31 days of horror Year 3 day 25 extra film 01

Thinner
1997
Republic Pictures DVD

I read this "Richard Bachman" novel back when I was about 13. And back then thought it would make a fun movie. Well I missed the film when it first came out,but caught it on HBO later on that year. Until today that is the last time I have watched it,even though I have owned the DVD for years now. Saw it was airing on AMC middle of the day,and that prompted me to go dig out my DVD and give it a watch.

Billy is a fat ass rich lawyer. Who one night while driving home and getting head from his wife,accidentally hits an old gypsy woman. Thanks to him being friends with all the local cops and the judge he gets away with killing the old lady. Well her father shows up and brushes his hand against Billy's cheek ,then whispers "THINNER" into Billy's ear.

Well almost the next day Billy is losing serious amounts of weight each day. Very soon he goes to talk to the judge and finds out the old gypsy man has also cursed him. The judge is turning into some kind of human looking lizard. Well Billy heads out to find the old gypsy man and to get him to remove the curse. After confronting the entire band of gypsies at their camp,and getting shot thru the hand with a ball bearing,Billy calls on a old friend he knows through his work  to help him out.

This old friend just happens to be a mobster. Who goes and makes sure the old gypsy man is willing to remove the curse. Well Billy is almost dead from having lost so much weight,when he meets up again with the old gypsy. The gypsy removes the curse and places it into a pie. But warns Billy that with in the next few days someone has to eat the pie. They will die a quick death,but this will prevent the curse from coming back to Billy. So Billy heads home . And knows just who to serve the pie too.

Now I had completely forgotten how over the top every actor/actress in this film is. We get Joe Mantegna as the mobster friend. He with in the first 5 minutes hits almost every mobster film cliche. Then Kari Wuher is chewing all the scenery as the dead gypsy woman's daughter. Plus she is super hot in the film. I had forgotten that the guy playing Billy is also Cousin Micky on Rescue Me. The effects work,making him at first close to 200 lbs more than he actually weighs. Then making him look like he is barely 100 lbs is amazing. I also thought the twist at the ending was better than the one in the book. Thinner gets a B-.