Directed by J. Weis

Cast: Curt Dawson, Gwen Arment, Bill Metzo, Laura Misch, Cathryn Lacey, Nancy Dancer, Butch Bent, Wayne Mack, and Ronald D. Tanet

Code Red / Region 0 / Unrated / 1.33:1 Full Frame / English Mono / 97 minutes

Disc Extras: Introduction By Our Host Maria Kanellis / On Camera Interview with Villain William Metzo / Code Red Trailers

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Mardi Gras Massacre is another film from “The Video Nasty” era released by Code Red. After experiencing the disappointing Night of the Demon in my previous review, surely things could get better. The grimy artwork on the cover promises naked female flesh and slashing. I’m salivating as we speak. So does MGM deliver on its “Video Nasty” hype? Put on your party beads and lets find out!

Mardi Gras Massacre is another disappointment, I’m afraid. The structure of the movie is simple enough. Guy in business suit gets whores to undress on his alter, then he makes a sacrifice to the “Wind Gods”. This involves cutting into a mannequin bust and pulling out a wad of organs. The same killings recur throughout the film, even the same close-up footage of organs and the same mannequin bust. Meanwhile, two cops investigate the murders. This investigation adds up to a lengthy chase scene with the killer as the movie uses a ton of stock footage of Mardi Gras for our crappy finale.

On paper, this sounds awesome. The problem, none of it’s done with any zest. The gore is repeated footage. The nudity isn’t displayed in a fashion to titillate. Alan Spencer’s B-Movie Rule #89: Tits should not make you yawn. And yes, I checked my pulse to make sure I was still alive! The cops scenes are sooooo boring and drawn out, and most of all, pointless. That’s the real malady here, the movie as a whole is just too boring for anyone to care. The only thing this film delivers is that grimy greasy feeling you get when walking into an old-time porno theatre back in the ’70s. If you want that by itself, check this one out. Horror and schlock fans need not apply.

Code Red once again didn’t have a better source material to clean up the picture, so this is only a doctored up version. As extras go, you get an interesting interview with the actor who played the killer in the film, William Metzo, who probably wishes he could forget he was in the film altogether. Horror host Maria Kanellis introduces the movie, though her only real job is to be eye candy, because she doesn’t dish out any interesting tidbits of movie info. Skip Mardi Gras Masscare, but for those of you out there who are like me, you probably won’t be able to help yourselves.