Fetish Factory

The 2017 movie "Cabaret of the Dead" (aka "Fetish Factory") is labeled as being a horror comedy. Well, that might be debatable.

I didn't really know what I was getting myself into when I sat down to watch this movie. Sure, I had read the synopsis, and a movie with zombies is always something that I will sit down to watch.

Well, I endured 40 minutes of the ordeal that is known as "Fetish Factory" at the hand of director Staci Layne Wilson, and then I just was ready to claw my eyes out.

First of all, the storyline in the movie was just atrociously bad and ridiculous, offering nothing of any worth to the audience. And the characters in the movie were bland and mundane, again offering nothing to the audience, unless you enjoy looking at scantily clad women. Then there were the actresses, portraying these stale characters, and they were uniformly unable to perform well; their acting was questionable, their dancing was dubious and they just felt awkward on the screen.

And that leads me to the zombies. This was low budget. Really low budget. And what was going on with the eyes that sometimes were flashing a poorly CGI added white effect only to revert to normal eyes moments later? This was just stupid.

I am not counting "Fetish Factory" as a proper addition to the zombie genre, because this was an abysmal movie. I am rating it a mere one out of ten stars, and it truly is among some of the worst of zombie movies I have ever had to sit fully or partially through. With no intention of returning to finish the rest of this movie, I can honestly say; don't bother with this stinker.

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

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.

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