Peelers (2017) Bloody Boobs and Bootay Review!

When I first watched the trailer for 2017’s Peelers, I wasn’t quite sure what to make of it. I thought it might be a cross of Zombie Vs. Strippers, My Bloody Valentine, and Cabin Fever. Movies that we all love and know so well. Did it turn out to be like any of those movies? Or does this one stand out on its own merits? Read this review and find out!

Peelers is an indie horror directed by Sevé Schelenz with a screenplay written by Lisa DeVita. The numbers for this one are quite impressive with a 6.8 out of 10 on IMDB.com and a 75% positive rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Not only are the numbers impressive, but so is this movie as the numbers don’t lie. DeVita’s script and Schelenz’s direction is nonstop fun and will have you entertained throughout the entire run time of an hour and thirty-five minutes and I guarantee this is one you’ll want to watch again.

Official Synopsis of Peelers:

“A former baseball player Blue Jean Douglas (Wren Walker) is closing down her small-town strip club and leaving for good. But her plans are not so easily attained when a group of coal miners show up and with them a deadly contaminant. What starts out as a last hurrah for the infamous strip club, turns into a blood bath. With time running out, Blue Jean must step up to the plate to try and put a stop to the spread of destruction before it’s too late and she loses everything she holds dear.”

What Worked:

What I personally loved about this film is the characters. The lead, Blue Jean (Wren Walker), is now one of my all-time favorite bad ass woman in a horror. She seriously kicks some major ass and you can’t wait to see what one-liner she is going to say next! I also loved one of the security guards Remy (Caz Odin Darko) who is like a big lovable teddy bear. I don’t know what is, I just have always had things for a guy with a tribal tattoo (like George Clooney in From Dusk Till Dawn) and Remy is the perfect beefcake.

Beyond that, the strippers are so awesome! Tina (Victoria Gomez) is unsure how she can compete with the other girls but has her own specialties and surprises. Baby (Nikki Wallin), is quirky and probably a fan favorite (watch the movie and you’ll see why.) Licorice aka Carla (Kirsty Peters) at one moment will hit you right in the feels. Frankie Aka “Thundercunt” (Momona Komagata) is fantastic and one of the other bad ass females in Peelers – plus if her stage name doesn’t make you want to watch this movie than I don’t know what will!

I don’t want to give every character away because it may give away some of the fun elements from the movie but the mine workers were completely believable in their roles. The attention to detail on their appearances and how they presented themselves was quite impressive. You will see a lot of attention to detail in this film, which I love.

Aside from the amazing casting, this movie is a gore-hounds wet dream. It has brains being bashed in, people being ripped to shreds, and one crazy scene had me holding on to my chest for dear life! Another great thing about Peelers is that the kills are far more than just your average zombie motive of  “wanting to eat your brains” – which is quite refreshing! The nudity is not over the top but just enough boobs and bootay that will take you back to a feel of an 80’s horror movie brought into present day time.

What Didn’t Work:

There isn’t much that didn’t work for me in Peelers except a few minor nit-picky things. For example, how do the strippers make their money if it isn’t being thrown on stage or is that intentional? Also, the only attention to detail that I noticed that was off was one guy throws up literally all over the bathroom and then the next scene it is very obvious that it was a different take. All in all, I really had fun with this film and the things I didn’t like were just minor things that most people wouldn’t even notice or care about.

Final Thoughts:

This movie is certainly an unexpected gem. It was like when I discovered the movie Feast for the first time, which I love dearly. Peelers is fun and fresh and it definitely deserves to stand on its own merits. The characters are incredibly enjoyable to watch and it’s because of the badass female leads that I think everyone will enjoy this film. You’ll either want to be them or desire them. Another awesome thing I discovered is there is going to be a comic series and I think those will be super fun and rich in detail. So, if you like your horror movies with dark comedy, hilarious one liners, fun characters, lots of T and A, and epic kill scenes… then Peelers is the movie for you! I can’t wait to own my own copy and “peel” it right open!