Auntie Lee's Meat Pies (1992)

What’s the secret ingredient to your fantastic meat pies, Auntie Lee?  Inquiring minds want to know.

Opening with a violent roadside altercation which results in the death of a kindly preacher (Night Patrol‘s Pat Paulsen) with a cross on his car for a hood ornament might not be for everyone, but Auntie Lee’s Meat Pies, a dark comedy made in the early 1990s, pulls it off with a reversal that pays off BIG TIME as a young woman rather unexpectedly jabs a sharp instrument straight into the head of the psychotic Bruno (Richard Vidan).  That’s right, after shooting out the tires of passing cars, it turns out that Bruno is the victim!  Just what the hell is going on here?!?!

"a bizarre star-studded black comedy that has its victims falling in love over women who really know how to put a nozzle in their tank"


And that’s just the beginning of the meat pie madness found down on Auntie Lee’s farm. 

Director Joseph F. Robertson (The Crawling Hand), who earned his keep directing pornographic films for about 20 years before cameras rolled on this shoot, goes semi-straight with the insanity that is Auntie Lee’s Meat Pies.  He wrote the script with Gerald Stein and filled it with as much innuendo as possible, doubling down on the whole Playboy Bunny angle as these bunnies stalk, shoot, and pluck their prey.  

Full of bad acting, lots of lingering looks at supple female flesh, The Hills Have EyesMichael Berryman and The Karate Kid’s Pat Morita as Chief Koal, Auntie Lee’s Meat Pies is a bizarre star-studded black comedy that has its victims falling in love over women who really know how to put a nozzle in their tank. Auntie Lee's Meat Pies (1992)

You see, Auntie Lee (Karen Black, Trilogy of Terror, House of 1000 Corpses) sends all of her luscious babes - read as Playboy Bunnies - to gather the secret ingredients in her world famous meat pies.  The girls - Ava Fabian (Ski School), Teri Weigel (Savage Beach), Pia Reyes (Return of the Living Dead III) and Kristine Rose (To Sleep With A Vampire) - don’t disappoint either.  They come back with one ingredient after another.  It’s men, you know.  The wilder and nastier the better it is for the pies.  

And her girls - with a little guidance from Auntie Lee herself - are ready to go nationwide with their cannibalistic offerings.  They just have to make sure Chief Koal and a brainless private detective, Harry (David Parry),  stay out of their way.  It shouldn’t be too difficult . . . as long as they can keep them, well, you know . . . distracted and off the scent of their meat.

Auntie Lee’s Meat Pies works because it pushes the envelope with each new sequence making even us susceptible to the hallucinatory hijinks of these doe-eyed, big-breasted babes.  I haven't even mentioned Baby, yet.  Just wait and see for yourself what transpires.  Vinegar Syndrome is proud to bring this would be midnight movie to Blu-ray for the first time, newly restored in 4K from its 35mm original camera negative.

Time to dive into the madness that is Auntie Lee's Meat Pies!

4/5 beers

Auntie Lee's Meat Pies (1992)

Blu-ray Details

Home Video Distributor: Vinegar Syndrome (limited run of 5,000 copies)
Available on Blu-ray
- August 31, 2021
Screen Formats: 1.85:1
Subtitles
: English SDH
Audio:
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0; English: Dolby Digital 2.0
Discs: Blu-ray Disc; single disc
Region Encoding: Locked to Region A

Auntie Lee and her quartet of voluptuous "nieces" are known for making the tastiest meat pies around, all from Auntie's top secret recipe which calls for a most unusual type of meat: human. In order to acquire the juiciest flesh, the girls employ their lusty charms; luring unsuspecting male strangers into a carnal - and deadly - trap, in which they're chopped, quartered, and minced. Everything is going just peachy for Auntie's little family, despite the occasional misbehavings of Larry, their "simple" helper, but when the girls lure a freaked out rock group over to have for dinner, things run the risk of getting out of control. And what about the perpetually snooping Police Chief Koal?

Video:

Newly scanned & restored in 4k from its 35mm original negative, the transfer on this Region Free Blu-ray is probably as good as it gets for this little slasher. Presented in a widescreen 1.85:1 aspect ratio, Auntie Lee’s Meat Pies' 1080p transfer looks pretty clear. The colors don’t really pop thanks to the low budget in play, but there are more refined colors and black levels due to the effort.  Lines are detailed and shadows thick. Grain is high and the black levels are solid throughout and the practical effects - all gooey and super sticky - work wonders for the eyeballs.

Audio:

Crackling with hilarity and some really bad songs, the DTS-HD MA stereo allows you to hear the madness from two speakers, providing a nice atmospheric angle while you enjoy your stay on the farm.

Supplements:

Commentary:

  • None

Special Features:

Featuring new interviews with Michael Berryman, makeup effects artist Roy Knyrim, actor Richard Vidan, actor Grant Cramer, and a recipe by The Homicidal Homemaker, this release is sure to be a hit with Horror Hounds.

  • Express With Less 
  • Blood In the Pool 
  • So Bad It’s Good 
  • Say Yes
  • Recipe for Auntie Lee’s Meat Pies=

Blu-ray Rating

  Movie 4/5 stars
  Video  4/5 stars
  Audio 3/5 stars
  Extras 3/5 stars

Composite Blu-ray Grade

3.5/5 stars


Film Details

Auntie Lee's Meat Pies (1992)

MPAA Rating: R.
Runtime:
100 mins
Director
: Joseph F. Robertson
Writer:
Joseph F. Robertson; Gerald Stein
Cast:
Karen Black; Pat Morita; Kristine Rose
Genre
: Horror | Comedy
Tagline:
A real slice of life.
Memorable Movie Quote:
Theatrical Distributor:
Trans World Entertainment
Official Site:
Release Date:
October 21, 1992 (video)
DVD/Blu-ray Release Date:
August 21, 2021.
Synopsis: Auntie Lee and her quartet of voluptuous "nieces" are known for making the tastiest meat pies around, all from Auntie's top secret recipe which calls for a most unusual type of meat: human. In order to acquire the juiciest flesh, the girls employ their lusty charms; luring unsuspecting male strangers into a carnal - and deadly - trap, in which they're chopped, quartered, and minced. Everything is going just peachy for Auntie's little family, despite the occasional misbehavings of Larry, their "simple" helper, but when the girls lure a freaked out rock group over to have for dinner, things run the risk of getting out of control. And what about the perpetually snooping Police Chief Koal?

Art

Auntie Lee's Meat Pies (1992)

 

Auntie Lee's Meat Pies (1992)