Herschell Gordon Lewis has his fans. I am one of them. To a degree. His approach is definitely not one to appreciate in the company of people unused to his style, but he does what he does well. And what he does well is use very limited resources to showcase some imaginatively nasty bloodshed and mutilation.
Here we have a tale of death and scalping, introduced by two shop dummies (in voiceover, thankfully not animated). Old Mrs Pringle (Elizabeth Davis) sometimes provides a room to rent for the girls at the local university. And this brings Kathy Baker (Gretchen Wells) into her home. She also has her dangerous son, Rodney (Chris Martell), living with her. Mrs. Pringle has a reputation for providing some of the best wigs in the area. But it turns out that they are the best because Rodney helps.
Written by Louise Downe, this is a mix of preposterous fun and very nasty grue, with a lot of dull dialogue filling out the rest of the runtime. So pretty much on a par with every other Herschell Gordon Lewis movie. Having said that, the man knows what his fans want from him, and he provides. This may be a lesser film from him, but it is certainly not one of his very worst. Dare I suggest it could be another that would benefit from a remake? I dare, I dare.
Davis is okay as the deadly old lady, and Wells is a pleasant enough lead, and Martell has to grin and leer in scenes that show him either being sweet or being in full killer mode. If you have seen any other Lewis movie then you will know what to expect from the actors.
It's very hard not to at least admire any Lewis movie, even if only for the fact that he got it made. Everything else may be lacking, but the practical effects were always done enthusiastically enough to keep viewers distracted while they were the focus.
It's no Blood Feast or Two Thousand Maniacs! but few films are, for better or for worse.
5/10
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