Peelers (2016) - Fun, but forgettable

As someone into zombie movies since the eighties, I pride myself on watching pretty much anything with a shuffling, groaning corpse or two.  So, since the 'zombie renaissance' of the early 2000s I swear I've already seen a movie about 'stripper vs zombies' (or was it werewolves?  Or both?  I don't know).  So I was surprised to see - another - film about that.

So, er, yeah, a zombie outbreak comes along in a strip bar and the patrons (and dancers, of course) have to fend them off).  Now, you may think - unless the strip bar is the size of a stadium - your average bar is quite easy to get out of, assuming you can avoid anyone trying to take a bite out of you.  And yet the cast seem to have trouble, but then if they escaped in the opening five minutes the film would be considerably shorter!

The characters are, for a better word, passable.  Most are just one dimensional stereotypes, but the film is self-knowing enough not to try and play everything totally straight, so there are some wry quips here and there which add to the film's overall charm.

I don't know why, but this film just seemed to be like a discount version of 'From Dusk Till Dawn' - only with zombies instead of vampires, obviously.  As it seemed to hit all the same story beats - with the possible exception of the ending, which I won't spoil (but it was 'darker' than I expected, based on the film's overall tone!).

It's a nice enough film.  Clearly those who put it together had a love of the genre and it shows through.  Although there's not much here that you haven't seen before, there are some nice pop culture/genre references for the die-hard fans to pick up on, plus there's a heavy emphasis on 'practical effects' over CGI, which - again - adds to the charm.

There have been so many zombie movies over the last twenty years that I'm not sure this one will rise above most of them, but if you're in the mood for something lightweight and simple fun, this would might entertain for a gory hour and a half.

6/10 Should probably keep you awake if Freddy Krueger was haunting your nights