Pittsburgh cops Joe Blocker (Joe Sharkey) and Sweeney Birdwell (Jake Dengel) are in charge of finding a serial killer who is carving up prostitutes with a variety of gardening tools. It all seems so familiar for Blocker as the case echoes an Egyptian killer he almost nabbed in Las Vegas. He sends for his old Vegas partner, but gets his daughter Deedee (Susann Fletcher) instead. Why? Because it seems her dad is mysteriously missing. Another in the line of BLOOD FEAST wannabes (alongside the likes of BLOOD DINER), BPIP is something I didn't like when I first saw it on video back in 1991. So, naturally, I must revisit it 20+ years later to confirm, yup, it still sucks. The filmmakers openly compare this horror-comedy to AIRPLANE, but I'd think you'd have to include some jokes to do that. It certainly tries to be funny, but fails miserably. Example of humor: Blocker slipping on a severed ear while chasing a suspect. The recurring joke is Blocker gets ill any time he sees blood and people always say "I hear he has a sexual problem" when he is mentioned. Haha? The highlight for me was Birdwell's wife taking anti-smoking sessions, one of which ends with her being blasted by a water hose by some guys in gorilla costumes. It is a shame it didn't come together better because the production looks really nice with some great photography. Tom Savini did the gory FX, most of which ended up on the cutting room floor for the Paramount VHS release. The Lucky 13 special edition features the cut stuff in a deleted scenes supplement and it is pretty good work from the man.
... View More"Bloodsucking Pharaohs from Pittsburgh" is a fine if only adequate cheese-fest.**SPOILERS**Following a brutal murder, Sgt. Joe Blocker, (Joe Sharkey) is assigned to a case with his partner Sgt. Sweeney Birdwell, (Jake Dengel) due to the similarity to another case of his years ago. When it becomes apparent that the killer is even using the same means as before, wearing Egyptian paraphernalia to hide the identity and taking only a single body part from victims while leaving a note in Egyptian hieroglyphics detailing the crime, he becomes even more despondent over what's happening despite the assurances of Deedee Taylor, (Susann Fletcher) his old partner's daughter. As the deaths continue and Police Chief 'Buzz Saw' Ryan, (Don Brockett) screaming at them for results to end the rampage, they play a hunch on who the killer is and are surprised to find that it reveals the killer's ploy, using the body parts in a form of ritual to bring to life an Egyptian War Goddess for his own agenda. Now knowing what to go up against, they race to stop him before he completes his plans.The Good News: This one here is a really fun and enjoyable cheese-fest that has a couple good moments for it. The main one is the cheese level that is portrayed here is a lot of fun. From the numerous jokes about the past to the scenes of confusion to the yelling and so much more, it makes for a lot of really fun times to be had from it's goofiness. The storyline doesn't hurt either, and there's some good times to be had from it's outlandish gore as well. This one has a really nice set of kills in here, that are just gory enough to matter for gore-hounds as well as making them so cartoon-ish and fun that there's more fun to be had from them as well. There's a decapitation with a giant ceremonial staff, having a jackhammer saw off both legs, a hacksaw slicing open a stomach, a victim found with their brains scooped out, using a vacuum cleaner to suck out the digestive tract and eyeballs, being crushed inside a giant hydraulic press and being exposed to acid, melting the skin off the face in a long, extended sequence with really messy, gory results. There's a lot of fun from these scenes and it has some really great moments with the cheesy gore on display. The detective work on the killer is also surprisingly watchable, not really excellent but well-done and certainly there for it's best moments. By not really slowing down the plot but actually keeping it moving along, as well as making it feel really interesting and not too bogged down and dull. The last real good part is the action-packed finale, which is great if only able to get over the enormous amount of information presented and having enough good parts to make it fun, exciting and really interesting. These here make the film entertaining.The Bad News: This one here doesn't have too many flaws, but there are a few. The scenes with the wife in the smoking center would be the biggest ones. Granted, they do give off a few really good gags and provide some laughs, that's their only purpose in the film. They're shamelessly inserted into the film merely to give it some laughs and play off the cheesy nature of the film, and take up space in the running time with their cheesiness that really sticks out for no reason to be included. Aside from the comedy, having it in the film is where it loses it's energy. The other flaw is that the ending comes across as way too packed for it's own good. There's a lot of information doled out in a short space of time, which wouldn't have happened had the scenes in the smoker's center been eliminated and actual scenes to move the plot along put in it's place. That would've worked fine and fixed these two flaws. Otherwise, these here are all that hold the film down.The Final Verdict: A rather entertaining cheese-fest, hurt mainly by very little flaws and only it's relatively high cheese-factor to lower it down. Check it out if interested in those kinds of films or if there's something in that generally appeals to the viewer, but if the cheese-fest style doesn't appeal then seek caution.Rated R: Graphic Violence, Language and Brief Nudity
... View MoreThis movie is just chock full of visual jokes and running gags. The fun never stops and the blood is so clearly fake, and the murders so whimsical in method, that even the most squeamish will probably have no problem with it.The story centers around a series of gristly murders where taunting messages are left by the killer - written in hieroglyphics. When the Pittsburgh police find the first hieroglyphic note they sigh, "The Egyptian side of town". With such brilliant breaks with reality this movie is a magnificent romp through the looking glass.Worth viewing for the stop smoking clinic sequence alone - Give it a try! Like Buckaroo Bonsai? Like Big Trouble in Little China? Don't mind low budgets? This movie is for you!
... View Morei bought this movie off of horror movies.com just because it was taken place in Pittsburgh. i wasn't expecting to laugh or get any entertainment from it but my girlfriend and i were very much surprised! there was some decent humor in it and there was even a twist in the story! if you're in for a cheap laugh and a cheap movie, check this one out! it was also kind of neat to try and figure out where the different scenes were shot. one scene i recognized very well and realized that it was shot in the park down the street for me.the special effects are pretty cheesy and the story really isn't that bad. the laughs in it are almost like a Leslie Nielson film. if you're from the Pittsburgh area, check this out! get a laugh!
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