It’s 1971. Welcome to the state of Tennessee in the good ol’ US of A to celebrate the family reunion of Angela (Faith Monique), Clarence (Travis Cutner), and Brandon Cobbs (Deiondre Teagle); three African American siblings on the run from police. Brandon, having just broken out of the penitentiary, agrees to take refuge at an abandoned ranch belonging to their late grandfather, deep in the south Tennessee woods. There is no chance in hell that anyone would come looking for Brandon out here, right?
Settling in with a stashed bottle of bourbon, Clarence, Angela, and Brandon reminisce over old times and discuss some hard truths, completely unaware that they are on the hunting grounds of a bloodthirsty, cannibalistic Ku Klux Klan. Led by Grand Wizard Delmar (Scot Scurlock), the Klan believe that black folk only exist to be food for the white man, and unfortunately for Brandon, Angela, and Clarence, they are the KKK’s desired dark meat.
Written and directed by Charlie Steeds, Death Ranch is a homage to American Blaxploitation cinema of the 1970s like Blacula (1972), The Big Bird Cage (1972), and Brotherhood of Death (1976). Blaxploitation, whilst often perpetuating stereotypical characteristics (hence ‘exploitation’), is considered to be about empowerment. Strong characters, both male and female, dominated the subgenre; providing black audiences with heroes they could admire, such as Pam Grier in Foxy Brown (1974): “You’re gonna have to kill me. Or, I’ll kill you. It’s got to be one way or the other.“
But every hero needs a villain, and Death Ranch delivers with the most reprehensible white supremacist hate group in American history. Like the aforementioned Blaxploitation film Brotherhood of Death, Death Ranch is a low-budget revenge flick where our heroes stick it to the Klan! Expect lacerations, decapitations, and castrations as our Tennessee trio take on the cross burning, flesh-eating, motherfuckers of the Deep South. The death of a nation.
Ashley Hammelman’s special make-up effects are crude, but oh-so-gloriously grotesque (and gooey!), whilst Charlie Steeds direction and Aaron Mirtes’ cinematography perfectly captures the golden era of Blaxploitation. Vividly shot sequences (slow-motion tracking shots, for example) are lifted lovingly from Italian spaghetti westerns like A Fistful of Dollars (1964), and revenge flicks like They Call Her One Eye (1972). Death Ranch is clearly a labour of love that, when combined with Sam Benjafield’s funk-tinged original score, wouldn’t look out of place in an American grindhouse on 42nd Street, NYC.
The concept of a cannibalistic Klan is given gravitas by the superb cast of heroes and villains; particularly Deiondre Teagle and Faith Monique’s performances that transform their respective characters from victims to vigilantes as the body count rises (and what a body count it is for us gorehounds!) Thomas Higgins, Brad Belemjian, and Scot Scurlock will also leave an impression on audiences as Klan members Jeb, Gator, and Grand Wizard Delmar respectively; the image of their blood-splattered regalia forever seared into our brain.
By following the Quentin Tarantino school of exploitation filmmaking, adding a splash of social commentary, and copious amounts of white nationalist gore, Steed has crafted a throwback flick to the bygone days of grindhouse cinema. So, grab a bowl of popcorn and pair this Blaxploitation romp with the Jack Hill-directed Coffy (1973) for a cathartic double-feature of revenge!
Death Ranch is released on DVD on October 11th.
