Director: Daniel Armstrong
Starring: Amber Sajben, Daisy Masterman, Louise Monnington, Jake Brown, Anthony Cincotta, Max Marchione, Demonique Deluxe, Kat Anderson
Running Time: 76 minutes
Rating: 18
Extras: Trailer, behind the scenes, director’s and actors’ commentary, music videos
I’ve always wavered between awe and fear of those roller derby girls. It’s that cartoonish mix of punk, word-play and fishnets—kind of Tank Girl on wheels. And as a growing and popular sport, perhaps the time is right for a roller derby exploitation slasher?
Well our dreams have been answered. Australian director, Daniel Armstrong’s MURDERDROME has everything you’ll need and expect from a roller derby horror: girls, witty names, gratuitous violence, skimpy burlesque-ish costumes and a punk rock soundtrack. Oh, and roller skates of course. The story follows kick-ass player Cherry Skye (Amber Sajben) who unwittingly awakens a roller blading demon intent on hacking, slicing and stamping its way through the whole roller derby team.
MURDERDROME isn’t going to win any serious awards for its script, direction or acting. The whole thing is camp from beginning to end, but it’s done in a very knowing way, something that isn’t so unusual in Australian cinema. THE CARS THAT ATE PARIS, UNDEAD, 100 BLOODY ACRES and THE LOVED ONES have all mixed horror and comedy, while Oz has produced some of the most disturbing and uncompromising films of the last forty years (MAD MAX, THE PROPOSITION, ROADGAMES, WOLF CREEK).
This is clearly a labour of love for both cast and crew. They’re obviously enjoying themselves (check out their banter on the director’s commentary) and this kind of enthusiasm is infectious, but at the same time it reminds me a bit of being at school, when everyone was in on the joke apart from me (although perhaps that says more about my childhood than anything else). And as you’d expect in a horror, there’s some inventive and gory deaths, all executed with a delicious sense of irony.
So if MURDERDROME is just for laughs, what else is there? Not a whole lot more. It’s a one-dimensional movie, but it’s cool with that. Although the opening credits is worth mentioning—around six minutes of Cherry and her crew skating at a derby, all to the soundtrack of Sydney band The Dark Shadows’ post-punk ‘80s goth groove. It looks and sounds amazing, although it’s a little reminiscent of a music video. In fact the whole film helps out a host of Oz alternative bands, so if you’re into the punk, metal or rockabilly scene there’s an added dimension.
Brash, feisty and hammy, MURDERDROME won’t be everybody’s pint of snakebite. But it’s fun and self-aware, plus the costumes and styling are both fabulously psychobilly riot grrrl. Plus at 76 minutes, it’s as long as it needs to be.
MURDERDROME is the movie equivalent of getting horrendously plastered with your mates on a Friday night and heading down CBGBs for a Cramps gig. You do all sorts of wild things (well you think you did, you crazy kids) but you’re left feeling a little bit nauseous, not being able to remember exactly what happened and with a hollow empty feeling inside. Fast and furious, but don’t look for any hidden depths. There’s nothing behind the aesthetic, nor is there meant to be.
Extras: Director’s commentary (warning—it’s a bit annoying), music videos specially made by Daniel Armstrong, trailers…there’s a lot to keep you going.
[usr=3] MURDERDROME is out on DVD and Blu-ray May 12th.
