Grade: D+
Synopsis: After gangsters murder her boyfriend, a woman recruits an army of zombies in her quest for revenge.
Sugar Hill is a travesty. Instead of delivering what should have been a sure-fire classic, writer Tim Kelly and director Paul Maslansky turn in a barely passable horror film lacking any real fun.
The plot is basically Coffy (1973) with zombies, which is an idea so brilliant it’s scary. It’s like somebody was watching Jack Hill’s classic and thought, “Hmmn… yeah it’s got Pam Grier going on a rampage beating up pimps, The Man, crazy white bitches and Sid Haig, but what it really needs is zombies!”
And that someone was right.
Unfortunately, whereas Coffy was an R-rated picture, Sugar Hill went for a PG rating which, for a film that revolves around killing a bunch of people with a horde of zombies, is pretty restricting. Where’s the over-the-top gore? The gratuitous nudity? The visceral violence? Where’s the fun?
When you’re making a zombie revenge picture you’re not shooting for Academy Awards, you’re aiming for cheap thrills, and Sugar Hill has none, which is a real shame since the ingredients are there. Marki Bey is no Pam Grier, but she works, Robert Quarry is great as The Man, and Don Pedro Colley has a lot of potential as Baron Samedi. If only the film delivered on its premise.
