Review of Zombie Strippers! (2008) by Phil T — 12 Jan 2009

When I started reviewing movies as a little hobby it was always to my rules and my selections. Unfortunately I couldnt get any pre-advanced screeners so I could be the first to review them, but ultimately I could choose what to review and give my tenpennyworth. Unfortunately most movie reviewers donât get that luxury having to watch some of the most god-awful movies put to them by their editors. I often wonder what this must be like, knowing that your going to be forced to watch a movie which on paper looks dreadful, yet still keep an open mind so that your pre-conceptions dont affect you review of the actual film.

So assisted by my girlfriends quest to find possibly the worst movie ever made, I happened upon this slick number. Not since Snakes on a Planeâ has a movie literally put its entire plot line in its title and immediately from the B-movie style opening credits you get the gist: Zombie Strippers.

Before the movie began my girlfriend remarked 'You know your not going to like this?'' My response was a typical blokes answer 'Its got strippers in it. Whats not to like?' (I had forgotton about Striptease and Showgirls mind..) How I would love to have been able to back that sentence up with some sincerity but I was still determined to approach the film with an open mind. Ok so its lead actress is a porn star and the support comes from a man whos been the same character for 25 years but still I was convinced I could wait to the end and then deliberate and write my verdict in a fair and unbiased way. Til the film started.....

Now you might expect that at this point I will start laying into this film like a fat kid eating cake but I just simply can't for this film simply doesn't work that way. Strippers was never designed to be anything else other then a horror film spoof with added porn stars who decided they just wanted to have a bit of a laugh and not actually shag one another. In fact in essence its not even a spoof, just an organized piss about that we are invited to tag along with. The script is fundamentally nicked from any other zombie movie you care to think of, with the twist being that by being undead you suddenly become the worlds greatest strip act. Whilst undeniably rubbish, its also surprisingly funny in places and comes to a rather dandy climax as the rotting reanimated corpses proceed to do dancing battles to decide who's the best, with a nice Scooby Doo resolution bit tacked on for good measure.

The acting isnt even really acting. They are just pratting about mostly and its like watching a really bad school play for the most part. Even Robert Englund, the man who took Freddie from the stuff of nightmares to the land of cheese can't beat this lot. There is no plot per se, but despite this the film still gives us a cheeky wink ever now and then that makes it incredibly hard to say anything nasty about it.

I doubt I'll rush to watch the Zombie Strippers again any time soon but rather surprisingly don't regret watching it either. And while I may have failed to maintain my objectivity it goes to show that because something looks bad on paper, doesn't mean it can't be a laugh. I may join this epic quest to find the worst movie in the world. It could be fun....