Sometimes, we horror fans just want to see a few things done right.  Carnage, destruction, gore and violence!  Well, Stacy Davidson's slasher opus, "Sweatshop" delivers all of the above with an exclamation point!

Plotwise, the movie is as simple as it gets.  It's a slasher movie through and through, so you can expect a larger-than-life, masked madman to target a group of unsuspecting teenagers.  The movie is about a loathsome group of twenty-somethings who attempt to convert the seemingly abandoned, decrepit warehouse they find for a late night rave.  This wild, objectionable group, who all look like they just stepped off a Marilyn Manson music video, love to party.  They drink heavily, they do drugs, they dance to heavy metal, and talk about sex.  But little do they know the warehouse is home to "The Beast" and his minions who did his evil bidding.  "The Beast" is a hulking, murderous figure who is armed with a weapon that is better to be seen than explained.  His reliable weapon of choice is a two ton anvil hammer that causes an indescribable amount of damage to anything it comes in contact with.

I will say this right now: I hated all of these characters, with a passion.  If you want to root for characters in a slasher flick, "Sweatshop" may not be for you.  The movie is well cast, but the characters are perhaps the most annoying, unlikeable group of characters in a modern slasher film since "Hatchet."  I did not care for them in any way, I did not remember any of their names and I did not want any of them to survive The Beast and his homicidal rage.  While part of me loathed every fibre of their being, I stuck around for the kills.  The only logical explanation I can think of is, the filmmakers actually wanted us to root for The Beast to kill them off in a variety of ways.  Sure, the characters are an obnoxious bunch, and they effortlessly piss the viewer off every time they open their mouths.  This can be a good thing or, in most cases, a bad thing.  Although the characters annoyed me to no end they constantly make fools out of themselves as the movie pokes fun at them.  As a result, the movie is shockingly humorous during some truly unexpected moments.

Forget the characters, as they take an immediate backseat to the gore and the kills.  None of them are redeemable in any way, which makes the gore the sole reason to watch.  I was in awe at some of these set-pieces, which are all gloriously gruesome.  The characters mainly exist for The Beast to find them, slaughter them to bits and feed his frenzy.  Gorehounds, come get your fix!  You will see bodies torn apart, bones broken, heads smashed and buckets of gore spilled.  Without question, "Sweatshop" delivers the goods!  Once it gets going, it delivers its gore and ultraviolence proudly -- all at the hands of the brooding, mysterious killer, known as The Beast.  Supposedly, he was inspired by an Italian gymnast during the 2006 Winter Olympics.  The gymnast swung an oversized hammer for his performance.  Hence Stacy Davidson was given inspiration for the ghoulish character.  He easily runs the show here, and every time he is on screen, you just know there's going to be a massacre.  Unfortunately, there is no back-story given whatsoever.  We do not know who The Beast is, who his minions are, or just where they came from.

Besides the wonderful gore effects, "Sweatshop" is blessed with the perfect atmosphere for a slasher flick.  The bowling alley was an original setting for Ryan Nicholson to set his "Gutterballs" and the warehouse atmosphere here cannot have been more on the mark.  It's deserted, it's spacious and above all, it's creepy.  Although the lighting is poor at times, the cinematography captures the setting pretty well.  My main gripe is the overdone, kinetic editing.  A turn-off because it's too flashy and gave me a headache.  It resembles a loud music video in this specific manner.  Surprisingly, for a low-budget slasher film, a nice display of flair is displayed in the cinematography department.  The color schemes are all well realized and gives the viewer a new atmosphere for a slasher.

The movie spends too much time with the annoying characters during the first half, and I wanted the kills sooner than later.  I would not have cared if I liked the characters and thought they were interesting enough to carry a movie.  About forty-five-minutes in, I had no idea who I was supposed to care about, who the 'Final Girl' was or anything.  So I am not lying to you when I say you will, more than likely, hate the annoying characters, and their problems.  I sure did, and I couldn't wait until they got slashed in half and smashed to bits by The Beast and his minions.  But, I think that was the intent.  "Sweatshop" does not want you to like these characters at all.  It just wants you to enjoy it for what it is: A bloodbath with an outrageously cruel vibe to it all.

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