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Bordello Death Tales

Other // Unrated
List Price: $9.99 [Buy now and save at Chemicalburn]

Review by Kurt Dahlke | posted June 22, 2014 | E-mail the Author
Bordello Death Tales:
A three-story horror anthology from Chemical Burn Entertainment you say? Seekers of blood, boobs and something, anything newish in the world of horror are familiar with Chemical Burn, and the sporadically good stuff they put out, and this reviewer certainly fits that bill. So with some trepidation, the disc was put into the movie playing thingy, and expectations were checked at the door. Upon leaving the Bordello, our thoughts were "two out of three ain't bad!"

Dodgy graphics lead us to the bordello, where a sultry siren checks in customers of varying stripe, all of whom end up having some kind of tale to tell. First up, and setting off warning signals, is a story titled 'Ripper.' It always makes me nervous when short form horror grabs low-hanging fruit, and variations on the Jack the Ripper tale hang about as low to the ground as possible.

'Ripper' features a sketchy doctor inclined to dive straight into the old pool of grue known as torture porn - picking up girls, strapping them to a chair in the basement, and ripping out tongues, for instance. Exuberant but very low-rent gore marks this as an un-illuminating trip, with a twist that doesn't help things much. The humor injected into the good doctor's tool cupboard is one redeeming factor, however 'Ripper' does not set a great tone for the rest of the movie.

Thankfully things take a seriously unusual turn with the next story, 'StitchGirl.' providing a star turn for the bordello's madam, a weird and lonely old man who might very well have been played by Christopher Lee 40 years ago, and a sad little gal who is more Frankenhooker than anything else. This black-and-white entry will keep you guessing, with a bizarre half-time music video and a barely discernable, downbeat ending that puts a nice capper to some excellent creative writing.

'Vice Day' represents a mind-bending journey into the life of a web-cam girl, and one of her more unusual customers. Adding to some stripper nudity from the first story, web-cam girl Destiny tries to keep her customer in line with some naked self-touching, but he is more interested in a more personal connection. Unfortunately, he crosses a serious boundary, and 'Vice Day' gives your brain a little run for its money.

Horror anthologies, while seemingly easy to produce, usually face an uphill battle, what with the chance of most of the individual stories sucking. Bordello Death Tales, manages to supply enough blood, comic gore, and nudity to keep most horror hounds happy, while landing two out of three stories - a pretty good percentage! Some creative tales and a couple above-average performances make these Tales a safe bet if you want to step away from the crud Netflix keeps pushing. A great psych-rock/garage-band song finishes things off, while pointing you towards some end-of-credits fun. Rent It to scratch that nagging itch.

The DVD

Video:
Our screener copy presents a 1.85:1 ratio picture that at times doesn't look too hot. As a screener copy, the disc doesn't represent final product quality, though you can probably expect merely adequate images form this low-budget affair.

Sound:
The same can be said with the screener's audio presentation, adequate, but not representative of final product.

Extras:
Our screener came with Three Trailers for other Chemical Burn horrors.

Final Thoughts:
Bordello Death Tales lands two of three semi-unusual horror stories for horror fanatics - you know who you are - who usually can't get enough horror anthologies. A little humor, plenty of low-rent gore and some nudity provide most of what you're looking for, if not for the lack of anything truly scary. Rent It to tide you over until the next ABCs of Death or whatever.

www.kurtdahlke.com


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