Menantico Blues

The horror-comedy, debatable as that descriptor may be, Menantico Blues starts with a family arriving at a lake. When the dad gets out of the car, he loudly farts, only for his wife to scold him over whether that was necessary. He claims it is only natural, and the two, along with their daughter, walk the short way to the edge of the water. After a brief moment, they are killed by someone or something.

A great way to ensure tonal whiplash is to start your film on an entirely pointless flatulence joke, then murder people on vacation, than to switch up styles entirely. See, that brief description above is strictly the prologue. The movie introduces the viewer to its world by farting, murder, and then starts its story properly by utilizing a different style altogether. Somehow, the low bar created by these first two minutes is never reached or surpassed by the rest of this turgid mess.

“…history of the creature, though some believe it to be a vagrant living in the woods, coincides with resentments between the Lamburts and a group of hunters…”

After the opening title sequence, there’s an interview with a local farmer, Morton (Austin Phillips). The problem is that this interview begins without any warning. The audience is just thrown into this new style (the opening was third-person narrative) without being given time to adjust. It’s awkward, and again, the movie only gets worse. But I digress, and here’s the plot.

Carson (Matt Jacobsen), a history teacher from Millville, New Jersey, begins opining about the various cryptozoological legends that have been central to Jersey, like the Jersey Devil. He then gives a brief overview of the cult happenings and murder statistics of his hometown. Then he talks about Lamb Legs (Jason Gandy). The history of the creature, though some believe it to be a vagrant living in the woods, coincides with resentments between the Lamburts and a group of hunters finally boiling over.