FILM REVIEW: 'CHAINSAW SALLY'
by Greg Hansen
Starring: April Monique Burril (SILVER SCREAM), Mark Redfield (THE CURSE OF THE SCREAMING DEAD), Gunnar Hansen (THE TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE), Herschell Gordon Lewis (TWO THOUSAND MANIACS!), Alec Joseph (SILVER SCREAM), Jennifer Rouse (THE DEATH OF POE)
Directed by: JimmyO Burril
“Meet the Girl of Your Screams.”
A good many of you have probably already run across CHAINSAW SALLY. The film was completed back in 2004. But, until recently, has been without a distributor. Now, you can all look forward to finally viewing CHAINSAW SALLY in all of her sick, bloody and sexy goodness sometime this year!
CHAINSAW SALLY is the story of Sally and her brother, Ruby (yes her brother). See when they were kids they saw their parents brutally murdered (the mother raped first and possibly after) by a band of escaped inmates. Just before the father (played all too briefly by Gunnar Hansen) dies from a gunshot wound he fires up the household chainsaw and metes out some revved up justice. Sally and Ruby learn the lesson that all “bad people” must be punished.
Somehow Sally and her strange little brother grow up together in the small town of Porterville. The fate of their family sinking into local urban legend. Sally becomes the local librarian. While Ruby... Well Ruby just pretty much stays home, plays dress-up and keeps the house “pretty”. Sally spends her days quietly running the small library. But at night she hunts down and punishes those who she feels fall into the “evil” catagory. And by evil I mean talking too loudly in the library, not returning books for others to enjoy or misspelling words like “malt”. A small town like Porterville doesn't spawn too many real evil-doers. Sally and Ruby make do.
Sally keeps the tools of her chosen trade up-to-date at the local hardware store run by Mr. Gordon (played by H.G. Lewis). Mr. Gordon runs is all smiles. He'd complain. But who'd listen? The town is patrolled by two bumbling cops who pretty much assure that Sally will never get caught.
But now an evil developer has come to Porterville with plans to buy and pave over Sally's family home. And that just won't do... It's time for some chainsaw justice!
Sally is damn sexy and equally brutal to those who fall under her scrutiny. But don't think this is a cluster-fuck of violence. The film makes sense. The characters get properly developed. We understand why Sally does what she does. There is an interesting conversation had between Sally and the wealthy land-owner who is unforunate enough to own the land where Sally's old homestead sits about vigilantism. What would Batman do?
Although it's shot on DV the film looks pretty good. Some of the night-time stuff is difficult to make out. But you can forgive an independant film. The gore effects are top notch in my book, considering the budget. The hottest woman in the film (Jennifer Rouse), other than Sally of course, gets the nastiest death... Just gruesome. That'll teach her to insult people.
Jamie Taylor and JimmyO put together a KICK ASS soundtrack, by the way. You get Calabrese, The Dead Elvi (SWEET!), Piss Ant, Big John Bates, The Alphabet Bombers, Grave Dangerand Brian Huddell. I want this damn soundtrack.
CHAINSAW SALLY is a true independant film kept alive by word of mouth (almost 4 years of word of mouth!) and the hope of eventual distribution. All of that should pay off later this year. I expect all of you to, at the very least, to give this a rental.
Oh and be sure to check out Chainsaw Sally's personal website. Yummy! I want my own Sally...
Keep your eyes peeled for BLOODKIN: CHAINSAW SALLY 2!
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