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From the late 1960s to the mid-1970s, Donn Davison made a name for himself in the exploitation scene. After getting his start working on various roadshows, he decided to pursue filmmaking after receiving encouragement from Ron Ormond. In 1968, Davison released Moonshiner’s Woman, which he wrote, produced, directed, and starred in, to great success. Davison followed this up with the 1971 hicksploitation film Shantytown Honeymoon, which was rereleased as Honey Britches in 1972. Afterward, Davison started doing promotions for Film Ventures International, an independent company founded in 1968 that went bankrupt in 1985. Years later, exploitation filmmaker Fred Olen Ray acquired the rights to the film and inserted new footage of John Carradine. The new scenes had Carradine as “The Judge of Hell,” who narrates throughout the film as it goes on. Ray sold the movie to Troma, who released it as Demented Death Farm Massacre in 1986.
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Synopsis
Jewel thieves Phillip (Jim Peck), Kirk (Michael Battlesmith), Karen (Trudy Moore), and Suzanne (Pepper Thurston) are on the run. While driving through the remote Carolinas, their Jeep runs out of gas, so they ditch it and find shelter. They come across local moonshiner Horlon P. Craven (George Ellis) and his young wife Reba Sue (Ashley Brooks). It’s not long until the thieves take advantage of their hospitality, with Kirk moving in on Horlon’s wife. During a scuffle, Reba Sue accidentally kills Karen, which leads to the other thieves threatening Horlon. Phillip and Kirk plan on taking over Horlon’s moonshine business and a supposed fortune that he has hidden away. Soon, the temptations of the diamonds, moonshine, and Reba Sue lead to the thieves’ downfall at Horlon’s hands. Who will survive and strike it rich from this demented death farm massacre? No one but The Judge of Hell (John Carradine) knows.
Review
Admittedly, Demented Death Farm Massacre is a movie whose backstory is more interesting than the movie itself. Hell, reading through a list of the film’s alternative titles is funnier than any of the gags in the movie. In addition to Shantytown Honeymoon and Honey Britches, there’s also Hillbilly Hooker, Honey Pie, and Little Whorehouse on the Prairie. That last title makes me wonder if the makers of Little House on the Prairie tried suing the filmmakers. Aside from the backstory and the many alternative titles, this is a barely watchable slice of 1970s exploitation trash. Granted, you shouldn’t go into a movie like this expecting something like The Godfather, but this one is rough. The story is paper-thin, none of the characters are likable, and it’s relatively light on the exploitation. Sure, there’s some blood and scantily clad women, but it’s not nearly as sleazy as its title suggests.
It says a lot about the acting when John Carradine, who only has five minutes of screen time, performs best. Granted, he looks confused and was only added after the fact, but he’s at least committed to the material. Everyone else is loud, obnoxious, scummy, or stupid, with everyone mugging for the camera, especially Ashley Brooks. Admittedly, George Ellis is mildly entertaining as the Bible-thumping moonshiner who loves to call women “whores” and “tramps.” Jim Peck tries adding a bit of class with his performance as ringleader Phillip, but even he can’t save it. Much of the film consists of boring talking scenes, characters stumbling around, or poorly-staged fights. There are a few unintentionally funny moments at an hour and twenty-five minutes, but most of it is a slog. Overall, Demented Death Farm Massacre might be worth a watch if you’re curious, but it’s best left forgotten.
Buy Demented Death Farm Massacre from Amazon: https://amzn.to/43RhTph.
Disclosure: The above link is an affiliate link, which means that, at zero cost to you, I will earn a commission if you click through the link and finalize a purchase.
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Where to watch Demented Death Farm Massacre (1972)
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