gave him a little going-away present.” Touting revolutionary health and leisure programs that provide a total revitalization of one’s entire being, the executives of Vimuville Chemical Company (Visceral Muscular Vitalisation of Latent Libidinal Energy) are actually conducting unethical experiments at their health spa in Yantabulla. So when employee Ryan Brennan (Robert Simper) meddles with the computer system at the facility, gaining access to damning files, he’s targeted for a vicious assassination – with an injection from a glowing green syringe (like the one from “Re-Animator”) by the conniving Shaan (Regina Gaigalas).

The plot grows even more sinister than that, however. The entirety of Pebbles Court in Homesville (in Melbourne) becomes the target of vitamin samples from Vimuville, using the unwitting people as test subjects – destined to destroy the population of the picturesque suburb. Ryan is unable to warn the townspeople in time, resulting in the widespread ingestion of the potent drugs, which have some outrageous side effects. As Brennan suggests with a recorded warning, the first phase is hallucinogenic, the second phase is glandular, and the third phase is … “body melt” – which is so mutilative that it’s practically an alien invasion and decimation of the human form.

After resident Paul (William McInnes) tries the vitamins, he begins seeing disturbing visions. But running concurrently is a subplot of lost teenagers (Nick Polites and Maurie Annese) trying to donate sperm at the health farm, which they believe to be packed with attractive women, though their first stop is at a diner run by slapstick versions of characters from “The Texas Chain Saw Massacre.” It’s basically a separate film, which drags out the already short runtime, adding nothing to the main premise. Even as a pair of detectives investigates the suspicious circumstances surrounding Vimuville, it almost feels as if an insincere notion to stretch out the heart of the picture.

“This place sucks, you know!” Produced by Dumb Films, this Australian indie is an extreme satire of the health and fitness industry, as well as the craze for taking supplements and cutting-edge pharmaceuticals. Here, supposed cognition enhancers are actually incredibly corrosive enzymes, which lead to exceptional body horror sequences. Following along in the vein of “Dead Alive,” “Body Melt” features not just needles in arms, autopsy shots, and goopy discharges, but also graphic nudity and explosive parasitical creatures, like something from “Xtro” or “Species.” It’s goofy, particularly due to its low budget and use of no-name actors, but many of the shots are nevertheless impressive.

With a pulsing soundtrack full of techno sounds and beats, as if the whole movie is a workout video, this repulsive body horror opus steadily builds up to some masterfully revolting imagery. Special makeup and blood effects are quite exquisite, merging bloody bodily destruction with comical excessiveness – including with sexual concepts. It’s oftentimes as funny as it is absolutely vile. Unfortunately, despite the visuals, which are the obvious appeal for this horror-comedy hybrid, the story just isn’t orchestrated in a sensible enough manner; the plot progression is too slow and disjointed (along with the editing) to do justice to the over-the-top, slimy yucks (part of this is due to the fact that the script was based on four short stories by writer/director/composer/sound designer/music mixer Philip Brophy). Though the film’s reach was (and still is) limited, it would be interesting to know if it had any influence on Coralie Fargeat’s award-winning “The Substance” (2024), which shares similar ideas and themes.

– Mike Massie