Undertaker and His Pals, The (1966)

Undertaker and His Pals, The (1966)

“Remember: we specifically agreed that I could bury doc’s mistakes!”

Synopsis:
Detective Harry Glass (James Westmoreland) investigates a rash of violent murders committed by a trio of motorcycle-riding thugs; soon he learns that a greedy undertaker (Ray Dannis) and his two restaurant-owning friends are behind the gruesome killings — and that the female corpses are being served as Specials of the Day.

Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:

  • Black Comedy
  • Cannibalism
  • Horror
  • Mad Doctors and Scientists
  • Serial Killers

Review:
At just a little over an hour, this trashy gore-fest (reminiscent of both Herschell Gordon Lewis and Ted Mikels’ work) is surprisingly easy to handle — which is not to say that it’s very good. No, the acting, special effects, and storyline are just as sub-par as one would expect, and there are far too many awful slapstick sequences inserted for no good reason at all; yet the tongue of director T.L.P. Swicegood (pseudonym, anyone?!) seems firmly in cheek, and each scene — even bloody slaughters of nubile young women — is bathed in a glow of humorous unreality. Perhaps I’m being overly generous, but this one’s not quite as bad as you would think.

Redeeming Qualities and Moments:

  • Colorful low-budget sets
  • The amusing closing sequence, in which every character who’s died comes back to life
  • Plenty of tongue-in-cheek, twisted humor — as when a photo of a sailor keeps changing expressions during his girlfriend’s bloody murder

Must See?
No, but any fans of trash cinema will certainly want to check it out.

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One thought on “Undertaker and His Pals, The (1966)

  1. First viewing. Agreed; not a must – but trash cinema fans, take note.

    This is a genuinely gleeful slasher flick; the very low-budget cast/crew seem to be having quite a laugh – it’s almost like a private-party joke.

    There are actually a few funny gags (the best being the first murder) but it’s basically a one-note affair which, even at 63 min., seems long.

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