Movie Review: Zombie Strippers

I decided to finally review this film. C'mon, look at the poster! It's about Zombie Strippers! I don't think I even have to supply a real summary for this film. Do you really want it? Nope. Alright, maybe a small summary.

Basically, in the future, a secret government re-animation project is underway in Nebraska. Designed to be used by America (ruled by Bush), it is designed to turn American soldiers into non-stop killing machines. Oooo...politics! Anyway, it lands in an underground strip club and starts infecting the strippers ala ZOMBIE STRIPPERS.

Don't let the simple premise fool you though. "Zombie Strippers" is actually a carefully crafted criticism of human nature. Granted, every zombie film is a wonderful dissertation about the human psyche and its role in society, but this film pushes it further by using the stripper plot as the primary means of analysis.

When the head female zombie gets bit for the first time (Jenna Jameson in a surprisingly decent acting role), she retains her humanity and intelligence. Oh! I forgot to mention that the zombie virus only makes males dumb. We'll touch upon this later. Anyway, Jenna Jameson's zombie form actually makes her stripping EVEN BETTER. As a result, people are not grossed out by her, but aroused by her performance on the dance floor. Ladies, remember this! Zombie viruses will make you better strippers!

The kicker here though is that all the other strippers become jealous. At first, they are disgusted by the zombie stripping. However, the regular strippers start getting smaller crowds and don't get nearly as many male genitalia aroused as the zombie strippers. As a result, all the strippers become zombies of their OWN FREE WILL. In order to conform to what American strip club aficionados want, they are forced to sacrifice their own value system to keep a living. However, these strippers are not fighting for the dance floor because of any mere financial situation. In the end, it also becomes a matter of honor. Apparently, there is great honor in stripping magnificently for the crowd. Perhaps, honor is not the word. A better word to apply to this situation is "admiration." They thrive on the attention of these men and their many "wads" of dollar bills. Color me impressed. There are even comments about race relations in America which are embodied through the character of Paco. He is a humble janitor that is forced to clean up all the zombie messes. However, in the end, Paco was the bravest of all the Americans in the film as he charged head on with his Donkey, traditional Mexican garb, and his individually named bullets (Guacamole is the only name I remember). For the immigrant that works the hardest to find his place in America, he manages to be less cowardly than the typical American in this tale.

What is real underlying criticism? In the final scene of the film, the terrorist who launched the virus chooses to tell the heroes that Americans are the "Walking Dead." Have American citizens sacrificed their own individuality in order to conform to what society expect of them? Do we choose to not be nearly as expressive or creative in our every day lives in fear of accidentally humbling a superior or a social group? Do we just want acceptance rather than growth in character?

"Zombie Strippers" may be the most philosophical and ethically challenging film of the year.
What is ironic is that "Zombie Strippers" is clearly catering to a crowd by offering what horror fans wants (blood and tits, to put it crudely). Would I recommend this film? I can't think of any film that have ever used zombie strippers to teach a lesson like this. My Tufts Philosophy professor would be proud.

Rating- C for the Film, A- for Zombie Fans, A++ for Philosophy Majors