Chainsaw Sally (2006).

Having read about this movie in an issue of Fangoria in 2004, it instantly struck me as something I would love to see. The fact that Herschell Gordon Lewis and Gunnar Hanson have cameo roles only made me want to see it even more.

It has taken me nearly nine years to get the chance to see it, but finally, I had the chance. And I can safely say it was everything that I had imagined it would be, and so much more!

Jimmyo Burril has crafted a sleek and funny splatter movie that betrays its small budget in every way it can. The acting is amazing, especially April Burril, in the lead role as Chainsaw Sally and Alec Joseph as Sally's brother Ruby, who provides some amazing moments of comedy.





Sally and her brother Ruby witnessed the murder of their parents fifteen years ago, and have now taken refuge in an old trailer just a few yards from their family home. By day, Sally works as a librarian, but by night she wields a chainsaw, and dishes out her own brand of justice against people who have wronged her or who threaten her families existence. They also dispense of their victims corpses in a very novel way.

The story works incredibly well, telling the tale of what happens when a greedy land owner who wants to build condos on the land where Sally and Ruby's family house is, and showing the relationship between Sally and Ruby. There is so much more to the movie, but me spelling it out for you isn't going to do the movie any justice. It's one of those films that just has to be seen!!
Also worth a mention are the cops Zeke and Earl. A great comedy duo, they had me in stitches every time they were on screen.

Chainsaw Sally is a rarity in Indie horror in that it has sufficient technical ability behind the camera, the writing is above par, the characters are strong and not throwaway in any shape or form, the script is funny, the FX are always amazing and the film has so much heart. There really is some serious talent on display here.

The movie also comes across as a loving tribute to the 'grindhouse' movies of the late seventies. There are hints of the great H.G Lewis and Tobe Hooper's Texas Chainsaw Massacre throughout. Just look at the wicked sense of humour, the chainsaw dance Sally does, and the gory all practical FX. Sally and her brother are also massive horror fans in the movie, re-enacting their favorite scenes in the games they play with each other, and regularly breaking out into an argument. Their behavior when they are together is incredibly childlike, and that's something else that makes the characters so well realized and intelligently written.

Chainsaw Sally is a fun, incredibly memorable little splatter comedy that pays homage to everything that inspired it, all the while keeping a style that is very much it's own. Through an amazingly engaging storyline and amazing characters the movie comes across as having so much heart, and so much love for the genre.

Be sure to visit the official Chainsaw Sally website by clicking here.

Coming soon will be reviews of the first and second season of The Chainsaw Sally show and Jimmyo Burrils movie The Good Sisters, which stars April Burril and Debbie Rochon.

Darkest regards......Dani.