Meat Market

By Gary M. Lumpp • Oct 28th, 2003 • Category: Horror

With the right breaks, I believe that Brian Clement has what it takes to move into mainstream moviemaking. He’s able to craft big stories on miniscule budgets, appealing to the fanboy in all of us. Thing is, I don’t think he wants to make “big” movies. Meat Market is a perfect example of someone who seems very happy and very proud to be making micro horror flicks, and more power to him.

It’s a plot Romero would be proud of - a couple escape the city just as the undead begin to take over, and they search for survivors as they prepare for the final battle against the ever-growing number of zombies surrounding them. Along the way they run into a gang of lesbian vampires (or are they?) as well as a Mexican wrestler (whose voice is humorously dubbed). If you’re looking for a serious introspection into life versus death, look elsewhere - this movie is about blood, guts, and gunfire.

Clement has a knack for taking a next-to-nothing budget and crafting a seriously ambitious horror treat. A battle between the living and the dead in a parking garage is shot as one long tracking shot, featuring gunfire and explosions - and actually looks as impressive as it sounds. The movie is extremely graphic, both in the gore department as well as the sex scenes - not the kind of thing you let the kids watch. Technically the movie looks much better than it has any right to, giving us impressive shots while balancing the quiet moments between the leads. The sound is solid and the lighting better than most - it’s obvious that a lot of time went into the production and it shows.

That’s not to say Meat Market is without its faults. The pacing is off at times, and all too often the actors mix intensity with what comes across more as disinterest. It’s one thing to be intense - another to look bored. And it’s a zombie movie, so you’re going to get exactly what you expect - lots of carnage and lots of innards. The special effects guys deserve a lot of the credit for making this kind of movie work - if the zombies aren’t scary, it’s hard to root for our heroes.

And it’s those heroes that make this movie work for me. When you see that a Mexican wrestler is part of our rag tag group of survivors, you know you’re not watching a movie that takes itself too seriously. Most times he humor is tongue-in-cheek, and it works.

If you’re into micro zombie movies, you don’t get much better than Meat Market. Go in with the right attitude, and you’re in for a treat.

Four out of Five stars.

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