PEELERS
Reading the synopsis for PEELERS, you would be forgiven for thinking this was a straight to video dud. Zombie like creatures attack a strip club and a bunch of survivors fight to survive. Boobs, blood and baseball bats all present. Fortunately, PEELERS has a stellar cast that pull together for a likeable rogues gallery amidst some gruesomely violent deaths and badass babes at the centre of its seen-it-all-before action. Well, almost all. Have you ever seen a pregnant woman battle a zombie? You have now!
PEELERS might as well have a tagline of “make horror great again”, not through its mesmerising story nor its ability to scare you shitless but rather pounding fun back into the genre without trying to be a comedy.
If you’re not sold at this point then there’s no convincing you, this is more akin to the horror films that filled video stores of the 80’s than the politically motivated cinema pieces fed through the arthouse scene yet it somehow manages to charm itself to the finish line. From the opening credits the women are in charge and for the first 30 minutes it may appear this film has a target audience of adolescent men, but when the going gets tough, the film settles the men from the boys and has some memorable stars at centre stage.
Wren Walker as Blue Jean lets no man tell her how to roll and kicks ass as hard as the genres veterans. Accompanied by Kirsty Peters (Licorice), Momona Komagata (Frankie) and Nikki Wallin (Baby) these are the genre’s Power Rangers and if you can make it past the top shelf advertising material, you’ll find a softer centre in PEELERS. Quite apt for a film of that name that it should have so many layers and worth watching for any hardened horror fan who wants a good old fashioned fright flick with more action than scares.
In fact, looking at it, blood, boobs and baseball bats, everything to make a perfect Midnight movie.
Director: Seve Schelenz
Released: 2017
Running Time: 95 minutes
Age Rating: 18
Reviewer: Martyn Wakefield
RATING
Plot: 3
Fear: 2
Gore: 4
R4/5
