Three on a Meathook (1972)

Director: William Girdler

Writer: William Girdler

Tagline: A Padlocked Shed, Hooks of Cold Steel -- a Maniac on the loose.

Actors: Charles Kissinger, James Pickett, Sherry Steiner, Madelyn Buzzard, John Shaw, Marsha Tarbis, Carolyn Thompson, Kiersten Laine, Linda Thompson

Runtime: 1h 20m

Category: Slasher

Synopsis: Billy Townsend and his father run a farm out in the boonies. While cooling off after another night of murders, he ends up meeting a nice young woman at the bar in town. They hit it off and quickly become slightly more than friends. He invites her and her friend out to the farm for the weekend, only to have her find out the evil truth about the Townsend family.

Review: This movie was really hard to sit through. It was also really hard to sum up, seeing as how the only things to sum up were major plot points. The rest of the movie was absolute trash. I read somewhere else that this was supposed to be one of the first Ed Gein spin-off movies. Unfortunately for the director, if he knew anything about Ed Gein, the movie missed its mark by miles. The movie was so far from theatrical it was pathetic. The acting was bad, like most 70’s slashers (where nudity was the goal), the plot was loose and the story was campy. The movie seemed to drag almost all the way through with a sudden ending that left me confused. I didn’t understand why the director found it necessary to elongate the bar scene by taking footage of the band for almost an entire song. Plus, most of the cut-aways were stretched as well…seems like they were just trying to add length to the movie. I would not see this again…ever.

Rating: 5. This movie was just awful. The gore was cheap, the killing scenes were few…and cheap, and the basis was way off. I had never heard of the movie before and am sorry to say that I’ve seen it. Unless you are reading this…I will deny that I’ve ever seen it. And you should too! (5of25).