Reviewed by Adam Stephen Kelly
Stars Tom Lodewyck, Greg Johnson, Melissa Jo Murphy,
Carmela Weise, Lloyd Kaufman | Written by Cory J Udler
UK cert Unrated | UK RRP £6.99 | DVD Region 2 | Runtime 90 minutes | Directed by Cory J Udler
When Wisconsin film-maker Cory J Udler was made redundant, rather than bitch and moan and go on the news, he decided to make a movie. Digging out and fixing up a script he had written years prior, Udler decided to make his directorial debut with a modern day exploitation film that is access all areas in the realm of offensiveness.
In Incest Death Squad, nothing is sacred. All manner of bodily fluids are spilled, religious iconography is soaked in blood, a full-frontal naked man gets a little necro-frisky with a corpse of the same sex... I could go on.
On top of the disgusting, fleshy mountain of murder, bloodshed and necrophilia... or, more universally: at the heart of the cinematic story, there's a loving couple. Oh wait, scrap that last part, because they're a brother and sister who believe that they have been brought into the world to kill in the name of the lord, turning God's green earth rather red. The incestuous team, Jeb and Amber Wayne, thrive on murdering tourists in the backwoods of Wisconsin and having blood orgies amidst their butchered bodies. Pleasant, isn't it? The film pretty much covers the field in terms of depravity — I could write what this film encompasses and conjoin “ploitation” to the words until the cows come home.
Aside from the incest and the killings, the extremely low-budget Incest Death Squad revolves around a reporter (Tom Lodewyck), who has been sent to Wisconsin to investigate a story on Chronic Wasting Disease by his eccentric boss (played wonderfully, yet totally outrageously by Troma CEO Lloyd Kaufman). As he works on getting his story, Tom sees a pattern emerging in the recent murders that have been happening in the area and turns his attention to investigating the deaths.
In an indie film where, as you would expect, the performances are a mixed bag, Lodewyck stands out from the crowd. He's more than a decent actor, and delivers a very promising performance. Another actor to take note of is big man Greg Johnson, who plays Jeb Wayne. I can't reinforce enough how perfect he is for the role of an incestuous, murderous colossus. I'm sure that doesn't reflect on the actor!
This rampaging confetti of exploitation is laced with comedy. Indie film-making legend Lloyd Kaufman, creator of The Toxic Avenger, is hilarious in his eccentricity, and Tom Lodewyck has some brilliant facial expressions and reactions as the unassuming reporter. It's a very funny film, soon to be distributed rather fittingly by Troma Entertainment, but at the same time extremely grizzly, savage and downright dirty! I very much liked it and can't wait to see what repulsive wonderment will be unraveled in the announced sequel.
EXTRAS ★ Behind-the-scenes features and cast and crew interviews.