OMG Horror.com

This is the kind of film title that kicks the piss out of the axiom "never judge a book by its cover." Are you kidding me, Zombie Strippers?!? This puts lame ass titles like Snakes on a Plane to shame, instead boasting quite possibly the best premise for a feature since the soon to be released Teeth. Here, Zombie Strippers is about an experimental government chemical virus that somehow diffuses itself in the basement of a strip club located in the socially conservative town of Sartre, Nebraska. The dancers die, re-animate, then go on a blood thirsty, kill crazy rampage through the small town streets. Sure it's high concept, and stars Jenna Jameson, but how can you resist? I know I can't!

In addition to the porn starlet, horror icon Robert Englund adds a starring turn as a seedy bar owner out to make a quick buck. Even while infected with biological ills, Englund isn't above exploiting his undead female employees. Rounding out the cast are up and coming horror mainstays Jennifer Holland (House of the Dead 2), Jeannette Sousa (Urban Legends: Final Cut); a host of other hotties including Whitney Anderson, Penny Drake and Shamron Moore; as well as prior Jay Lee collaborators Carmit Levite, Zak Kilberg and Jen Alex Gonzalez.

Jay Lee is that rare breed of filmmaker. He writes, directs, shoots and edits all of his own films; offering a personal stamp on his work like no other. Now I haven't seen any of his films yet, so I don't know if he's trading quality for his own penchant to ward all hats, but it's rare nonetheless. The Coen Brothers, Vincent Gallo, Robert Rodriguez, a few others maybe, but by and large this kind of thing doesn't happen. In 2006 Lee released The Slaughter, a horror flick that was met with tepid reviews.

Sony Pictures has much faith in the potential this film offers, slating a limited release to begin April 18. That's right...the opportunity to witness Zombie Strippers in all its big screen glory is fruitful, albeit short lived; so keep those eyes peeled for listings! Shoot, if nothing else, it might be the best chance to see what kind of body work Jameson has had done over the years. Also, a tentative region 1 DVD release date has been pushed back from March 11, 2008 to an unspecified time.

The Final Word: If for no other reason beyond my personal love for zombie films, and strippers for that matter, I'm going to see this movie, and encourage others to do the same, simply to support a young writer/director trying to carve a niche for himself the film industry. Hollywood's a tough cookie, but when you see a person who has a vision and the persistence to follow it thru, well that in its own right is commendable. And although Jenna is getting up there in age, and Englund is just spinning in his own self parody, I still don't mind seeing them on screen (yes, Jenna has don non-porn fare). I realize this won't be a film that blazes new trails, or offers sleep loosing nightmares, but all in all it looks pretty fun. Peep the trailer!

Visit the Zombie Strippers MySpace page for more details on the upcoming project here.

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