The Greasy Strangler ★★★

HOW to describe The Greasy Strangler?

Think John Waters’ Pink Flamingoes crossed with David Lynch’s Eraserhead and that may give you some idea.

This independent American comedy/horror film, made on a micro-budget, is absurdist and surreal with many laugh-out-loud moments.

But the grossness of some imagery, off-beat sex scenes and cheap, practical horror effects make it an acquired taste that will mainly be embraced by cult cinema lovers.

It’s a shame because the film is very well acted and nicely photographed across minimal suburban locations predominantly at night.

It has the off-beat, crazed humour of a John Waters’ film that could have been bank-rolled by somebody like modern surrealist David Lynch. In fact among the executive producers, i.e. the money providers, are a couple of recognisable names in actor Elijah Wood and director Ben Wheatley.

The lead performers are Michael St. Michaels as Big Ronnie, Sky Elobar as Ronnie’s son Big Brayden and Elizabeth De Razzo as Janet. Not household names I know, but all do exceptional jobs in at times brave and confronting circumstances.

Ronnie and Brayden live together in a run-down home in a run-down suburb of Los Angeles. Ronnie is a crazy eccentric and Brayden an awkward man-child. They argue like crazy and constantly annoy each other, but you get the feeling deep down they are inseperable.

The pair run a  run a disco walking tour which generally targets unsuspecting tourists and degenerates into a raging argument argument with the customers over the pathetic level of service. Big Ronnie’s solution is to drop his pants and tell them to kiss his arse. Brayden thinks that’s pretty funny.

At the same time there is a strange, grease-smeared serial killer, known as The Greasy Strangler, terrorising the neighbourhood. From the moment you see the strangler we know it’s Big Ronnie.

Despite the fact that Big Ronnie insists Brayden douses every meal in as much grease as possible, the son doesn’t make the connection.

One day Brayden meets a woman, Janet, on the disco tour and the two strike up a friendship that quickly becomes a sexual relationship. Big Ronnie, who still fancies himself as a ladies man despite being in his ’70s, is having none of this and decides to seduce Janet.

A love triangle ensues during which Brayden comes to the realisation that his dad may in fact be the greasy strangler. If this all sounds weird in itself, wait until you see the details, like the see-through body suit worn by Big Ronnie to the disco that reveals his manhood for all to see.

Following a segment in ABCs of Death in 2014. this is British director Jim Hosking’s debut feature, which he also co-wrote. It’s hard to say where he will go from here.

The Greasy Strangler could equally be the start or end of a great career.