Slaughterhouse II: sequel to 1987 slasher has finally made it into production!

Back in 1987, writer/director Rick Roessler and producer Jerry Encoe teamed up to bring the world the slasher film Slaughterhouse (watch it HERE) – a movie that has been a favorite of mine ever since I rented it on VHS at a very young age. Roessler always had thoughts of making a sequel, but it never made it into production… Until this year. Roessler and Encoe have spent the last few months working on Slaughterhouse II: Death Metal, which has been filming in and around the Motor Transport Museum and old feldspar mill in Campo, California.

Roessler was inspired to finally get Slaughterhouse II rolling after Quentin Tarantino held a screening of the first film at his New Beverly Cinema in Los Angeles and the screening drew in a full house.

The original Slaughterhouse starred Don Barrett and Joe Barton as Lester Bacon and his pig-like son Buddy, who turn to murder in an effort to save their family slaughterhouse. The San Diego Union Tribute reports that the sequel centers on another one of Lester Bacon’s sons, Cleavon, who left the pig farm for a better life and was merely hinted at in the first movie. Like his father, Cleavon has a mute son, who develops into a reincarnated version of Buddy Bacon. Pt. Loma-OB Monthly adds that the father and son team make beef jerky inside the Motor Transport Museum, an old feldspar mill surrounded by hundreds of decaying trucks. That’s where they add the secret ingredient: human flesh.

Cleavon’s son is named Rem Dog and he uses a flamethrower to dry out the meat for their Wonder Jerky. Wonder Jerky sales help pay the museum’s bills, with the people who buy and eat the jerky having no idea that they’re consuming treats made from the ground-up body parts of ill-fated hikers who are snatched from the Pacific Crest Trail.

Slaughterhouse II is being made on a budget of $250,000. Motor Transport Museum owner Bryan Butler stars as Cleavon, with local high schooler Remington Tully playing Rem Dog. Another local high schooler, Mary Grondona, plays a character named Ashley, and Lance Garmo – who runs the general store The Green Store – appears as the town storekeeper. The metal band Hemlock also makes an appearance. Returning from the first film is Sherry Leigh, who played heroine / sheriff’s daughter Liz Borden. Now the character has grown up to become the sheriff herself. Leigh’s husband Jim Larimore plays a “rich developer who covets the transport museum land.”

Roessler and Encoe both describe Slaughterhouse II as a horror comedy. Roessler told CBS8, “We have some squirting blood and those types of things. Probably not as much as the first one that we did, where we had a lot of hanging bodies.“

Filming is expected to wrap up any day now, and the filmmakers are aiming to have Slaughterhouse II ready to show to distributors in January. Encoe said, “I am looking forward to getting this completed and seeing the finished product here and getting it distributed. And who knows, maybe there will be a Slaughterhouse 3.“

A behind-the-scenes look at the making of Slaughterhouse II: Death Metal can be found at the CBS8 link.

It’s a shame Buddy Bacon never got to come back for a sequel (Barton passed away in 2010), but I’m glad to hear that Roessler is continuing the Slaughterhouse story and I’m looking forward to seeing how Slaughterhouse II: Death Metal turns out.

Are you a Slaughterhouse fan, and are you glad to hear Slaughterhouse II is finally happening? Let us know by leaving a comment below.