‘Death Bitch’ Review
Stars: Linnea Swanson, Lawrence Waller, Doug Waugh, Traci Burr, Ken Brewer, Tom Grindle, Al Zuniga, Bridget Powers | Written by Ken Brewer, Meri Gyetvay | Directed by Ken Brewer
With a title like Death Bitch, you know you’re not about to see a sensitive drama or family-friendly, faith-based film. But in case you had any doubts, the film’s opening moments should dispel them as two would-be rapists jump a streetwalker only to get blown away by a female vigilante (Linnea Swanson; M: P4RT II- the Documentary, Malvolia: The Queen of Screams).
But that’s not the only violence happening in this part of town tonight. The serial killer known as The South Bay Slasher (Lawrence Waller; Death Park 6, Trash Juice) has claimed another victim as well. These crimes have left Detective Shane Douglas (Doug Waugh; Sadistic Eroticism, The Prototype) so baffled that, much to his dismay, the chief has assigned him a partner, Detective Maddie Schoefield (Traci Burr; May, Space Sharks).
And, since bad things come in threes, South Bay is also the turf of Dante (Ken Brewer; Zombie Rage, Like Father, Like Daughter) and his gang. It was his men who were responsible for the murders that turned Alexis into the freelance crime fighter we saw in Death Bitch’s opening scenes.
Apart from playing Dante, Ken Brewer also directed Death Bitch and co-wrote it with Meri Gyetvay (Slaycation, Death Park: The End) and they’ve set up a scenario that allows for plenty of action along with police procedural elements. Not only do we see Shane and Maddie at work, we also spend time with Detectives O’Brien (Tom Grindle; Zombie Rage, Death Park: The End) and Ramirez (Al Zuniga; Like Father, Like Daughter, Zombie Rage) who are trying to track down the South Bay Slasher.
On the other side of the law, we have one of the more colourful characters I’ve seen recently, Dante’s goon Stella ‘Doggie Door’ Smith (Bridget Powers; Bridget the Midget Gang Bang, Big Money Rustlas). When we first encounter her, she’s busy stabbing someone from a rival gang to death with a broken bottle. She may only stand 3’7” but has 7’ worth of crazy in her and steals every scene she’s in.
At times, it resembles one of Cannon’s later Death Wish sequels, with a bit of 10 to Midnight thrown in for good measure. Unfortunately, Death Bitch was filmed on a minuscule budget, under $4,000, so instead of explosions and gaping bullet wounds we get blood. Blood spray, some of it very obvious CGI, from shooting victims and pools of it from victims of the South Bay Slasher, but bullet and knife wounds tend to stay off-screen which was a bit of a disappointment in what is meant to be a grindhouse style film.
The other complaint I had with Death Bitch is the acting. There are some truly terrible performers on the screen here, stiff to the point it feels like they were reading from cue cards. Thankfully, they’re mostly in bit parts, but they make several scenes, such as the one where a pair of bartenders are told their friend has been killed, hard to sit through.
Thankfully, there’s enough action to help keep the film interesting, especially in the final act when everyone converges on a park and stages a series of gun battles along its hiking trails. It’s nothing fancy, but it gets the job done and closes the film on a fitting note.
Overall, that might be a good way to sum Death Bitch up as well, it’s nothing fancy, but it gets the job done. It’ll appeal mostly to those who like microbudget films, but with a bit better casting and a few more effects put on the screen, Ken Brewer’s next film could cross over into more mainstream territory.
*** 3/5
Death Bitch is out now on DVD and Blu-ray now, from Livid Media.
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