Female punk band Ms.45 find themselves in a rather unusual predicament after being run off of the road. Taken to the local junk yard to seek assistance, the women find themselves drugged and kidnapped. After waking from their drug stuppors, they are horrified to discover that they are each missing an arm. These missing limbs have been replaced with a variety of death-dealing weapons, as the women discover that they have been anointed as gladiators for a strange cult headed up by The Emperor (Julian Richings). Cue cinematic carnage as the quartet do everything and anything they can to secure their freedom.
Despite being both written and directed by men, Spare Parts manages to maintain a strong sense of the female. The main focus of the plot is centered on these four female bandmates. Group politics are always a nightmare, but here they’re almost toxic. Drummer Cassy (Kiriana Stanton) and Bassist Jill (Chelsea Muirhead) aren’t the problem – far from it as they’re a couple in the heights of love with a baby on the way. It’s guitarist Emma (Emily Alatalo) and lead singer Amy (Michelle Argyris) that have the issues. They also happen to be sisters which makes the drama even more intense. Rivalry between sisters is never good and within Spare Parts it seeks to destroy the unified group.
Emma, is the quieter, shyer, and more musically gifted of the sisters. Over the years she’s started to resent the prettier, more outgoing and confident Amy, and these feelings are played upon by members of the junkyard cult as they try to twist Emma to their will. The work from both Alatalo and Argyris is to be commended as their performances really do add an extra layer of depth to what could have otherwise been a rather superficial and one-dimensional gory affair.
There’s a lush punk-rock aesthetic to Spare Parts, director Andrew Thomas Hunt keeping the visuals brash and grim. He also chooses to lean into the ‘traditional’ post-apocalyptic style; the look and feel of the costumes look like something straight out of a Mad Max movie. It’s a bold choice, but one that transports the viewer to this underground world of this cult. In fact, it does such a good job that it’s easy to forget that the story is actually unfolding in a fairly modern setting. The rest of the world is as we know, there’s just this strange subset of people that have decided to live like this.
The filtered lighting changes almost from one scene to the next, helping generate that otherworldly graphic novel feel. This not-quite-real feeling is reinforced with the almost cartoonish violence. Butchers Shop FX Studio do great work with the severed limbs and their inventive upgrades. If you thought Cherry Darling wielding a machine-gun in place of a leg was bad-ass, then you ain’t seen nothing yet. Outside of the weird and wonderful weaponry, the gore gags all play out well, the team having a keen eye for details.
A turbulent mix of Green Room, Mad Max: Fury Road and Turbo Kid, Spare Parts is a true midnight movie. It’s rambunctious, fun, is packed full of gory mayhem, kick-ass music, and is set to be an instant crowd-pleaser.
Spare Parts was reviewed at Arrow Video Frightfest Halloween.
Spare Parts
Summary
Led by some super-fierce female performances, Spare Parts offers a heavy punk-rock, girl-power rich, grindhouse of gore, that delights and entertains.
