Sometimes, you just have to wonder how the concept for a film like Zombie Strippers"" shambles into existence. Could it have come from the fevered dreams inspired by grindhouse films of old or simply escalating production values in the porn industry? At any rate, zombie fans will watch the undead undress onstage with glee in a film that's one hardcore sex scene away from being rented behind a beaded curtain.
The first 20 minutes provide familiar zombie fare as a virus designed to re-animate fallen soldiers breaks loose. A military strike team is then sent to clean up the mess but fails to capture an infected member of their team, who squirms away to the nearby strip club where he infects the star dancer, Kat (Jenna Jameson). Imbued with newfound strength and agility, the zombified Kat becomes a sensation at the club, inspiring many other girls to follow her lead and join the undead fold.
The greedy club owner, Ian (Robert Englund, ""Nightmare on Elm Street""), quickly makes the necessary moral compromises to make a fast buck off the situation, including locking up all the new zombies spawned by intimate encounters in the blood-soaked VIP room. Eventually, though, the herpes hits the fan and things get out of control, prompting the strike team that botched things in the first place to set things right, guns blazing.
The film aims for the same grindhouse feel Director Robert Rodriguez shot for in last year's ""Planet Terror"" - themes of greed and government conspiracy coated in a thick layer of schlocky acting and cheesy effects. Jaws swing unhinged, guts spill from open stomach wounds and heads explode with the requisite splatter. CGI-aided effects add to the cheese - a girl gets blown apart piece by piece under bullet fire, leaving only a slimy pair of stilettos with severed feet inside.
The girls and the legions of zombie lowlifes they spawn are absolutely reviling to look at, a testament to the surprisingly high quality makeup in the flick. The girls drop jaws as they parade their undead ta-tas onstage, even as their skin decays around the silicone.
Englund should be commended as the only notable actor in the whole film, though he cranks up the cheese factor in his performance as well, bringing some much-needed flavor to a cast of characters otherwise remembered for getting killed or naked. There's just something about a germophobic strip club owner that is hilarious.
Of course, if you don't worship George Romero as your own personal savior, you aren't going to find much to like here. It's a campy, low-budget affair geared toward instant gratification for zombie fans with stacks of Jenna Jameson's previous work in their closet. Moviegoers looking for a sophisticated cinematic experience need not apply, but true zombie fans will see it based on the title alone.
