From the ages of about eight to thirteen, I was more or less surgically attached to a library. For us old folks, the library was our internet, except that it was made out of paper. Completely unlike the current internet, the mainstay of the library wasn’t porn, but the librarian. Neither sexy nor scantily clad, the librarian was usually an older woman whose temperament ranged somewhere from genial to dour. Ordinarily you could find her behind her desk or dutifully pushing her trolley along, re-shelving books. I highly suspect her cologne was a subtle Eau de Book Paste.
One thing for sure, they never built them like Chainsaw Sally.
Chainsaw Sally (April Monique Burril) is the mild-mannered librarian in the small town of Porterville, Maryland. But after hours, she’s a mini-shirted, chainsaw-wielding angel of vengeance meting out bloody punishment on anyone she thinks deserves it. Believe me when I say don’t EVER park in a handicap spot if you aren’t handicapped. Just trust me on this one.
“The Chainsaw Sally Show: Season One”, released by Troma on DVD back in January, is obviously the first season of the web series based on the 2004 feature, which was in turn based on a web hostess character created by Burril and her husband, JimmyO. Billed by some as a “slasher sitcom,” the series is eleven episodes (plus the “special” 60-minute episode, “It’s Groundhog Day, Chainsaw Sally”) of horror-flavored brain candy made in the finest grindhouse tradition, which means that you can expect plenty of blood, boobs and off-beat characters. Among them is Sally’s brother, Ruby (Azman Toy); her young friend, Poe (played by the Burril’s daughter, Lilly); the mysterious Cowboy (Bill Price); the resident nosey-parker, Gretta Morehead (Jordan Wyandt); and even an appearance by genre iron-woman, Debbie Rochon.
True to its exploitation film roots, storytelling finesse isn’t necessarily a high-priority. Still, they manage an entertaining and engaging story arc that stretches across the length of the season.
“The Chainsaw Sally Show: Season One” is a boisterous little ball of gore and humor wrapped in fishnet stockings. Sally will never shush you, and she will certainly have no problem if you check her out.
July 19, 2011 at 12:16 pm
I love most everything done by Troma – Chainsaw Sally rocks. 🙂