Fetish Factory

Looking like it was shot on a cheap camcorder, and sounding like the dialog was recorded by the camera's mic, the dialog audio swaps around with nearly every cut, making it hard to follow anything the actors say. The burlesque performances have a look like there was no music playing in the room for them to work off of. A student theater group with a smart phone and some LED Panels could probably do better,. I feel a swell of sorrow for the poor soul that had to try and soundmix this film. Even if you're a die-hard Burlesque fan, you'd be better off going to see a local performance then sitting through this one.

"Fetish Factory" ("Cabaret of the Dead") delivers what is titled-and then some! Pin-up vixens perform acts on stage to an enamored group of paying customers in this sexy zom-com (zomedy). However, just because this feature film is visually appealing doesn't mean that there aren't some deeper messages (which, thankfully, don't disrupt the aesthetic flow). For example: a darkly delightful twist near the end, where surreptitious survival is involved, supports sexual equality, in a sense, and there's an anti-ageism vibe throughout as well. One of the femme fatales who stands out is Irma (played by Diane Ayala Goldner). Her sexy stand-up comedy keeps the audience captive alright! Unfortunately for the performers and patrons alike who've gathered for the risqué entertainment, a zombie outbreak has transpired. Safely inside the American Queen Anne-style house, at least for some time, the erotic group gathered has no idea that zombies are shambling outside. I consider these zombies retro-fetch, as they are awesome because they remind me of the zombies from one of my favorite zombie flicks: "Night of the Comet."

In addition, the title doesn't just point to the human fetishists gathered. Fetishism is also represented in the creepy broken-faced doll, the mannequin, the red shoes and even the house itself-all which greatly add to the visually menacing atmosphere. Stellar auditory ambience is delivered through the music of Mars Homeworld and The Ventures.

This artistically inclined movie proves that you don't have to have a huge budget to make an impressive film. This would be so much fun to show at a Halloween Soirée!

GL Giles

Working in a high-class cabaret act, a group of women are determined to play true to the old-school ideals of the profession for their customers, and as they go about their nightly routine as normal they are suddenly attacked by a swarm of zombies forcing them to try to survive the creatures.

Overall, this was a fairly fun throwback effort. One of the better features here is the gleefully old-school setup and approach that allows this to wallow in the kind of charmingly cheesy atmosphere present. The whole concept of the Cabaret showcase being playfully erotic without being outright sleazy means that it manages to go through the numerous instances of getting the women into various stages of skimpy clothing or undergoing ornate costume changes while keeping a classy and respectful vibe throughout, which is a great touch. Despite getting the girls backstage changing into their outfits or out on stage performing routines for their fans, the idea that it never crosses the boundary into more overt territory makes this one incredibly fun with the antics of the dancers in this environment starting incredibly well. While this works nicely, the genre aspects here are a bit hit-or-miss. The main scenes of them invading the cabaret club and attacking the girls while trying to perform their routines and sexual indulgences on customers makes for a strong enough idea that it does have some fun moments of the group getting swarmed and ambushed. Given that there's some decent enough gore and action here to make it somewhat entertaining, this is also done quite late into the film with only brief bits of the creatures advancing to help give it the tone and appearance of a genre effort. As this also sets up the somewhat bizarre finale where far too many victims are left alive, the whole thing is dismissed with an air of indifference that makes everything feel less imposing than it should've been, and the outcome of the survivors is dependent on a nonsensical twist, it does have some minor issues.

Rated Unrated/R: Graphic Language and Violence.

Rarely have I seen a movie that teases the viewer as much as this one. The movie is strangely careful about pushing the envelope as far as it can without directly showing nudity. Some of the burlesque scenes are worth watching. The horror side of it is rather flat.

The only thing that I found enjoyable about this movie was Tristan Risk.