Les mémés cannibales [Rabid Grannies] (1988)

(In French, On Cable TV, November 2020) With a title like Les mémés cannibales / Rabid Grannies, it’s no surprise if the film has become a minor cult classic reference. One notes, however, that the title lies twice (no grannies, no cannibalism/rabies), considering that the story features two aunts acting as possessed conduits of violent revenge over a greedy, ungrateful brood from an outcast family member. The production pedigree of the film is a multi-national mess that barely makes more sense than the plot, but so is the nature of low-budget schlock horror more concerned about gory effects and over-the-top marketing hooks. The image quality is poor even by the lax standards of the grainy TV channel I watched it on, and the soundtrack is just as terrible. If you’ve seen other similar movies, you know what to expect: perfunctory exposition, and then a steadily whittled-down cast as they all perish in over-the-top violent fashion. Rabid Grannies is not a good movie, and it falls short of even its own standards. But it’s not quite as boring, disgusting or pointless as I expected: There are a few good lines here and there, some worthwhile characters and the pacing is not that bad. That’s low praise indeed, but considering that the film is now best known as a Troma fan favourite, that’s probably quite enough.