We
know from Train to Busan a speeding
bullet train is the worst possible place for a zombie apocalypse. In contrast,
a divey roadhouse strip joint ought to be a relatively advantageous spot. It is
relatively isolated, with plenty of parking and no spying neighbors. However,
its strict “no touching” policy will go out the window when the infected hordes
attack in Sevé Schelenz’s Peelers (trailer here), which releases
today on VOD, from Uncork’d Entertainment.
This
was always supposed to be the club’s last night, at least under the management
of Blue Jean (don’t call her “BJ,” unless you want some serious bruising). She
was forced to sell out to an obnoxious local developer with mysterious plans
for the property. Presumably Blue Jean will survive. She still hurls a mean
fastball and drives a current issue police patrol motorcycle, but her
torch-carrying bouncer Remy will miss seeing her every night.
Of
course, personal dramas will have to be put on hold (perhaps forever) when four
miners start acting crazy violent. Apparently, they were contaminated with some
sort of petroleum-based zombie pathogen. Rather inconveniently, they start
acting ultra-aggressive and they won’t stay dead.
Oddly
enough, Peelers is a little slow out
of the blocks, but it offers a few clever twists on the zombie genre, in accordance
with the properties of oil. Obviously, Peelers
is tailored-made for VOD, but most of the strip club business is played for
American Pie-style laughs rather than
erotic titillation (which is probably true of most strip clubs in the
boondocks).
Look,
you know what you’re getting here, but for what it’s worth, Wren Walker shows
real, potential movie star presence as Blue Jean. She also develops some rather
pleasant chemistry with Caz Odin Darko’s Remy. Momona Komagata adds a further
bit of empowerment to the mix as Frankie, the stripper Remy was teaching
martial arts. Unfortunately, the rest of her colleagues are shallow stereotypes,
at best.
