STRIPPERS VS WEREWOLVES ***

Directed by Jonathan Glendening. Starring Steven Berkoff, Robert Englund, Billy Murray, Martin Kemp, Lucy Pinder, Ali Bastian, Adele Silva. UK, 2012, 90 mins, cert 15

The first time I heard about this movie was on a beach in Cannes back in 2011, where the director Jonathan Glendening (13 HOURS) was playing beach football. When he told me about STRIPPERS, I thought I’m probably not the target audience, but it still sounds a giggle. When the football ended we retired to the beach bar and the rest is (rather messy) history – but that’s the film festival for you.

Cut to the spring of 2012 and the screening, with only one way truly watch this film in the right spirit… with as much beer in my system as humanly possible. The film begins with the accidental murder of werewolf Jack (Martin Kemp) in a strip club at the hands of an erotic dancer. When the pack leader and crime boss Jack Ferris (Billy Murray) hears of the death, he seeks vengeance on the strip club. One of Ferris’ gang members Scott (Martin Compston) finds himself having to make an awkward decision when discovering his longterm girlfriend one of the strippers.

With the introduction of an incarcerated character Tapper (the one and only Robert Englund), it appears that Ferris’ issue with this strip clubs stems from many years ago and Jack’s death just opened old wounds. Meanwhile there’s a whole other monster sub plot lead by a vampire killer called Sinclair (Simon Phillips), who offers guidance to the strippers on how to defeat their canine demons.

The film starts off a little weak but improves, boastings a strong cast with some wellknown names from UK screens, large and small. Phillips steals the show with some great comic moments, and on the success of this movie will probably play a far more prominent part in any sequels. And for horror fans young and old (the younger demographic will get more from it), there are plenty of grossout horror moments and ladies with their clothes off to inspire frequent pausing of the DVD.

STRIPPERS is by no means AMERICAN WEREWOLF IN LONDON, but is fun and does exactly what you’d expect. This is one to judge by its furry, bloodstained cover.

Nick Gibbs McNeil.

Review first published in FRIGHTFEST, the UK's online genre magazine.

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