Rating: 3.5/5
Hooptober 5.0 | 25/32 | Woman-Directed 1/2
Note: All of the mutilations, bodily dismemberments, and cannibal rituals were performed by seasoned professionals. Please do not attempt any of these stunts at home. Thank you.
Two young boys, George and Michael, sit at home. The radio warns of a maniac on the loose with a meat cleaver in one hand and his genitals in another. While Michael tries to hypnotize the dog, bangs erupt against the front door. A hand rips holes through it and emerges through. Blood spatters his disheveled shirt as he holds a meat cleaver above his head.
The kids recognize him — he’s their beloved Uncle Anwar.
Uncle Anwar reminds them of their favorite story of the ancient Lemurians and the goddess Sheetar. He gives them some amulets before the police pull up. Anwar runs at the police with his cleaver, chanting Sheetar, as the police fill him full of lead.
Cut to the present day. The security guard at a grave site comes across adult George and Michael digging up their uncle. One hits the guard with a shovel, causing the guard’s eyeballs to fly out. The boys extract Anwar’s brain, put it in a jar, and perform a resurrection spell.
Anwar gives them their instructions: collect body parts to create a vessel for Sheetar and provide a “blood buffet” for Sheetar to consume.
The movie is an absurd comedy, riffing in a splatter-filled world reminiscent of an HG Lewis movie. Every diner is vegetarian, and a beloved patron is a disfigured mannequin. In one of the film’s most notorious scenes, the brothers don Ronald and Nancy Reagan masks and shoot up a nude aerobicizing cheerleader squad.
Jackie Kong aimed to create a movie so outrageous it would catch even the most jaded genre fan off-guard. She also made the brothers hot boys, which makes them more sympathetic in their goofy antics. Rick Burks was a hottie, and that might be why I continued watching.
Kong also brought her crew from Night Patrol, comprised mostly of women. Also, Ellen Steloff, the EP, was the main reason the studio green-lit the film. I only bring it up because folks often throw movies like these into the pile of “orgiastic male fantasy.” But it’s not uncommon to find women behind some of the most fucked up horror films, especially in the no-budget arena.
The film started as a sequel to Blood Feast, but the distributor didn’t think anyone would remember it. I don’t love HG Lewis or Splatter, so adding a more absurdist layer over it makes it much more tolerable.
This movie isn’t for everyone, but genre fans may find its gory hijinks charming.