In indie slasher Karen: The Beauty Queen Butcher, Karen (Jasmin Flores) is determined to win beauty pageants by any means necessary. After a string of losses, someone starts taking out her competition one by one. Directed by Zachary Snygg, and written by Flores and Snygg, this film takes us down a brutal rabbit hole of murderously competitive beauty contests, leaving a trail of blood. Her husband Ted (Scott Bolger) is intent on getting her attention, but Karen is focused on nothing but winning pageants. He tries to get in her good graces (and have sex with him) by giving her the victories she desires most.
The murders are comprehensive, to say the least, with bodies brutally mutilated, and in one case, the unfortunate victim’s skull is tossed into a blazing fireplace. The case is assigned to two bored, jaded New York cops, who are dismayed at the amount of work required to pursue a serial killer. They must discover who is murdering beauty pageant contestants, then, with a suspect in custody, figure out why the crime spree continues.
“… a brutal rabbit hole of murderously competitive beauty contests …”
Karen: The Beauty Queen Butcher is cheesy with stilted overacting, Flores emphasizing her Jersey City Puerto Rican accent. But let’s face it, we’re not here for deeply meaningful artistic depth. Bring on the carnage, and this film delivers with plenty of the red stuff. The whining, vacuous Karen and her beauty pageant peers are so irritating that it is a mercy to the viewer when it’s broken up by the vicious attacks. The murder set pieces are fleshed out, but the production quality of everything else is minimal, with hardly any sets and little attention to lighting and sound. The film is imbued with New York street style through and through.
As far as the murders go, they aren’t terribly realistic. Human bodies fly apart, spilling organs and brains with the mere touch of a blade. This lack of practical authenticity is in keeping with the overall low-rent goofiness of the film. These scenes are unlikely to cause a viewer any trauma. If you have dreams about this movie, there will be bright colors and clowns (unless you’re afraid of clowns).
Karen: The Beauty Queen Butcher follows the grand tradition of “shock exploitation” like the delightful trashiness of Troma films. Don’t expect cerebral cinema, but if splashy, pointless violence that covers the walls with stage blood floats your boat, then settle in with popcorn and a plastic sheet to protect the furniture and dive in to the gore fest.
"…settle in with popcorn and a plastic sheet to protect the furniture."
