Jake Pruitt (Nelson) runs an auto salvage and towing service with his two sons in rural area of Georgia. The sons are the odd pairing of mean Hiram (Hesler) and mentally challenged Roy (Ralph Pruit Vaughn). The salvage yard is just a front for the crazy family who real business is harvesting human organs in their barn and selling them to a medical broker played by Ray Walston.
One day Jake sees a wheelchair bound beauty contestant named April (Birdsong) and it reminds him of his daughter. Under Jake's instruction, the two sons run April's family Winnebago off the road and abduct everyone inside. April's father Clifford (Saxon) puts up a fight and escapes only to be returned by the local cops who are in on the scam. April is locked away in the dirty homestead as the family continues to harvest body parts.
This movie is played with tongue in cheek despite some grim and scary ideas at work in the story. Unfortunately, these scary elements never really come into play because the filmmakers chose black humor instead of terror. The over the top performances by the actors and loony characters tell the audience you are supposed to be chuckling through this one. Some of the humor does work like the inspired touch of having Elvis Presley as one of the family's victims hooked up in the barn. The movie never gets as bloody as the title suggests and it leaves you with a grimy feeling after watching it. This is way too silly to be taken serious like "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre" or even "Motel Hell" which this has been compared to.
One day Jake sees a wheelchair bound beauty contestant named April (Birdsong) and it reminds him of his daughter. Under Jake's instruction, the two sons run April's family Winnebago off the road and abduct everyone inside. April's father Clifford (Saxon) puts up a fight and escapes only to be returned by the local cops who are in on the scam. April is locked away in the dirty homestead as the family continues to harvest body parts.
This movie is played with tongue in cheek despite some grim and scary ideas at work in the story. Unfortunately, these scary elements never really come into play because the filmmakers chose black humor instead of terror. The over the top performances by the actors and loony characters tell the audience you are supposed to be chuckling through this one. Some of the humor does work like the inspired touch of having Elvis Presley as one of the family's victims hooked up in the barn. The movie never gets as bloody as the title suggests and it leaves you with a grimy feeling after watching it. This is way too silly to be taken serious like "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre" or even "Motel Hell" which this has been compared to.