Review by Adam Stephen Kelly
Stars Victoria Hopkins, Warren Speed, Peter Bonner, Christian Steel | Written by Warren Speed & Steve O'Brien
UK Cert 18 | UK RRP £12.99 | DVD Region 2 | Runtime 85 minutes | Directed by Warren Speed & Steve O'Brien
Starring, co-written and co-directed by Warren Speed, a male burlesque performer-turned screen actor, the awesomely-titled Zombie Women of Satan may sound like some bizarre Italian film from the '70s that ran the grindhouse circuit, but it is in fact a fun, silly and gory British zomedy of not so epic proportions. The film goes as far as it can visually with its undoubtedly modest budget, but where the best qualities lie are in the performances and writing.
The League of Gentlemen with zombies sprang to mind when watching, although I'm not exactly sure that the undead creatures referenced so to the point in the title are actually zombies, more the hideous products of equally as morbid experiments by a madman who, when his compound proves to lack the suitable fortifications to withstand the force of the children of his weird science, is completely oblivious to the horror that escapes from his walls.
The reference to the bizarrely brilliant The League of Gentlemen television series above was founded in the characters, the majority of whom in prominence make up a band of nightclub performers, though they're more like a circus sideshow (or freakshow) made up of the sex-obsessed Pervo the Clown, a dwarf by the name of Zeus, a mute giant of a man, and Johnny Dee Hellfire. How's that for a name?
The group of oddities have their underground TV interview ruined by the crazed, bloodthirsty women who love ripping off their clothes; a show hosted by the son of the warped DIY scientist and member of a strange cult. It's all a bit... well, crazy.
The touring freakshow form a cohesive unit with the television host and Skye Brannigan, played by the lovely Aussie Victoria Hopkins, who I had the pleasure of meeting last month at the Birdemic: Shock and Terror UK premiere. She's a tough-as-a-two-dollar-steak woman on a mission to save her sister from the outbreak after she discovers that she's still alive after a sudden disappearance. Hopkins brings a Bruce Campbell/Ash Williams-like quality to the film and fits right in with the rapport of the weirdos, the highlight of which is the constant (and very funny) banter and war of words had by Pervo and Johnny Dee Hellfire.
Zombie Women of Satan isn't wonderful, but it's certainly wacky. It's comical, outlandish and a film that I can see garnering a cult following, and for all the right reasons. In an interview, Warren Speed tells of his desire to make a number of sequels. While that may be thinking a little far ahead, I'm all for seeing part two as Skye, Pervo and Johnny are three characters that I definitely want to see fighting off hordes of blood-soaked women once again.
EXTRAS ★★ Original trailer, interview with co-writer/co-director/actor Warren Speed, stills gallery and an audio commentary.
See who won the crown of Miss Zombie Queen UK 2010, presented by Zombie Women of Satan.