The idea behind LO STRANGOLATORE DI VIENNA ("The Mad Butcher" or "Meat is Meat") is not exactly original. Back in the 1920s, there were two versions of the story of Sweeney Todd, several sound versions since as well as the Sondheim play. Also, in more recent years, films like EATING RAOUL and THE CORPSE GRINDERS all had very similar themes of cannibalism. So, to make the film work well amidst all these similar films, it had to offer something more--a better sense of black humor or perhaps more terror. Unfortunately, this film offers none of these--it's just a bad film that missed its chance to be funny or entertaining.
The film starts well. Victor Buono is being released from a mental hospital after a three year stay. However, unlike what you'd expect, he does not want to go. After you see his awful wife (an annoying harpy) and leech of a brother-in-law, you understand why. At first, things go well--Buono is happy to be back at his job as the owner of a butcher shop--but he absolutely refuses to go home to live with these creeps. At this point, I liked the film--it had a nice quirky sense of humor.
Unfortunately, the film soon digressed into a mix between a sex film (with ample boobage) and a super-low budget film--as evidenced by terrible dialog and cheesy action. In fact, once the killings started, the fun stopped--and it SHOULD have reveled in a campy dark sense of humor. To make things worse, all humor or attempts at humor disappeared at the end--and the film just seemed sick, as the guy you wanted to like (the butcher) started becoming more of a sick pervert--and it's very uncomfortable laughing at a guy who is essentially a sex offender AND murderer. Killing people in funny ways can be funny to some, but rape is a sure comedy killer. It made the film seem much more exploitative and less watchable or fun.
Overall, a very bad film that should have been a lot better. Even THE CORPSE GRINDERS (a very bad film) is much better than this mess. Unsavory and difficult to like...even on a kitsch level.
Cliché #22 alert: This film features a fight near the end where the hero is attempting to rescue the damsel from the maniac. During the entirety of this fight, she just stands there and watches--offering no help at all! Frankly, if such a dumb cliché were true, I would say that he'd be best to just let the dumb lady die!! After all, she'd too stupid to live!!
The film starts well. Victor Buono is being released from a mental hospital after a three year stay. However, unlike what you'd expect, he does not want to go. After you see his awful wife (an annoying harpy) and leech of a brother-in-law, you understand why. At first, things go well--Buono is happy to be back at his job as the owner of a butcher shop--but he absolutely refuses to go home to live with these creeps. At this point, I liked the film--it had a nice quirky sense of humor.
Unfortunately, the film soon digressed into a mix between a sex film (with ample boobage) and a super-low budget film--as evidenced by terrible dialog and cheesy action. In fact, once the killings started, the fun stopped--and it SHOULD have reveled in a campy dark sense of humor. To make things worse, all humor or attempts at humor disappeared at the end--and the film just seemed sick, as the guy you wanted to like (the butcher) started becoming more of a sick pervert--and it's very uncomfortable laughing at a guy who is essentially a sex offender AND murderer. Killing people in funny ways can be funny to some, but rape is a sure comedy killer. It made the film seem much more exploitative and less watchable or fun.
Overall, a very bad film that should have been a lot better. Even THE CORPSE GRINDERS (a very bad film) is much better than this mess. Unsavory and difficult to like...even on a kitsch level.
Cliché #22 alert: This film features a fight near the end where the hero is attempting to rescue the damsel from the maniac. During the entirety of this fight, she just stands there and watches--offering no help at all! Frankly, if such a dumb cliché were true, I would say that he'd be best to just let the dumb lady die!! After all, she'd too stupid to live!!