The Corpse Grinders (1971)

When the Lotus Cat Food Company finds itself in financial trouble, the owners decide to find a new, cheap source of meat -- the local graveyard. Only one problem -- soon cats develop a ... See full summary »

Director:

Ted V. Mikels

Writers:

Arch Hall Sr. (screenplay), Joseph Cranston (screenplay),

Stars:

Sean Kenney, Monika Kelly, Sanford Mitchell

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Sean Kenney	...	Dr. Howard Glass
Monika Kelly	...	Angie Robinson
Sanford Mitchell	...	Landau
J. Byron Foster	...	Maltby
Warren Ball	...	Caleb
Ann Noble	...	Cleo
Vincent Barbi	...	Monk (as Vince Barbi)
Harry Lovejoy	...	The Neighbor
Earl Burnam	...	Mr. Desisto
Zena Foster	...	Mrs. Babcock
Ray Dannis	...	Mr. Babcock
Drucilla Hoy	...	Tessie
Charles Fox	...	Willie (as Charles 'Foxy' Fox)
Stephen Lester	...	The Mortician
William Kirschner	...	B.K. - Mort. Asst.

Storyline

When the Lotus Cat Food Company finds itself in financial trouble, the owners decide to find a new, cheap source of meat -- the local graveyard. Only one problem -- soon cats develop a taste for human flesh, and tabbies are tearing out throats all over town.

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Plot Keywords:

cat | human flesh | food | pet food | corpse | 

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Taglines:

They Went in People and Came Out Hamburger!

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Genres:

Comedy | Horror

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Certificate:

R

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

21 April 1972 (West Germany)

Also Known As:

Night of the Howling Beast

Box Office

Budget:

$47,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

CG Productions, T.V. Mikels Film Corporation

Technical Specs

Runtime:

72 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Released in the U.S. as the main attraction in a triple-feature package with The Embalmer (US title: The Embalmer, original title: Il mostro di Venezia) and The Undertaker and His Pals.

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Quotes

Caleb's wifey: [watching Caleb bring another body in the back door of their house] Oh not another one!
Caleb: What are you babbling about?

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Connections

Referenced in Drive-in Movie Memories (2001)

User Reviews

Its not a trash classic, but its the only Mikels film to be reasonably consistent

Ted V. Mikels is an exploitation filmmaker sometimes mentioned in the same category as H.G. Lewis or Ray Dennis Steckler. He really doesn't deserve his place in psychotronic history alongside those legends. "The Astro-Zombies" had its amusing moments amongst the dullness while "The Girl In Gold Boots" and "The Doll Squad" were completely worthless. His only truly entertaining film is this. Its not a trash classic, but its the only Mikels film to be reasonably consistent. For one, even though its not lightning, the pace is much quicker than any of his other films. For Mikels, this means I may have looked at my watch only once or twice. Yes, this is a bad movie, but its disorienting enough to provide some fun for drive-in fans.

The gore effects are few but the cat attacks are riotous. Meant to look menacing, the cats come across as just slightly confused. The acting is all around horrible. The doctor has just a bit more appeal than Tom Pace (star of "Astro-Zombies" and "The Girl In Gold Boots"), but not much more. The heroine was chosen simply for her ample bust it seems for some intrusive disrobing sequences (it stops when she gets down to the bra and panties). The gravediggers are the highlight of the film. They provide some attempts at dark humor which just comes across as being surreal. Interestingly enough, the head bad guy Sanford Mitchell bears a striking resemblance to Andy Kaufman. Was this whole film another one of his legendary pranks? Who knows ... (5/10)