- Alternative Character Interpretation:
- Due to the heavily Mind Screw nature of the film, it's hard to tell if the recurring characters even exist. Are Tommy and Sophia separate characters from the killer and the hooker, respectively? How much of what Labby says is true? Do the Liquid Memories really work the way the Killer thinks they do? The list of questions go on.
- The grinning black cyclopes who're observing but not interacting with events make the most sense as an extremely unflattering portrait of a theoretical audience that would actually enjoy watching the film; their Synchro-Vox eyes in particular can be easily interpreted as Rule of Symbolism.
- Bile Fascination: A movie considered so repulsive, even the most dedicated animation critics refuse to watch/review it. Perhaps unsurprisingly, this has lead to some people developing a morbid curiosity towards the film.
- Common Knowledge: It’s often claimed that the movie is a Black Comedy when it’s actually a straight Surreal Horror film. These claims probably come from the fact that Tainted Milk was originally meant to be a Dark Parody of Lassie but was later retooled into straight horror.
- Crosses the Line Twice: According to the creator, Tainted Milk was partly an attempt at this, but production focused more on the horror aspect afterwards.
- Jerkass Woobie: The protagonist in Liquid Memories. He may be a crazy Serial Killer with confusing intentions, but he is easily one of the more sympathetic characters in the entire film, if but for his inner suffering and the torment those strange creatures seem to be putting him through.
- Mis-blamed: ScreamerClauz has been misquoted numerous times about his intended tone for the film. Tainted Milk was originally intended as a Black Comedy Homage to Lassie, but was mostly changed afterwards to focus more on the Surreal Horror. However, many have claimed that the film as a whole was a disturbing failed attempt at Black Comedy, when in reality the rest of the film was always intended as straight horror.
- Narm: Easily one of the biggest, if not the biggest criticism of the film is that it's extremely difficult to take seriously. Because it constantly throws so much horrifyingly shocking content at the audience without ever letting up, many end up finding the movie humorous in a Crosses the Line Twice kind of way.note And that's not even getting into the poor animation and equally bad dialog. Specific examples:
- When Labby emasculates Tommy's father, the victim angrily shouts, of all possible responses, "Fucking faggot dog!"Diamanda Hagan: ...yes, movie. The dog is a faggot.
- At one point, the killer in "Liquid Memories" gets into a fistfight with one of his hallucination monsters. And it's shot from a side view like a fighting game.
- When Labby emasculates Tommy's father, the victim angrily shouts, of all possible responses, "Fucking faggot dog!"
- Nausea Fuel: Pretty much a given for the film. Keep a healthy dose of Brain Bleach at hand during a watch.
- Shock Fatigue: Usually goes hand-and-hand with the narm; the film's barrage of shocking content, ranging from extreme gore to transgressive subjects like child porn, can get tiring real quick.
- Special Effect Failure: The film was made using simple at-home software, and it shows with the tweening issues, inconsistent lip-syncing, and animation that ranges from stiff to almost nonexistent. In fairness, these were some of the creator's first attempts at CGI animation, and he was learning as he went along.
- Spiritual Adaptation:
- Many commentators consider this film to be the surreal, animated equivalent of A Serbian Film.
- It also gives off a similar vibe to a German underground horror film due to its extreme gore and its surreal No Budget aesthetic, sort of like if Olaf Ittenbach or Jörg Buttgereit decided to do an animated film.
- Squick: Almost too many to count, though the forced abortion in Tainted Milk and the child pornography in The Mask That the Monsters Wear deserve serious top mention.
- Tear Jerker:
- The hooker's death, even if her lines aren't the most well-written.
- Tommy wishing his parents back to life, only to be duped by the monsters. Then we have shot of him later picking up his dead unborn brother and hugging him.
- This Is Your Premise on Drugs: The creator admitted that he was high on pot cookies while making the film.
- Too Bleak, Stopped Caring: A common complaint in critical reviews is that the barrage of horror eventually takes the edge off itself. Even fans of Surreal Horror find the film's tone to be far too bleak, though whether they see it as being legitimately too twisted or so unabashedly dark it becomes goofy tends to vary.
http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Ymmv/WhereTheDeadGoToDie
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