''Auntie Lee's Meat Pies'' is a 1992 American

comedy horror Comedy horror (also called horror comedy) is a literary, television and film genre that combines elements of comedy and horror fiction. Comedy horror has been described as having three types: "black comedy, parody and spoof." Comedy horror can a ...

film directed by Joseph F. Robertson and starring

Karen Black Karen Blanche Black (née Ziegler; July 1, 1939 – August 8, 2013) was an American actress, screenwriter, singer, and songwriter. She rose to prominence for her work in various studio and independent films in the 1970s, frequently portr ...

Pat Morita Noriyuki "Pat" Morita (June 28, 1932 – November 24, 2005) was an American actor and comedian. He began his career as a stand-up comedian, before becoming known to television audiences for his recurring role as diner owner Matsuo "Arnold" Takah ...

Kristine Rose Kristine Rose is an American model and actress. She is best remembered for her role as "Miss July" in ''Demonic Toys''. Rose is also noted for making several appearances in Playboy publications and videos. She was the covergirl on the May 1992 is ...

, and

Michael Berryman Michael John Berryman (born September 4, 1948) is an American character actor. Berryman was born with hypohidrotic ectodermal dysplasia, a rare condition characterized by the absence of sweat glands, hair, and fingernails; his unusual physical a ...

. Its plot follows a devil-worshipping woman who employs her four nieces to lure virile young men back to her farm where they are butchered and their bodies ground into

meat pie A meat pie is a pie baked with pastry with a filling of meat and often other savory ingredients. They are found in cuisines worldwide. Meat pies are usually baked, Frying, fried, or deep-fried to brown them and develop the flavour through the ...

s that she sells to the community. Its supporting cast includes

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, and

Huntz Hall Henry Richard "Huntz" Hall (August 15, 1920 – January 30, 1999) was an American radio, stage, and movie performer who appeared in the popular "Dead End Kids" movies, including ''Angels with Dirty Faces'' (1938), and in the later "The Bowe ...

, in his final film role. The film borrows elements of ''

Sweeney Todd Sweeney Todd is a fictional character who first appeared as the villain of the penny dreadful serial '' The String of Pearls'' (1846–1847). The original tale became a feature of 19th-century melodrama and London legend. A barber from Fleet St ...

'' and the slasher film ''

Motel Hell ''Motel Hell'' is a 1980 American comedy horror film directed by Kevin Connor and starring Rory Calhoun, Nancy Parsons, and Nina Axelrod. The plot follows farmer, butcher, motel manager, and meat entrepreneur Vincent Smith, who traps travelers ...

'' (1980).

Plot

In the small town of Penance, California, Auntie Lee employs her four beautiful nieces—Fawn, Magnolia, Coral, and Sky—to pick up virile men and lure them to her farm, where they are butchered and their remains harvested into

s that Auntie Lee sells to the community. Her operation is helped by her handyman brother, Larry, and she maintains a friendly rapport with the unsuspecting town sheriff, Chief Koal. One day, Fawn brings home Bob Evans, a male drifter hitchhiking to

San Francisco San Francisco, officially the City and County of San Francisco, is a commercial, Financial District, San Francisco, financial, and Culture of San Francisco, cultural center of Northern California. With a population of 827,526 residents as of ...

, and decapitates him in the kitchen pantry using a booby trap. Larry helps clean Fawn's car to remove any evidence of Bob. Meanwhile, Coral gets stranded when her car suffers a flat tire, and Chief Koal drives her to the farm, where Auntie Lee invites him in. Shortly after, investigator Harold Ivars arrives in Penance, searching for Bob. Larry brings Coral's car to the local auto shop to have the tire repaired, and is spotted by Koal, who strikes a conversation with him. As Larry rummages through the car's trunk, he inadvertently reveals a skeletal human hand, prompting Koal to bring him to the police station for questioning. Larry spends the evening at the station speaking with Koal. Meanwhile, the girls bring home a group of four

punk music Punk rock (also known as simply punk) is a rock music genre that emerged in the mid-1970s. Rooted in 1950s rock and roll and 1960s garage rock, punk bands rejected the corporate nature of mainstream 1970s rock music. They typically produced sh ...

ians—John, Craig, Doc, and Phil—after shooting out their tires. The women host a dinner for the men, and bring out Baby, Auntie Lee's fifth niece, a developmentally-delayed adult woman who has the mindset of an infant. Magnolia brings Doc to Baby's room, where she sleeps in a giant crib, and handcuffs him under the guise that they will have sex, before Baby chews his neck and kills him. Sky brings John to the basement where Auntie Lee's kitchen is located and kills him with a meathook. Meanwhile, Fawn seduces and murders Phil, gouging out his eyes and slashing his throat with a meat cleaver. Coral brings Craig upstairs to an elaborate large snake

altar An altar is a table or platform for the presentation of religion, religious offerings, for sacrifices, or for other ritualistic purposes. Altars are found at shrines, temples, Church (building), churches, and other places of worship. They are use ...

, where she paints his body and begins a striptease for him, before he is impaled by the fangs of a large snake statue. Shortly after, Harold arrives at the farm to question the women, and is met by Magnolia, whom he earlier encountered in town. Harold goes to question Fawn who is having her nightly swim in the pool, and is soon joined by Coral, Magnolia, and Sky, who encircle him in the pool before stabbing him to death. As they kill Harold, Auntie Lee prays to

Satan Satan, also known as the Devil, is a devilish entity in Abrahamic religions who seduces humans into sin (or falsehood). In Judaism, Satan is seen as an agent subservient to God, typically regarded as a metaphor for the '' yetzer hara'', or ' ...

. The next morning, Koal returns to the farm with Larry. Koal meets with Auntie Lee, and informs her that Larry has confessed to the murders, unaware that it is Auntie Lee and her nieces who are in fact the perpetrators. Fawn begs Koal to let Larry go and conceal the murders, but he explains it is impossible, and that Larry must be held accountable. Fawn lures Koal into the kitchen, where she asks him to help fix the sink

garbage disposal A garbage disposal unit (also known as a waste disposal unit, food waste disposer (FWD), in-sink macerator, garbage disposer, or garburator) is a device, usually electrically powered, installed under a kitchen sink between the sink's drain a ...

. When he attempts to dislodge the blade, Auntie Lee turns on the disposal, grinding up his hand, before shooting him in the head with his own pistol.

Cast

Production

The film was shot in

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

and

Fullerton, California Fullerton ( ) is a city located in northern Orange County, California, United States. As of the 2020 census, the city had a total population of 143,617. Fullerton was founded in 1887. It secured the land on behalf of the Atchison, Topeka and S ...

in 1990.

Release

The film was screened at the

American Film Market The American Film Market (AFM) is a film industry event held annually in early November. Historically, more than 7,000 people attend the eight-day annual event to network and to sell, finance, and acquire films. Participants come from more than 7 ...

in late-October 1991 in Los Angeles.

Columbia-TriStar Home Entertainment Sony Pictures Home Entertainment Inc. (abbreviated as SPHE) is the home entertainment distribution division of Sony Pictures Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony. Background SPHE is responsible for the distribution of the Sony Pictures library ...

released the film on home video on October 21, 1992. On August 31, 2021, independent home video distributor

Vinegar Syndrome Vinegar Syndrome is an American home video distribution company which specializes in "protecting and preserving genre films". The company was founded in 2012 in Bridgeport, Connecticut by Joe Rubin and Ryan Emerson, who created it to restore ...

released the film on Blu-Ray for the first time. It features exclusive interviews with actors Michael Berryman, Richard Vidan, and Grant Cramer, and another interview with makeup effects artist Roy Knyirm.

References

Sources

External links

*{{IMDb title, 0106323 1992 horror films American comedy horror films American slasher films Columbia Pictures films Films about cannibalism Films about Satanism Trans World Entertainment films Films shot in Los Angeles American religious horror films