Death Factory (2002)

Review by Sean Patterson



"Alexa's not a thing. She's a person, just like you or I." (sic)
When six teens start to party at an abandoned factory, they discover they aren't alone. As the teens start to die bloody deaths, well...nobody is surprised.
Death Factory is a very straightforward slasher movie. The pieces are all put into place and knocked down in predictable order. We have the "urban" couple, the preppy couple, and the two misfits who don't fit in. They begin to drink and have sex and then begin to scream and die.
It turns out the factory (which is oddly devoid of any industrial equipment, but does have a worn-out canopy bed) was the site of an industrial accident which mutated and then killed a woman who worked there. She grew metal claws and teeth and began to kill those responsible for her transformation. That same monster still haunts the ruins, preying on anyone foolish enough to wander in. She always devours their necks, which seems to be her favorite meal.
Before I popped the movie in, I read the copy on the back of the DVD and thought, "I hope the movie isn't written by whomever wrote this." That copy is the opening narration for the movie. Death Factory could have been a very fun film if it had decent screenplay. The dialogue is boringly expositional. The stilted and unnatural banter destroys the emotional atmosphere the actors try so hard to create. Some of the plot in incomprehensible as well. For example, (spoiler ahead) why would the character who is luring everyone to their deaths also be the first to alert everyone to the danger they are in?
While Brad Sykes' writing ability didn't impress me, his directing was solid. There are no flashy camera angles or wild editing tricks, but that's a good thing in this case. I was particularly impressed by the lighting, which could easily have been a disaster considering that the set consists mainly of strangely-textured hallways.
The acting is generally very good. Don't expect Ron Jeremy (who gets top billing on the DVD cover) to display his famous acting skills, though. He lasts all of three minutes. David Kalamus does a passable Eddie Murphy impression.
Tiffany Shepis really underpins the movie as the mutated killer. She plays it wild and crazy enough that you can dismiss the fact that her slasher has a three sentence back story. Her eyes are deranged and she kills victims with a sensual flair.
Aside from their acting skills, it's worth mentioning that the actresses are all very sexy. A couple of them even get topless, if that's what you're looking for. Even the mutated killer herself is distinctly erotic.
The gore and effects are good, but are mostly just a large volume of blood. Special care was obviously taken to make the monster look good. From her bizarrely unsettling hair and metal teeth, to her spidery, puppet-like claws, she cuts a devilish figure memorable enough to make this movie bearable.