Charognard

I remember this movie vaguely. I saw it on "Elvira's Macabre Dark Mistress Theater"(or something like that). I have been reading a few of the above reviews and it is safe to assume that this flick has been rendered unanimously a Z-Grade howler of the very first order. And rightfully so. However, there is something to celebrate in this trash. And that would be the nostalgia of low-budget(to the say the least in this case) 70's garbage that can only be represented in the spirit of movies like this. "THE MEATEATER" was probably filmed by a wayward crew trying to cash in on the drive-in craze that saturated inner-city lots across the Midwest and California at that time. When I saw this flick it was appropriately mocked by Elvira. Now,it would be lucky enough to be even relegated to collecting dust on a shelf at some Mom and Pop video rental(If those still exist). Aside from that, the filmmakers obviously intended to entice "THE TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE" crowd. Hence,the title. But it's plot similarity to that film is tenuous. For those of you who actually went to the trouble to seek out a review of this very obscure picture, I admire your frivolousness for the genre. And I do owe you a bottom line opinion. "THE MEATEATER" is an abysmal movie. If you have sought it out,then it is worth renting because of the reasons stated above. Other than that,the movie will forever descend gracelessly to the bowels of oblivion and beyond.

Perhaps one needs to experience the "Elvira's Movie Macabre" version to truly appreciate this very bad film, but what I enjoyed the most is the earnestness with which it was made. The creators didn't seem to realize that they were making an awful "Z movie" and didn't have fun with it. My favorite line was (paraphrased, perhaps) the new owner of the theatre asserting that it would be a family establishment, and that they would show "nothing stronger than a G."

An All-American suburban family man purchases an old, ramshackle movie theater with high hopes of restoring it as a family-run business. Unfortunately, he is unaware that the theater is home to a creeping madman obsessed with 1930s movie legend Jean Harlow. Not surprisingly, bodies begin piling up the minute the theater reopens, and the new owner's daughter finds herself in mortal danger due to her uncanny resemblance to Harlow(in truth, she looks about as much like Jean Harlow as Jack Klugman does).

This is a textbook example of trash-film-as-comedy...with its barnyard production of manifold deficiencies, it's hard not to feel a chivalrous, understanding sort of love for THE MEATEATER, similar to the way that you'd love your own two-headed, pigeon-toed offspring. If, however, your personal funnybone is not jabbed by the face-down peculiarities of supremely bad cinema, then you'd be best advised to forestall this one .

4/10

This is a variation on The Phantom of the Opera which has a shoe salesman who is tired of his profession buying and renovating a disused cinema. The problem is that a murderous fiend is lurking on the premises. The actor who plays the cinema manager looks like a z grade version of comedian Paul Lynde. He also has a distinctive way of pronouncing theatre. Another memorable character is a slob of a detective who decides to "investigate" mysterious deaths - that is when he is not stuffing his face with food. This low budget junk has its moments. I saw the name of Steve Neill in the closing credits. He later helped with the special makeup on Mutant (aka Forbidden World).

I love this movie because it is so bad! The reason meat is mentioned or shown so often, is because Derek ran out of money and found money to finish the movie available from the California Pork Board! Oh, I wish I was an Oscar Meyer Weiner! Watch closely during the family sing along, notice that the family car is on the street but it is not actually going anywhere?! And is it just me or was Dianne Davis, Mother trying to make out with a rather young Gary Dean, Son. And how many ladies let a dirty old man stare at them all the time? It is hard to believe, but three of these actors went on to bigger things! The actor who played Mr. Knuckle Real Estate Agent,starred in Ghostbusters! Remember the elevator? Irving Wassermann "Pa" starred in Roseanne! And Scott McGinnis "Necking Boy" Starred as Mr. Adventure in Star Trek III: The Search For Spock! But he was at his very best in Joysticks a.k.a. Video Madness! Why can't we get classics like this on DVD?!

James L. McIntyre