A bizarre, twisted, grotty little comedy that's somehow full of heart - this definitely lives up to its festival section title of 'Incredibly Strange'.
Set in the grimiest corners of Los Angeles, The Greasy Strangler follows a down-on-their-luck father and son, one of whom is the titular serial killer. Tension grows between the pair when a young lady is added to the mix, creating a love triangle that'll involve heaps of grease and probably end in death.
And so ensues a tale of lard, flatulence, murder and questionable accounts of LA's disco history. It's packed with full frontal nudity - albeit of the comedic prosthetic and merkin variety - and truly revolting food scenes.
The humour generally falls into two categories: juvenile gross-out stuff, or Tim & Eric style anti-comedy.
It consistently hits on a demented wavelength which I occasionally didn't get onboard with, making some of the repetition-based gags a bit of a chore.
There's a wacky, infectious rhythm to it all, helped along by the acidy soundtrack - and an originality that's kind of beautiful, despite how disgusting the content is.
I just wish more of the jokes were as funny as the whole thing is weird.
Three stars.
This film is playing as part of the 2016 New Zealand International Film Festival.
The Greasy Strangler:: Director: Jim Hosking:: Starring: Michael St. Michaels, Sky Elobar, Elizabeth De Razzo, Gil Gex, Abdoulaye NGom, Holland MacFallister, Sam Dissanayake, Jesse Keen, Joe David Walters, Sal Koussa, Carl Solomon, Dana Haas:: Rating: R18 - violence and sexual content that may offend:: Running Time: 93 minutes
Reviewed by Daniel Rutledge / Newshub.
