Plot: The prostitutes of New Orleans are under siege, as a mysterious killer has been leaving a trail of dead bodies in his wake. But these aren’t just run of the mill murders, as the deaths are obviously sacrificial in nature. He looks for the most evil women among the ladies of the night, oils them up, dons a sex mask, then plunges a knife into their supple bodies. Once he has them opened up, he pulls out their hearts as a sign of sacrifice. So a lunatic is loose on the streets, offering up young hookers as tribute to some kind of twisted higher power. Sgt. Frank Herbert (Curt Dawson) looks into the case, but finds himself distracted by a new romance with one of the local prostitutes. Meanwhile, the killer continues to sacrifice the women and no one seems to know anything about this kind of ritualistic method. Can Frank balance his love for a whore with the needs of the case, or will this sadistic madman remain unpunished?

Entertainment Value: This review covers the uncut version of the movie, as released by Code Red DVD. The plot of Mardi Gras Massacre seems simple enough, a killer is pursued by a detective, but that’s not really what happens here. The investigation is not shown often, usually just brief updates and at the same time, the bigger picture of the killer’s plan isn’t mined. We see the killer go to a strip club and choose victims, but aside from that, we don’t know much about his motives. The detective story is focused more on how he struggles with falling in love with a whore, so he is not focused on the case, but this romance. The focus picks up in the last half hour, so it just takes a while to get to the core of the story. So don’t expect a full on crime procedural or in depth look at the mind of a madman, as that’s not what we have here. But we do have a 70s vibe that is a lot of fun, with some great dialogue, memorable characters, and a good pace. We have a colorful cast, with the gruff detective and sophisticated but sadistic killer, not to mention an all business barkeep and a nice assortment of hookers with breasts of various sizes and shapes. No slow stretches to speak of, as even exposition often happens while a naked girl dances. Mardi Gras Massacre doesn’t really follow the usual horror or crime formulas, but it never fails to entertain.

This movie has a good amount of nakedness, with most of the girls showing off the full treatment. A number of girls are shown fully nude, often for long periods of time while strapped to the killer’s sacrificial table. This means full frontal and I mean full, as the camera often captures more of the female flower than you’d expect. You also see some dance routines, including one from a devil girl and perhaps most memorable is a naked ballerina showing off her skills for the killer. On the blood side, we see the killer’s chosen method of sacrifice often and that means bodies cut open and hearts removed. As this is the same process each time, the gore is a touch repetitive. Even so, the red stuff gushes and the slice & dice technique looks solid. The dialogue is fun here, especially when it tries to be tough or noir influenced. The people here are bitter and that leads to some great exchanges and fights. I didn’t find Mardi Gras Massacre to be that insane, as it never rolls into off the rails type content. It has a dark sense of humor and is a lot of fun, but not in an over the top kind of way.

Nudity: 6/10

Blood: 4/10

Dialogue: 5/10

Overall Insanity: 2/10