THE BUTCHERS

(A.k.a. DEATH FACTORY; THE FACTORY)

A busload of stereotypical characters travel along one of America's many desert roads. Among them are US soldier Simon (Damien Puckler), his brother Brian (Cameron Bowen), two ethnic tarts who dress like they've left their pimp at home, Big Momma-alike Auntie May (Mara Hall), bible-bashing couple Bill (Braxton Davis) and Daisy (Milly Sanders), aspiring volleyball star Jan (Christy Keller) and her protective muscle-bound brother Kip (Jacob Hobbs), and horny Goths Ren (Jeremy Thorsen) and Star (Tonya Kay).

Their bus breaks down in the middle of nowhere. Lo and behold, none of them can get a signal on their mobile 'phones. Luckily, Kip spots a sign for a nearby attraction: a remote serial killer museum known as the "Death Factory". Reasoning that it might at least have a landline from which they can ring for help - and some chicken for May, the group make their way there on foot.

Little do they know that the museum has had a visitor a short while earlier: sharp-dressed JB (Semi Anthony) who, after posing as a lawyer with an unhealthy interest in serial killers, tries to buy the place from its owner (Randall Bosley). When his offer is rejected, JB gets nasty and carves the owner up. The museum, by default, has now become his. He wastes no time in drawing a pentagram on the floor of one its buildings, getting out his Book of the Dead and preparing to invoke a spell designed to bring history's most notorious murderers back from their graves.

However, his quest is interrupted when he hears Simon and co turn up outside. JB quickly grabs an axe and lurks in the shadows, watching them as they inspect the place. Ren and Star sneak off from the others to make out, thus stumbling across JB's plans. In an unlikely plot twist, thick-as-two-short-planks Ren recognises the Latin scribing in the Book of the Dead as an ancient resurrection spell. Of course, he recites it in a bid to turn his raven-haired girlfriend on. His plight is successful - both at getting Star's knickers off, and bringing the dead back to life.

It's not long before the rest of the motley group realise they are stranded in a remote setting with freshly resurrected versions of Ed Gein (Gary Kasper), Jeffrey Dahmer (Marion Kopf), Albert Fish (Rick Williamson), John Wayne Gacy (Hawk Walts), the Zodiac killer (John C Epperson) and even Jack the Ripper (Mary LeGault). That's right; the latter is portrayed by a female. A female who wears a G-string and is not averse to seducing other women before sticking the knife into them.

THE BUTCHERS is an odd proposition. It's clearly a low budget affair. The photography suggests that much, as do the wildly uneven performances and some curious editing choices which smack of inexperience. Also, the FX work - while gory - is rudimentary to the point that one character hides a blade under his arm and stands side-profile to pretend it's ran him through. Oh, and the fact that LeGault has been dubbed by the voice of Katy Silvester, and that the effect has been achieved so clumsily, is also a tell-tale sign of limited production resources ...

But, in its favour, the film races along at breakneck speed and is never dull. Once the killers are resurrected the action is pretty much non-stop. Humour is prevalent, some of it daft enough to qualify as AIRPLANE!-esque. Violence, meanwhile, comes across as surprisingly mean-spirited - so much so that it feels curiously at odds with the screenplay's more comedic aspects.

The cast are generally likeable. Puckler is a silly buffed-up hero, but he has the right amount of charisma and muscle to carry the lead role - just. Hall suffers under what I'd consider a racist role, but does a good job of getting the main laughs regardless. The weakest link is undoubtedly Anthony, who speaks in a stilted fashion and looks like a rabbit in the headlights whenever he's required to express emotion. He was presumably hired for his physique and his moves, as he and Puckler get some nifty hand-to-hand combat sequences later into proceedings.

There's a daft twist at the end of the show which is in keeping with the absurdity of it all.

I don't know, THE BUTCHERS was so strange. It's a great idea that's been made really cheesy by director Steven Judd. And yet, though I may later hate myself for saying this, I was entertained a great deal by it.

The film was sent to review as an online screener. It looked good in 16x9 widescreen, boasting strong colours and well-lit scenarios. The English 2.0 audio came across well too.

THE BUTCHERS can currently be picked up to view on digital download/Amazon Instant Video, where you may find it loitering under one of the alternate titles shown at the start of this review.

By Stuart Willis