‘Tammy and the T-Rex’ is a Trash Masterpiece [Video]
Tyler Doupe'
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Today’s selection is a screwball sci-fi-infused horror comedy that functions as a gore-filled sendup of the mad scientist movies of yesteryear. In addition to being an outrageous and campy good time, Tammy and the T-Rex also serves up an all-star cast on the verge of breaking out and a playful tone sure to appeal to anyone fond of the intersection of the macabre and the ridiculous.
The flick follows Tammy (Denise Richards) who lives in constant fear of Billy (George Pilgrim, her wiener-grabbing greaser ex-boyfriend. When she begins dating cool jock, Michael (Paul Walker), Tammy is inclined to keep her distance because she’s afraid her jealous ex will find a way to harm her new love interest. Michael, however, is unwilling to let a leather-clad teenage Neanderthal stand in the way of true love. So, he stands up to Billy and pays a violent price. But wait, everything will be totally fine because an unhinged doctor transfers Michael’s brain into the body of an animatronic T-rex. What could possibly go wrong?
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If it wasn’t already obvious, this is a movie that never takes itself seriously. Co-writer and director Stewart Raffill makes that abundantly clear from the beginning. This is an exercise in high camp. And that notion is driven home at every opportunity. Case in point: A playful song about a T-rex on the loose plays over the opening credits, warning viewers that this ridiculous romp is every bit as silly as it appears.
With that said, I wouldn’t call Tammy and the T-Rex so bad it’s good because it isn’t actually bad. The film is silly and over-the-top but that is entirely intentional, rather than a happy accident. The film has a similar sense of humor to the teen horror comedy Buffy the Vampire Slayer, which also sees a high school cheerleader hurled into extraordinary circumstances. The key difference in tonality is that Tammy and the T-Rex takes the camp to a much higher level.
As farcical and outlandish as it is, Stewart Raffill and Gary Brockette’s screenplay injects the film with a handful of legitimately heartfelt moments that give us reason to actually care about Tammy and Michael. The aforementioned moments are used strategically and are few and far between. But the fact that they exist at all is no small feat, considering this a film about a teenager whose brain is transplanted into an animatronic dinosaur. Naturally, the occasional moments of sincerity are followed by a return to form, which ensures that Tammy and the T-Rex never feels tonally off-kilter or overly sentimental.
The flick features two rising stars before they broke out. Denise Richards and Paul Walker both seem to understand exactly the type of film they are in and both appear to be having a great time with it.
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Though not as well-known as his co-stars, Theo Forsett also turns in a solid performance as Tammy’s friend Byron. What’s noteworthy about Byron is that he is a queer character in a ‘90s film. But he isn’t two-dimensional or cobbled together from a collection of stereotypes. He’s a little flamboyant. But many gay men are. It’s nice to see fairly positive representation from a time when that was all but unheard of.
As for why Tammy and the T-Rex remains overlooked after all these years, I suspect that has to do with its stateside release being heavily censored to achieve a family-friendly PG-13 rating. That took the wind out of the picture’s sails and kept it from really finding its audience. Vinegar Syndrome has since released the film in all its uncut glory. So, I highly recommend giving it a look if you enjoy a violent nonsensical farce as much as I do.
If you’re interested in tracking down the film, you can stream it on Pluto, Peacock, Tubi, and Vudu as of the publication of this post. But for the absolute best experience, I recommend tracking down the Vinegar Syndrome release, which includes both the gore cut and the original PG-13 version.
That’s all for this installment of The Overlooked Motel. If you want to chat more about under-seen and underrated films, feel free to hit me up with your thoughts on Twitter, Threads, or Instagram @FunWithHorror.
Categorized:Editorials The Overlook Motel
