All Jacked Up and Full of Worms (Movie Review)

SCREENED AS PART OF FANTASTIC FEST 2022

Have you ever picked a movie solely based on the title or poster? Well, that was me on both fronts with All Jacked Up and Full of Worms. Not only did the title grab me by the earballs, the poster with its vibrant use of color evoked big The Beyond vibes. A woman, her neon red face, eyes opalescent shades of white, and mouth agape with Day-Glo green worms spilling out was more than enough to lure me down this slimy wormhole. So, why was I so surprised that Alex Phillips’ debut feature had my mouth and eyes twisted in disgust while I wriggled and writhed uncomfortably in my seat? I guess the joke's on me.

All Jacked Up and Full of Worms follows Roscoe (Phillip Andre Botello) as he proceeds down a worm induced downward spiral. He is clearly unhappy in his polyamorous relationship with Samantha (Betsey Brown) and Jared (Noah Lepawsky) and looking for something more. Little did Roscoe know he would soon be a twisted worm version of Benjamin Buford “Bubba” Blue. You see, in this fucked up world, worms are the new “it” drug, taking its user on a reality bending experience that ultimately leads to wanting to do more worms in a supposedly transformative experience. Please nobody tell Aaron Rodgers. That man will be vomiting up worms on the sideline by week 8. So back to our worm-filled tale.

Alongside Roscoe, we are introduced to Benny (Trevor Dawkins), a ginger bearded man that wants nothing more than to have a baby. This seems innocent enough except for the fact that Benny apparently missed 4th grade health class and doesn't understand the basic human reproduction. Not only does Benny not have a partner to procreate with, he believes the way he will achieve this is through an infant sex doll that he purchased. Yes, you read that correctly and I'm sure as hell not typing it again. So clearly, Benny is on his own journey of self discovery. Now, if you're going to bombard your viewer with images and concepts taboo and grotesque, there needs to be a hook. Unfortunately both the acting and script felt undeserving of the subject material.

And that brings us to our final group in this madcap bunch of creeps, a worm addicted version of Mickey and Mallory Knox, Biff (Mike Lopez) and Kelsey (Carol Rhyu). These two bring a chaos that somehow exceeds Roscoe and Benny as they murder, mutilate, and maim their way around the slum of a neighborhood. If there is anything I did appreciate about them, and it wasn't Biff's faded juggalo face paint, it was Kelsey's adoration for that vile creep. No matter the act of savagery, she was by his side. That sort of loyalty is rare indeed.

I will admit, there are moments that made me laugh at loud. The hallucination of the giant worm that looked like something which had wandered off of the set of William Grefé’s Sting of Death. Wonderful. A hallucinatory bike ride with two newly found friends. Pure Americana. Unfortunately, this dark humor didn't land in a way that made the journey worth it. All Jacked Up and Full of Worms is a vulgar allegory for drug and sex addiction that gets off on making the viewer as uncomfortable as possible through grotesque imagery as well as Cue Shop’s hipster experimentalist score. And it in that it succeeds wonderfully. If watching people eat, snort, and consume worms in every way imaginable with an unhealthy amount of vomiting is your thing, then by all means, check it out. Me? Even with a cool 70-minute runtime, I don’t think I ever want to take this trip again.