old school look down, perfect. Which compliments the tone of the movie more than I can express.

Jessicka Rabid is as good of a modern old school B-Horror throwback as I've seen. Not a lot of the circumstances are explained, and the movie never tries too hard to be something special. And in doing so, it actually succeeds in being quite special. This is a mean-spirited film, with little to no retribution in sight. With just enough subtle dark humor thrown in to make it enjoyable. Not to mention, plenty of gore, depravity & incest to go around. Starring the legendary Trent Haaga. So, any Haaga freaks will definitely be diggin' this one. And keep in mind, sometimes Troma manages to come through. And this is absolutely one of those times. So, do yourself a favor and check this little beauty out. You won't regret it, friend.