Slaughterhouse Review

MPAA Rating: R
Released: 1987

With a name like Slaughterhouse, potential viewers pretty much know what they can expect without ever watching a sneak preview first: a fairly typical low-budget 80's horror flick. This time around the ruthless killer is a 350-pound behemoth of a man that squeals like a pig while chopping through his hapless victims with a massive cleaver. Although by no means a clone of Texas Chainsaw Massacre, it's clear that Slaughterhouse gathered some inspiration from that classic horror series.

Lester Bacon (Don Barrett) and his somewhat dim-witted son Buddy (Joe Barton) own a slaughterhouse in a dusty rural town. The problem is Lester has refused to progress with the times, and as such his once prosperous business is now experiencing hard times. The ranch is in foreclosure by the county, yet despite the imminent loss of the farm Lester refuses to sell his property to a rival businessman: Tom Sanford (Bill Brinsfield).

Instead the pressures of losing his farm cause Lester to devise a vile plan to lure three individuals he deems responsible for the loss of his farm over to his slaughterhouse so that his son Buddy can ruthlessly dispose of them in a variety of violent ways.

Lester's retarded son is all too happy to slaughter his father's enemies, and does so using his cleaver, a meat grinder and even by crushing a victim's skull with his own bare hands. Luckily for Buddy, his murder spree is not limited to just the three individuals responsible for the slaughterhouse's foreclosure, because there are plenty of typical teens hanging around the property to do everything from annoy his pigs to shooting a rock video.

When Sheriff Borden (William Houck) notices that townsfolk are suddenly disappearing, he begins to suspect that Lester and Buddy Bacon might have something to do with it. Little does he know, they have also captured his daughter Liz (Sherry Leigh), and if he doesn't rescue her in time she will become yet another lifeless slab of meat.

As with the Texas Chainsaw Massacre series, Slaughterhouse attempts to inject a bit of dark comedy into the mix, but for the most part such attempts fall flat. Some of the blame for this might lie with the actors: a veritable collection of nobodies, most of which never had more than this film to their acting credits. The acting isn't horrifically bad, but it's definitely low-budget faire that will cause some minor groans and eye rolls. (Though to be fair, Don Barrett put forth a fun and convincing performance as Lester – this guy actually could be considered a real actor).

Although Slaughterhouse was put together on a shoestring budget, the gore effects are remarkably good. Some of the kills entail little more than a splash of blood on the wall, but others present gruesome close-ups that appear more "realistic" than many of this movie's peers.

Using a 350-pound semi-retarded hulk as a killer isn't anything new, but Buddy Bacon's affinity with swine is carried to an abnormally high, distinct level. Buddy doesn't know a lick of English – he communicates by snorting and squealing just like a pig. While this twist won't earn any awards for innovation, it does keep things somewhat interesting in an absurd sort of way.

So what else should be said about Slaughterhouse? Ultimately this is a disposable 80's horror flick that won't be missed by most movie aficionados. On the other hand, horror fans that enjoy digging up obscure offerings will find enough twisted blood and fun to make Slaughterhouse a worthy viewing experience.

Movie rating: 4 stars

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