MEAT GRINDER

Oriental horror audiences like a bit of cannibalistic horror as much as their Western counterparts it seems, and the opening frames of Meat Grinder show us that 'long pig' is very much on the menu in this ultra-grisly serving of Thai cuisine. However blood-splattered this film is, however, it is by no means brainless: this is a film that frames its goriness with a compelling story, interesting characters and stylish production. In short, this film has plenty for the gorehounds and a lot more besides.

The film opens with a man searching for his missing girlfriend, Aoi, who had come to the city to find work - but her boss, Buss, tells him that she's run away with Buss's husband. Unbelieving, Aoi's boyfriend Chart starts to search the unkempt premises for her - we know this is a bad idea as we've already seen what Buss was preparing to cook. 'You really want to see her, don't you?' says Buss, as she hacks his leg off below the knee and subjects him to an incredibly gruesome array of cooking preparations…

Buss is no two-dimensional killer though, and she has reasons - just or unjust - for doing what she's doing. We learn that her absentee husband has left her with debts, and loan sharks are beginning to circle. She and her daughter, Bua, are in a precarious situation: if Buss wants to keep their home and avoid prostituting herself to the seedy loan shark, then she has to sell more food, and only meat really sells well. But her behaviour isn't completely utilitarian: Buss is as fragile as she is murderous, suffers from flashbacks to her childhood, and struggles in her relationship with her daughter. She's evidently a character whose attempts at maintaining a sense of normality are coming unstuck pretty quickly so when Chart's friend Attapon comes looking for him, this could all have turned into a familiar cat-and-mouse plot. It doesn't - the film has a lot more to offer. Attapon begins to develop romantic feelings for this quiet, troubled woman despite already feeling something for a young neighbour, Nid. As Buss and Attapon's relationship grows, Buss is able to explore her more emotional side, but this seems to make her past more difficult to bear…

Slowly, piece-by-piece, the plot develops. This requires concentration - the action is circular, moving backwards from the film's opening scenes and then forward again, picking up information along the way - but perseverance is worth it, and the exposition is there. The film is quite light on dialogue and communicates a great deal nonverbally, but in so doing we get to see a Thailand beyond the longhaired ghosts we're familiar with: here we have poverty, civil unrest, abuse, and personal tragedy.

All of this contextualises, but does not detract from the intense and unsettlingly nasty horror which Meat Grinder has to offer. Buss's brutal side does not skimp on the nail-splintering, limb-hacking, throat-slitting and flesh-eating action, and Meat Grinder is so unforgettably grisly because of the artistic handling of these scenes throughout. I have been massively impressed with the technical expertise of a lot of the modern Thai horror I've seen, and Meat Grinder is one of the best examples of this: this is a stylish, beautifully-shot and lit film with vivid, sharp colours (especially red!) and a crisp sound transfer which really made me squirm during some of the 'food preparation' scenes. The film is slick with blood but it's slickly done, and feels like an example of highbrow gore. Meat Grinder weaves brooding atmosphere with gruesome effects, and definitely makes for a worthwhile watch - maintaining its appeal right through to an ambiguous ending.

Review by Keri O'Shea