Slaughterhouse (1987)

The owner of a slaughterhouse facing foreclosure instructs his obese and mentally disabled son to go on a killing spree against the people who want to buy his property.

Director:

Rick Roessler

Writer:

Rick Roessler

Stars:

Joe B. Barton, Don Barrett, Sherry Leigh

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Joe B. Barton	...	Buddy Bacon (as Joe Barton)
Don Barrett	...	Lester Bacon
Sherry Leigh	...	Liz Borden (as Sherry Bendorf)
Bill Brinsfield	...	Tom Sanford
Jason Collier	...	Ronnie
Dave Fogel	...	Disc Jockey
Jeff Grossi	...	Buzz
Hank Gum	...	Herb
Linda Harris	...	Barbara
Jane Higginson	...	Annie
Joel Hoffman	...	Kevin
William Houck	...	Sheriff Borden
Courtney Lercara	...	Michele
Tom Normand	...	Ernie
Lee Robinson	...	Harold Murdock

Storyline

Owner of a closed down slaughterhouse sets his intellectually disabled psychopathic son on the people who want to take his land away and the unlucky teens that decided to party there.

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Plot Keywords:

dead cat | no ending | psycho killer | cliffhanger ending | implied unhappy ending | 

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Taglines:

You'll never get out in one piece

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Genres:

Comedy | Horror

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Certificate:

R

Did You Know?

Trivia

Since Joe B. Barton was only 5'9", he had to stand on a ramp in certain scenes in order to appear taller than he actually was.

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Quotes

Buddy Bacon: [finding a pile of dismembered corpses] My God, boy, what have you done? Why... why? You mean they were messin' with your pigs? Jesus Christ, boy, you cant just slaughter people 'cause they were messin' with your hogs! Now we're in a heap of trouble. Ah, shit... I buy you a new drum-bunker cleaver for your birthday, and *this* is how you repay me? Sometimes you really piss me off. At least you made good, clean cuts.

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Alternate Versions

The 1989 UK Braveworld video had 2 mins 47 secs of BBFC cuts with heavy edits to shots of bloody bodies, a woman being attacked, a throat slashing, heads being crushed and a man's body in a meat grinder.

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Connections

References Late Night with David Letterman (1982)

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Soundtracks

Two Hearts
Written, Performed, and Produced by Vantage Point

User Reviews

Formulaic, brainless, and bloody

...and that's not necessarily a bad thing. "Slaughterhouse" follows an aging abattoir owner and his obese, mentally-disabled son, who are fighting off the business's closure at the hands of upgraded, mechanized forms of pig slaughtering. The unhinged father soon begins retaliating against city officials, police, and soon enough, a group of teenagers, who step foot on the property, dispatching them via his ogrous son.

It's quite clear while watching "Slaughterhouse" that the filmmakers were riffing heavily on "The Texas Chain Saw Massacre," and, more often than not, "Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2," given the goofy demeanor the film possesses. Despite this, "Slaughterhouse" also manages to be alternately dark, dingy, and grim at times, so the film offers the audience a little bit of everything-and somehow, it sort of works.

The plot is formulaic as can be, and the set-ups and devices here are well-worn for anyone who has seen a slasher movie. The film threads two narratives together; one of the father and son running the slaughterhouse, and another on a group of teens who eventually end up attending a party that lands them at the slaughterhouse to...well, be slaughtered. It's mindless fun, and is surprisingly quite gory, boasting pretty solid special effects, and crisp, professional cinematography. The acting is decent and appropriately goofy, with Sherry Bendorf providing a likable lead, for as much as the audience is able to be acquainted with her at least.

The film's finale is where the mayhem really lets loose and Buddy, the hulking son, gets to claim some virgin (and non-virgin) blood. The ending caught me off guard a bit, but serves as a fitting conclusion to a film that is full of multitudes. In the end, "Slaughterhouse" is well-made as far as late '80s slasher films go. It is certainly not high art, but it's slickly-made and eccentric enough to warrant interest from fans well-acquainted with the genre. 6/10.

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

28 August 1987 (USA)

Also Known As:

Bacon Bits

Filming Locations:

Lakeside, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$110,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

American Artists

Technical Specs

Runtime:

85 min

Sound Mix:

Ultra Stereo

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1