Save your money for something good and enjoyable

Sadly Over-hyped

In truth, there is barely enough story here to make a film.

Like the great film, it's made with a great deal of visible affection both in front of and behind the camera.

Bumbling would-be drug smuggler Quinn (a fine and engaging performance by Devon Sawa) and his pal Nick (an amiable portrayal by Steven Schub) stop off at a remote gentleman's club in the middle of nowhere that turns out to be a front for a horde of ferocious flesh-eating stripper ghouls.Director Jeff Burr relates the entertaining story at a snappy pace, stages the rousing action set pieces with rip-roaring brio, maintains a steady and satisfying balance of horror and humor, and delivers a handy helping of gore. While derivative of both "Vamp" and "From Dusk Till Dawn," Mitch Gould's clever script nonetheless compensates for the lack of an original plot with lots of choice witty dialogue, likable main characters who are drawn with more depth than usual, a cool tribute to legendary blind swordsman Zatoichi, and a wickedly amusing sense of playful dark humor. Moreover, it's acted with infectious zest by an able and enthusiastic cast: The always dependable Ken Foree excels as rugged samurai monster slayer Leonard, Kelly Hu also impresses as bitchy two-fisted assassin Caitlin, Karen Maxwell exudes considerable daffy charm as ditsy waitress Candy, and Dawn Oliviera positively smolders as alluring star dancer Jezebel. Viorel Sergovici's slick cinematography provides a neat polished look. A fun Grade B fright flick.

While on their way to Mexico to sell "spanish fly" pills as part of a get-rich-quick-scheme, Quinn(Devon Sawa) and his best friend, Nick(Steven Schub) stop off at a strip joint, The Devil's Den, to test out their product. What Quinn doesn't expect is that the joint's top stripper(and her fellow dancers)are demons out for blood and flesh. Quinn will almost become lunch when a well equipped assassin named Caitlan(Kelly Hu), looking for someone at the Den, blasts away, startled at the fact that no matter how many rounds she fires the fugly blood-thirsty, flesh-eating demons still keep coming, seemingly unharmed by the ammunition. Quinn and Caitlan also receive assistance from Leonard(Ken Foree), armed with double barrel shotgun and sword, who knows what the things are..ghouls who sold their soul to Beelzebub. The feeding frenzy where customers are torn asunder by the monstrous ghouls who devour with relish will remind viewers, I imagine, of the Titty Twister slaughter in "From Dusk Til Dawn". Their lair is underneath the Den, a tunnel leading to it(the sets aren't the least bit convincing)and Leonard must kill the leader, their queen, and if he is successful then her reign of terror will be over. Karen Maxwell is Candy, a waitress who accompanies the trio as they temporarily barricade themselves in a dressing room as the feast commences in the club. Who Caitlan is and what her mission was is certainly surprising as it actually pertains to Quinn, but other urgent matters take precedent over this at the moment. More or less a bloody action film, pretty claustrophobic as most of "Devil's Den" is contained within the strip club with our heroes either trying to survive, fending off the hideous demons, or bickering with each other(although, the cast seem to enjoy each other). I imagine some viewers will have to adjust to Sawa's obnoxiousness, his constant whining and screeching, a teen heartthrob no longer. I love me some Hu, though, and she gets to unload rounds at, and kickbox, demons. I have no idea why she would ever find Quinn the least bit ideal a candidate as a future love interest, despite how the movie caters to such nonsense. Foree fans will eat up his role as a bad ass with a Samurai sword, slicing and dicing ghastly demon girls with ferocious appetites. Some flesh-eating, a hand ripping through a victim's chest(pulling free his beating heart and eating it), organ munching, blood splatter, and other grue goodies should satisfy gorehounds seeking human carnage. Nothing particularly memorable, that I can find, but as a Foree fan, I think his casting is enough to recommend horror fans for at least one sitting. Nice to have Jeff Burr back in the director's chair even if the movie rehashes ideas from other films, with a lower budget. I'm not a fan of Sawa in the least, but I thoroughly enjoyed Hu and Foree's casting in the movie. If anything, Burr always seemed to cast rather effectively. And, Burr uses practical effects, something this horror fan certainly appreciates, for the grue, pulling away when he has to due to his obvious budgetary constraints.

So much of the negative reviews I've seen on this film, come from the fact that it borrows quite liberally from Robert Rodriquez's From Dusk Till Dawn. You have the strip club in the middle of nowhere, the only difference is it substitutes Demonic Succubi chicks, for Vampires. One of my main reasons for recommending this film is Ken Foree of Dawn Of The Dead fame, who gives a fun performance, with plenty of screen time. Also if you like Idle Hands, Devon Sawa is basically playing that again here. At first I wasn't so sure i'd like his character, but he becomes endearing as the film roles on. Rounding out the cast Kelly Hu, also makes for a likable heroine. The Cast has excellent chemistry, and although unlikely, I'd love to see a sequel, which it was left open for. If you like the premise of Devil's Den, you won't be disappointed. Plenty of action, humor, gore, and a little T and A, makes for good times. It isn't anything new, but as far as rip offs go, it's well above average.

If you're a fan of classic horror comedies, and you're a fan of classic Samurai movies, then this is the movie for you. It was for me. This film is entertaining, from the opening scene with Quinn and his buddy, to the end credit roll (good stuff to watch there too). It never stops, it never even really slows down since even the moments without a lot of action are pretty funny, and most importantly - my number one rule for any film- it never gets boring.I read a couple of things comparing this movie to Dusk to Dawn. If you go looking for that, you might be disappointed. The production value is too different. This was maybe one tenth the budget, if that. But in my opinion, the story was better. And the action was better. If you disagree with me, go watch back and watch Sex Machine in Dusk to Dawn doing a slow back flip off the pool table and tell me that it was really good action. Not to mention, this movie has Samurai swords, and people who really know how to use them. And plenty of blood and jokes to go with them. Its worth watching. You won't be disappointed.