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It soon becomes clear that Matool isn't fighting to save his own skin, but because he gets a kick out of beating up the living dead. When he finally delivers the coup de grace to the zombie, he pulls a screaming girl (Tanith Fiedler: Seepage!) out of a car, fights off a few other zombies, who are more annoyance than anything else (like those earnest kids who come to your door trying to sell you magazine subscriptions), and takes her to the closest shack they can find. The shack is already occupied with a child molestor and two boys. But when your living in a time of walking hungry dead, you run into a lot of strange characters. Matool is only interested in a sexual reward from the girl he rescued, but the girl dismisses him as a four-eyed creep - which he is. The girl is obssessed with finding her brother - who she clearly saw getting eaten by zombies - so Matool eventually gives up on her and does what Ben should have done to Barbara in NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD.
The zombies bust into the shack and Matool escapes, only to be whacked by a passing pick-up truck.
When Matool wakes up, he finds himself duct taped in the back of a truck. Soon he is taken to a house where his kidnapper presents him to his dumpy but amorous wife. One of the creepy kids from the molestor's shack is also there, having made his escape right on Matool's heels. This kid (Brian Gallegos) is a survivor.
The husband is Mandel (Billy Garberina: FEEDING THE MASSES), and he collected Matool so his wife Dexy (Diva: Collecting Rooftops) can continue her alternate sexual lifestyle in the manner they once practiced prior to whatever on earth happened that made people zombies. Dexy has no thought for anyone but herself and, to a lesser extent, her sister Sassy. All other people are just worthless - if they are women - and sex objects - if they are men. When a trio of male soldiers, carrying a bleeding comrade who was severely wounded in a fight with zombies, comes to the door, her first expression is a smiling "Is it Christmas?"
As I alluded to earlier, the writing, direction, and acting is bad - really bad. And the cinematography and special effects - those things that actually require money - are worse. What saves THE STINK OF FLESH, indeed, makes it worth watching, is the soundtrack, which is perfectly timed with the delivery of a punch line zinger or anytime there is a fight or sex; and the inventiveness of the tale. Life is bad enough in a time when zombies have taken over the world, but things go from bad to worse in STINK, and then go from worse to weird!
And then from weird to weirder! THE STINK OF FLESH is part of a short line of really bad micro budget movies that have survived to find an audience. From ITS ALIVE to BASKET CASE to ATTACK OF THE KILLER TOMATOES to EVIL DEAD (and its far worse sequel EVIL DEAD 2) to THE TOXIC AVENGER, THE STINK OF FLESH is worth watching thanks to its music, imaginative ideas, and the enthusiasm with which they are delivered. THE STINK OF FLESH is a fun movie that only bogs down when it takes itself too seriously. As such, it sputters often between fun and drama. But in the realm of So Bad Its Good movies, THE STINK OF FLESH gets three rotting corpses.
Movie grade
Horror Fan Trivia: Watch for Gunnar "Leatherface" Hansen's daughter, Kristen Hansen, as the "multi-purpose" Sassy. Also watch the zombies, some are meant to look like famous monster movie zombies for the truly hardcore horror fan.
Reviewed by Eddie "Feo Amante" McMullen
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