Spare Parts takes obvious inspiration from the heyday of exploitation cinema, giving us a large cast of female protagonists—members of a girl-group punk band—and throwing them into a nightmare scenario. With echoes of Mad Max and Grindhouse, Spare Parts is an over-the-top gorefest that delivers on its visceral thrills.
When on their first American tour, the band Ms. 45 gets drugged. Each girl awakens to find that one of her limbs has been replaced by weaponry. One of them, who had been pregnant before the kidnapping, has been robbed of her fetus, which is revealed to now reside stagnant in a small jar. They aren’t given much of a choice: “you either fight for your life like true warriors, or die like cowards.” Strictly for survival, they must fight as gladiators on behalf of a bizarre cult group where “every day is a sunshine day.” By appeasing the gods with bloodletting, they hope that each kill gets them closer to freedom.
Spare Parts is a silly film, but it’s fun if you’re in the right mindset for the carnage. Faces peeled off, heads crushed in moving wheels, throat slitting—there is no shortage of bloodletting. The dark humor keeps the tone light despite a worsening situation. Lines like “what scares you more: my machete or my pussy” fit Spare Parts’ snaking tone like a glove. Obvious attempts to divide the girls, and cause chaos among them, feel a little tired. As their ranks begin to dwindle one by one, tense action scenes powered by brutal, bloody violence takes center stage. Spare Parts won’t win over those who prefer their horror realistic. However, the sum of these parts is the perfect package for a fun watch.
Spare Parts comes direct-to-VOD and DVD on June 1st, courtesy of RLJE.
