"The Texas Chain Saw Massacre" wields an enormous influence over this rural horror comedy; on the whole, "Slaughterhouse" manages to be a reasonably interesting and effectively atmospheric production. The characters are often inane, and the performances aren't so hot for the most part, but that's very much par for the course. *Some* of the characters are pretty damn memorable, especially the homicidal antagonists. There's a fair amount of gore, although the body count may not be high enough to suit some tastes. Writer / director Rick Roessler gives us a taste of what's to come with his pre-credit sequence, then goes through a little bit of set-up, eventually delivering respectable bloody mayhem for 80s horror lovers.

Don Barrett plays Lester Bacon, a demented old farmer about to lose his slaughterhouse to foreclosure. He lives with a massive, mentally impaired son named Buddy (Joe B. Barton),who grunts instead of talks, and who is very handy with assorted killing implements. Buddy also gets along much better with pigs than with people. Lester finds that Buddy has a taste for murder, but implores him to save it for those who deserve it, namely those that are trying to take his business away from him. Soon enough, he starts to enjoy the experience.

Barrett is a delight, and Barton is quite fun to watch, especially in one scene where Buddy goes on a joyride after slaughtering a deputy. The movie gets better as it goes along, culminating in what is actually a solid finale, as four friends that had been filming their own "horror" footage head right into danger by utilizing the slaughterhouse at night. The sequence in which sheriffs' daughter Liz(zie) Borden (Sherry Leigh) is pure TCSM type material.

The fun factor of this rollicking "Do It Yourself" feature is high. The filmmakers seem to be enjoying themselves, so the fans should too.

Seven out of 10.

Typical '80s slasher flick, with some authority figures threatening to shut down a slaughterhouse and so the owner gets his pig-like son to kill anyone who trespasses. The scenes of the inner workings of the place bring to mind how factory farming has replaced these local institutions. Unlike most slashers of the era, "Slaughterhouse" contains no sex or nudity. One thing that caught my eye was that the sheriff's secretary was almost a dead ringer for Edith Bunker. I figure that Archie would say that people in slasher movies deserve what happens to them because they act like hippies.

Anyway, it's pretty fun to watch, just as long as you don't expect anything special.

Bitter slaughterhouse owner Lester Bacon (robustly played with tremendous zest by Don Barrett) and his dim-witted hulking brute son Buddy (imposing behemoth Joe Barton) exact a harsh revenge on both young adult trespassers and several folks who want to foreclose on Lester's property.

Writer/director Rick Roessler relates the familiar, but still enjoyable story at a brisk pace, makes excellent use of the sprawling abattoir main location, crafts a reasonable amount of creepy atmosphere, delivers a handy helping of graphic gore, and tops everything off with an amusing sense of pitch-black humor. Moreover, it's competently acted by a capable no-name cast, with the fetching Sherry Bendoff a particular stand-out with her appealing portrayal of the perky Liz Borden. Joseph Garrison's hum'n'shiver synthesizer score hits the shuddery spot. Richard Benda's slick cinematography provides an impressive polished look. A nifty little slice'n'dice flick.