Meat Locker

A short low-budget Hungarian body horror film that pays homage to grindhouse cinema and Rod Serlings's The Twilight Zone. Directed by Mark G. Lakatos, written by Balazs Harangozo and starring Daniel Illes.

The film begins inside a restaurant's kitchen, where a dead pig is being prepared to be served. Then, a couple are sitting at a table in the restaurant, eating the pig and having a discussion about the morality of eating baby animals. Suddenly, the woman realises that she is about to give birth and she is rushed to the hospital, while her partner waits outside. It is then when the horror starts.

This short's main strength, what makes it stand out the most is the sequence at the hospital. The atmosphere is agonising and dreadful. The woman is tied to the hospital bed and the three medical staff behave like deranged lunatics, saying outrageous things and committing unspeakable acts. The creative practical effects look gory and nasty and the whole thing is hard to watch. Additionally, Armin Rethly's black-and-white cinematography makes the atmosphere feel even darker. Of course, the rest of the film has its own positive standards, especially during the conversation about animals being eaten.

Interestingly, Illes plays both characters that constitute the couple. The man accuses his partner of being two-faced as she is OK with eating meat but claims that she disapproves of eating infant animals, even though she eats foods like eggs and veal. Having the same actor portray the couple feels surreal and having a male play a woman in some ways makes the character both male and female and this is effective because it communicates the message that both men and women can make the awkward statement that they do not eat baby meat while they actually do.

With his performance, Illes succeeds in creating a couple, however, it is during the harrowing hospital section that he shows what he can do, vividly bringing to life feelings of extreme agony and terror.

This story (especially if one takes the unexpected ending under consideration) paints a negative picture of humanity and it is even misanthropic. It appears to be pointing out that animal rights are not being valued, that people are dishonest and that by eating meat, they are cannibals. Generally, it seems to be carrying the message that humans are no-good in general or that they can be very awful at times.

A dark horror film with dark messages. A tense and terrifying ride that is not for sensitive viewers.