Three on a Meathook (PAL VHS)
                                  (1973) 
                                    review by Krug Stillo


“A Very Gory Movie!”
The Psychotronic Encyclopedia of Film

“Loosely Based on the Grisly Crimes of Ed Gein, this rarely seen gem
actually lives up to the promise of its wonderfully exploitative title.”
Paul J. Brown, Is It Uncut

Skid row exploitation rip-off of Hitchcock’s Psycho, Three on a Meathook is
actually enjoyable on some sort of inexplicable level. With the assistance
of alcohol and allowing your critical urges to remain dormant for eighty
minutes, the film does have some redeeming qualities.

Here’s the story - Billy, a weird loner who lives with his father on an old,
out-of-the-way farm is traumatized by past events that unravel throughput
the film. The day he decides to go fishing he stumbles across a broken-down
van full of scantily clad girls. Courteously, he offers them to stay on his
farm for the evening. His old man is furious with him when they arrive back
at the house and ominously reminds his son -
“You know what happens to you when you get around women.”

The following morning, the girls are all found dead. After ‘Papa’ gives his
son the ‘I told you so’ lecture, he gives him some money and tells him to go
to the city and ‘catch a movie,’ and not to return until he’s feeling
better. Cue about fourteen gratuitous minutes of a band who the director
probably loved, as he allows them to erform two entire songs. Meanwhile,
enjoying the band and drinnking more than he can handle, Billy befriends
Shelly, the barmaid. He passes out, she takes him home and the following day
they transpire to be made for one and other.

By now, you’re probably wondering where the Hell this wild movie is going.
Billy goes home and tells ‘Pa’ that Shelly and her friend will visit them
the following weekend. Ignoring his father’s pleads that Billy will kill
them, the insecure boy allows the ladies to visit anyway. Pa gets drunk,
Billy and Shelly hit the hay and the friend gets a pickax in her belly at
the hands of Pa. The killer now revealed the last ten minutes involve Shelly
finding the film’s title in a nearby barn, Pa being incarcerated and Billy
being told that his father killed girls to feed his cannibalistic mother who
was presumed dead for many years.

This is an insane film, with some bizarre plotlines, annoying music and
inept acting. It should be seen by exploitation fanatics for the simple fact
that it one-of-a-kind. Like, Psycho, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre and The
Silence of the Lambs, this is only semi-inspired by the Ed Gein incidents.
For more factual films of the true horrifying events, seek out – Deranged,
1972, or Ed Gein, 2000.

EXTRA FEATURES on EXPLOITED PAL VHS: Theatrical Trailer for Children Shouldn’t Play with Dead Things & Axe

(HEAD CHEEZE NOTE: DVD Release is coming soon!! CheckWilliamGirdler.comfor more details!!)