SLAUGHTERHOUSE: SAVED SLASHER

Yet another slasher film from the eighties saved by the folks at Vinegar Syndrome. They’re becoming one of the go to companies when it comes to maintaining and rescuing movies that might not have been as mainstream as some would like but that deserve to be preserved. This is a perfect example of that.

SLAUGHTERHOUSE tells the story of Lester Bacon, the owner of an old slaughterhouse that’s seen better days and his illiterate son Buddy. It seems that an ex-employee of Lester’s has improved on slaughterhouse techniques and can handle more cattle than Lester ever could in a day. Now he wants to buy up Lester’s old place to tear it down. Helping him accomplish this is Lester’s lawyer and supposed friend while the local Sheriff is brought in to move things along.

Lester has other plans in mind though. They involve making these individuals pay for their treachery by having Buddy take them out one by one. The big brutish Buddy has no problem following the instructions of his father, especially since he learned well how to handle slaughtering animals back in the day. He even retains his own long handled cleaver which there is little doubt he will eventually use.

While all of this is unfolding there is also the story of the local teens looking for a place to hang out, drink and fool around. This is an eighties slasher flick after all. Thinking the old slaughterhouse is abandoned they present a dare to two of the girls in the group, walking through the old place. Of course they intend to scare them never realizing Buddy is walking around the same location. The fact that one of these girls is the daughter of the Sheriff just makes her all that more presentable as a victim.

Honestly there isn’t much more to the story than that. But it doesn’t matter because it’s enough to set up the situation and to deliver a character like Buddy the opportunity to slice, dice and spill buckets of blood. Perhaps the only problem with Buddy here is that he’s supposed to be this tremendously ominous killer but comes off as a sympathetic character at times because of his mental health issues. It doesn’t stop him from chopping away but it may have been what made this movie a single entry rather than a series of films.

The movie did find a VHS release on a fairly obscure label and later was released on DVD as well. Those copies weren’t all that great though. Leave it to Vinegar Syndrome to give this movie the full special treatment. To begin with the movie looks better than ever with a new 2k scan. The extras included are plentiful. They include: a commentary track with Director Rick Roessler, Producer Jerry Encoe & Production Designer Michael Scaglione: a new video interview with Lead Actress Sherry Bendorf Leigh;
"Making a Low Budget Indie" - Featurette with Rick Roessler; "Producing Slaughterhouse" - Interview with Jerry Encoe; archival interviews with Rick Roessler & Jerry Encoe; "Epilogue: 30 Years After the Slaughter"; a radio interview featurette from 1987; local news coverage from the theatrical premiere; a behind the scenes featurette; outtakes; "No Smoking" SLAUGHTERHOUSE snipe; multiple theatrical trailers, tv & radio spots; shooting script gallery; and reversible cover artwork. How’s that for more bang for your buck.

There is a cult following for this film like many of the overlooked slasher films from the 80s and 90s. These movies may not be Oscar worthy material but they are deserving of preservation and viewing. Fans now have access to it not because some huge corporation decided there was money to be made but by a smaller company showing that there is an interest and that because of that a quality offering of movies like these are worth investing in. Kudos to Vinegar Syndrome for bringing back another forgotten treasure.

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