Sometimes, work can really be a living Hell. Two mechanics have a run-in with a demon king, being forced into a life of hellish servitude. It’s not just fulfilling requests for Luciferians, this is Satanic Garage Management.
Michael (Michael Taylor) and James (James Payton) spend their days straightening up cars in their garage business. Life is hum-drum, everything is the same, and they’re losing money. Then one day, James tells Michael that, after winning the lottery, he’s retiring from the fix-’em-up business and doing some soul searching elsewhere. They down some drinks and wake up under red-bathed neon lights with a fiery Hell waiting outside. Soon, Demon King Bazulag (Toby Russell) appears, explaining that they are doomed to an eternal life together under his rule, tasked with fixing his car to enter an upcoming “race war.” Michael and James butt heads when faced with the ongoing challenges Bazulag gives them versus trying to escape with their lives — and bodies — intact.
Horror comedies are awesome, and Satanic Garage Management fits the bill. The rapport Michael and James have together is great, and the addition of Bazulag really sealed the deal. While human characters have a sort of unserious nonchalance about them, the demons are a mirror to over-the-top, sitcom-like caricatures, whining about their shortcomings and badgering others as parents would a child. It turns an ordinarily frightening experience into one that you wouldn’t believe is really happening.
But Satanic Garage Management wasn’t just all laughs; it featured a dark and demented presence that would make any heavenly villain feel at home. Obviously, much of the film is draped in red and hellish flames. But there was also a plethora of fantastic effects like throat slitting and limbs being cut off. Despite the effect work, Bazulag was clearly wearing a mask — but honestly that added so much to the comedy aspect of the movie that I straight-up didn’t care. Low budget may mean throwing some decorum to the wayside, but most of the time, it works out and adds that special something to the film as a whole.
I will say that my favorite part of Satanic Garage Management was the “race war” in question. Michael and James sit in front of a TV screen to watch Bazulag crash and burn. The cars are miniatures interspliced with live-action shots of the demons racing against each other. Such a funny sequence at the climax of the film really showcased the timing and pacing wins for the filmmakers. Plus it brought us to the blood-soaked ending we all wanted to see.
Satanic Garage Management takes your usual “heroes trapped in Hell” trope and turns it upside down with a story that no one was expecting, but still made total sense. Fun with a side of slaughter, this film is a mix of British humor and Luciferian leanings that makes for one entertaining afternoon.
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