Ellen’s Movie Review of “Death Ranch” on Prime Video

Welcome to our 2nd Annual Birthday Bash as Divination Hollow Reviews!

We’ll be celebrating all month long with a series of posts by our team and esteemed colleagues and this year’s theme is “Going to the Movies!” Join us as we share themed content with special “tickets” for each category inspired by cinema.

Celebrate with us!

Death Ranch

78min, 2020, streaming on Prime

Directed by Charlie Steeds

I had this one in my queue on Prime thanks to the algorithm’s recommendations, and whew boy. Some of it truly is fun and campy, but it definitely left me conflicted given the topic/villain. Still, I’m not mad I watched it! I do however have one very specific complaint:

You’re going to tell me that these Klansmen were wearing poly/synthetic fabric in the South (e w w w), and no one thought to just… set them on fire and run? I mean really, between the melting fabric coupled with Southern humidity which crushes your lungs, there’s no way those cannibalistic racist white assholes would be able to get very far. Their brains are obviously too addled from inbreeding and people eating to be able to multitask their way outta that, and everyone would be home free with all their limbs!

Anyway, I got a lotta confusing feelings about this, but I really love the 70s exploitation vibes and the aesthetic of the cinematography. It’s low budget grindhouse fare and on that level I did enjoy it!

TW: racism, pervasive violence against Black people, prison industrial complex, gun violence, KKK, torture and kidnapping, dismemberment, cannibalism, ritual sacrifice, sexual violence, extreme gore and blood, repeated use of racist and bigoted slurs, fire and burns, car accidents, claustrophobia

Review by Ellen Avigliano
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