Blu-ray Review: Auntie Lee’s Meat Pies

Blu-ray Reviews, Reviews, Top Story

Unsuspecting Cannibalism has been a subgenre for quite a while. This differs from outright cannibalism because it plays with the fear of not knowing “What really goes in a hot dog?” Could you already have tasted human flesh and paid for the experience? Maybe? Think of the BBQ in Texas Chainsaw Massacre. Or the people who couldn’t get enough of Farmer Vincent’s Fritters in Motel Hell. Or those who lined up for a hot meal in Sweeny Todd. None of those people knew that the sweet meat they couldn’t get enough of was human. Auntie Lee’s Meat Pies (1992) gives us the inside view of a small operation that wants to go bigger if they can locate enough of their secret ingredient.

There’s someone with a rifle shooting out tires of cars on the road in a remote California community. One tire they blow away belongs to the wrong guy. Bruno (Terminator 2: Judgement Day‘s Richard Vidan) isn’t happy that the car he just stole didn’t have a spare in the trunk. Luckily he gets picked up by a friendly priest (Night Patrol‘s Pat Paulsen) except they also get hit by gunfire. This puts Bruno back on the road. He puts on the priest’s collar to appear more friendly when he sticks out his thumb. He doesn’t have to wait long for a young lady pulls up to the side of the road to give him a lift. She learns quick that Bruno isn’t a priest when he pulls out a weapon and tells her to turn down an road and get out of the car. But he turns out to be the victim. She takes his body back to Auntie Lee’s house to toss him into the filling for her tasty meat pies. Auntie Lee (Five Easy Pieces‘ Karen Black) has quite a few lovely young ladies going around the area helping her collect meat for her operation including Ava Fabian (Ski School), Teri Weigel (Savage Beach), Pia Reyes (Return of the Living Dead III) and Kristine Rose (To Sleep With A Vampire). As the film goes on, we discover they’re into this for more than just the cannibalism. But how long can their operation last when a private investigator is looking for one of their victims and Pat Morita (The Karate Kid) is the local sheriff? Can the community deal with the fact that their favorite meat pies might be people they’ve met?

In the interest of full disclosure: Director of Photography Arledge Armenaki was my cinematography instructor at the North Carolina School of the Arts. He also shot Death Spa and Rudy Ray Moore’s Disco Godfather. Arledge makes the meat pies appear so tempting on the screen. He makes everything look a bit more classy than expected from a film about cannibalism. This is good. Director Joseph F. Robertson had been making X rated film since the early ’70s as Adele Robbins. I’m not sure why after 22 years, he decided to go legit with a film that featured a mostly dressed cast. Production wise this is a major step up from Debbie Does Dallas III and Erotic Aerobics. Robertson hadn’t worked with talent on the level Black, Morita, Huntz Hall (The Dead End Kids) and Michael Berryman (Weird Science). But the film doesn’t feel like he was over his head. Even with such an out of control story, the actors don’t get over the top campy in their performances. Morita’s sincerity with Berryman makes you almost forget this is about meat pies being sold at local diners.

Auntie Lee’s Meat Pies is a bizarre star-studded film that should have played on USA’s Up All Night. Like the meat pies, this is a film that’s so tasty as long as you don’t question what’s inside it.

The video is 1.85:1 anamorphic. The 4K transfer off the original camera negative brings out the goodness underneath the crust. You really get to enjoy Arledge Armenaki’s camera work. The audio is DTS-HD MA stereo so you can hear gun shots on either side of the room. The movie is subtitled.

Express With Less (19:48) catches up with actor Michael Berryman. You might remember him from The Hills Have Eyes and MTV videos from the ’80s. He was impressed by his cast members. He talks about working with Pat Morita. There is discussion about how Robertson might have come from making X-rated films, but he understood how to make a no-hanky-panky film. He had a lot of fun.

Blood In the Pool (12:16) gives us time with make up effects artist Roy Knyrim. He wanted to work with the director because of Robertson produced The Slime People. He also enjoyed his Dr. Calgari. He talks about the rattlesnake effect compared to the real one that came with a snake wrangler. He and his crew of six people had eight weeks to put together the effects and body parts for the film so it wasn’t a rush job. He explains “Hot Metal Vinyl.”

So Bad It’s Good (10:05) interviews actor Richard Vidan. He talks of his time of being Bruno. He replaced NFL great Lyle Alzado who was dying at the time. He rewrote his part.

Say Yes (17:10) chats with actor Grant Cramer. He got involved in the film because a friend of his was cast in the film and told him about all the Playboy Playmates involved. Cramer also needed the work to get his name back out there. He had starred in the classics New Year’s Evil, Hardbodies and Killer Klowns From Outer Space. He admits to getting stoned before every take since they were playing messed up band members. Cramer just produced Willy’s Wonderland with Nic Cage. He also says Pat Morita took care of the crew.

Recipe for Auntie Lee’s Meat Pies (3:11) is a cooking segment with the Homicidal Homemaker. She walks you through the process of making the meat pie. She’s a vegetarian so there’s a meat substitute used. She needs to be a bonus feature on all horror films.

Vinegar Syndrome presents Auntie Lee’s Meat Pies. Directed by Joseph F. Robertson. Screenplay by Joseph F. Robertson and Gerald Stein. Starring Karen Black, Pat Morita, Kristine Rose, Michael Berryman, Pat Paulsen, Huntz Hall, Richard Vidan, Teri Weigel, Ava Fabian, Pía Reyes, Lex Lang, Grant Cramer and Cort McCown. Running Time: 100 minutes. Rated: Unrated. September 28, 2021.

Joe Corey is the writer and director of "Danger! Health Films" currently streaming on Night Flight and Amazon Prime. He's the author of "The Seven Secrets of Great Walmart People Greeters." This is the last how to get a job book you'll ever need. He was Associate Producer of the documentary "Moving Midway." He's worked as local crew on several reality shows including Candid Camera, American's Most Wanted, Extreme Makeover Home Edition and ESPN's Gaters. He's been featured on The Today Show and CBS's 48 Hours. Dom DeLuise once said, "Joe, you look like an axe murderer." He was in charge of research and programming at the Moving Image Archive.