Chalk it up to a poor marketing plan, but the cover for Sub Rosa's Hey...Stop Stabbing Me!, is wildly inappropriate. I mean, I guess I can respect the fact that Sub Rosa is attempting to cash in on the SCREAM craze (even if they are more than a few years late) but the fact of the matter is that Hey...Stop Stabbing Me! has absolutely NOTHING in common with the SCREAM flicks or any other type of self referential horror parody for that matter. Therefore the cover art chosen for Hey...Stop Stabbing Me! was obviously a huge blunder for Sub Rosa to make. It's almost as if Sub Rosa doesn't have enough confidence in this film (that they chose to distribute mind you), so they have to try and trick the audience into picking the flick up thorugh shifty and unapologetically false advertising. What a world.

The fact of the matter here is that Hey...Stop Stabbing Me! is an extremely clever independent flick. Sure it was shot on video and a shoestring, but what it lacks in professionalism or visual pinash, it more than makes up for in heart and chutzpah. The story is so off the wall (and at times unbearably clever) I'm not quite sure where to begin, or how to not make it sound stupid. Herman Shumacher (co-writer Patrick Casey) is a recent college grad with a major in World History and...well that's about it. It would seem as if Herman's had to deal with a string of bad luck, but all of that is about to change. In a matter of minutes, he finds a girlfriend, a place to live and a new job. However, as we all know, if it seems to good to be true...it probably is.

Something odd is afoot in the house that Herman now shares with his fellow roommates. Apparently, prior roommates just up and left...or disappeared. In the backyard, makeshift grave markers take up residence in the "garden." Herman's over-sexed girlfriend hasn't been completely honest with her new beau either as she cheats in some mostly unusual ways. Everyone in the world that Herman inhabits went to college with a minor or double major in Comparative Lit (and I thought that Communications was a bullshit major!) and apparently the only job for a World Historian (like Herman) entails digging holes in a field (yet ties are still mandatory). All of this and I still haven't even mentioned the creature that lives in the basement - who steals socks, this is just the tip of the iceberg.

In the world of Indie filmmaking, it seems as if breaks are generally given simply for attempt. Guilty as charged, I've cut slack to indie filmmakers, because indeed I am fully aware of the obstacles and hardships that one has to endure to make a low to no-budget film. However, by the same token, when I am slid a film that I truly enjoy, I feel it's necessary to single it out and give some major props. Not just to give props for making a solid attempt, but to give props for making a solid and entertaining flick. I'm giving props to Hey...Stop Stabbing Me!, for just this reason.

Obviously there are folks out there who wouldn't tolerate Hey... from the get go. Some folks aren't a fan of the indie scene, while others simply won't touch an SOV flick with a ten-foot pole. Fair enough...close minded, but still fair enough. Those of us however, who do enjoy the indie scene and are always in search of that hidden gem, the one that's cheap but shows us that these particular filmmkaers really do possess a certain level of talent, will most likely find it within Hey...Stop Stabbing Me! Visually, the flick isn't much to look at, but it is smartly written, executed and acted - think of Kevin Smith and you'll have an idea of where I'm coming from. Those of us with a tolerance for a whole lotta silly will most likely enjoy Hey...Stop Stabbing Me! the most. The humor is definitely childish, but also smart all the while most, if not all of the jokes hit to a certain extent. Most of all, these characters are well-developed and likeable. I can imagine Director Worm Miller and co-writer Patrick Casey putting these jokes and gags down on paper, before a camera had even been picked up, laughing to themselves and thinking how they would kill...and they'd be right.

Quality is about what one would expect from such a low budget feature. The full frame image is clear, with no evidence of artifacting and the mono audio is serviceable, with no distortion to speak of and nonoe of those low-budget mic issues. Extras are quite bountiful including a feature length commentary (definitely worth a listen), 2 alternate endings, a trailer, behind the scenes featurette (about 20-minutes), a second short film called Magmahead which runs about 30-minutes (once again, with or without commentary) and another short (less than 5-minutes) that runs just before the feature.

Fans of the indie scene would be wise to give Hey...Stop Stabbing Me! a once over. Entertaining film, sharp extras and an unfortunate cover that should be thrown out of the fucking window? What more could you ask for in a miss-marketed film that no one would normally pick up on their own. Sometimes the jokes that we keep between ourselves and aur friends would be funny to others if we decided to share. Recommended.

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