One of the more underrated gems of gaming is Lollipop Chainsaw. Partially coming from the demented mind of James Gunn, and developed by Grasshopper Manufacture, this action-comedy adventure follows a zombie-slaying cheerleader who sets out to save the world, armed only with her trusting chainsaw and her boyfriend's disembodied head keeping her company. From that description, the game's outrageous appeal should be obvious, but it failed to break into the mainstream back in 2012.
Now, with a resurgence currently unfolding, new players are discovering the gory joys of Lollipop Chainsaw. Many may only enjoy it for surface-level laughs. While those are entertaining, the title has a host of pop culture quirks hidden within its genre-bending insanity.
7 Sean Gunn
Like Ted Raimi and Clint Howard before him, Sean Gunn is present in most of his brother's projects. Recent appearances include one of the space pirates in Guardians of the Galaxy and Weasel in The Suicide Squad. Needless to say, these often require immense physical transformations.
Sean Gunn only voices a character here, but it's no less striking. He plays Swan, the main villain who brings forth the zombie apocalypse. He comes complete with maniacal laughter and plenty of screaming. His appeal comes from how pathetic and weird he is. The same can be said for many of Sean Gunn's characters even outside his brother's work.
6 Bruce Campbell
Running through the school, Juliet mentions a particular teacher. "Mr. Campbell is so hot," she swoons. Those versed in this genre may read that line as a reference to Bruce Campbell, the actor who plays protagonist Ash Williams in Evil Dead. That intention becomes more apparent when one considers that the movie franchise and game tackle a similar subject.
Ash goes through that series slaying demons without a hint of mercy. He even uses a chainsaw. Considering these blatant parallels, naming one of Juliet's teachers "Mr. Campbell" is clearly deliberate. Better that than having Juliet do a "groovy" cheer.
5 Zombie Bands
Musical eras play a big part in Lollipop Chainsaw​​​​​​'s aesthetic. The various villains reflect that, as each boss is a play on a different musical genre.
More to the point, the creators base these adversaries on specific figures from iconic bands. Killabilly is an evil Elvis. Mariska references Mariska Veres, the lead singer of Shocking Blue. Swan echoes Robert Smith of The Cure. Finally, Josey is a cross between Josie and the Pussycats and the Spirit of Jazz from The Mighty Boosh. These tributes give each enemy a unique identity beyond standard zombie bad guys. Plus, it provides plenty of Easter Eggs for music aficionados.
4 "If It Bleeds, I Can Kill It."
Of course, a few one-liners pepper this tongue-in-cheek romp. One pops up during Juliet's quick-time kills. She reasons that if a zombie bleeds, then she can kill it. She can't take all the credit for that line, though.
It harkens back to one of the pillars of cheesy comebacks: Arnold Schwarzenegger. The Austrian bodybuilder utters this same line in Predator. He uses it to reassure his party and himself that the titular alien is just as fallible as any living thing. Sure enough, this leads to a bloody slaughter to rival any zombie flick.
3 Stages Or Film Sets?
Lollipop Chainsaw doesn't just frame famous musicians as its villains, but it also hides references in its levels. In fact, several stages here get their names from horror filmmakers.
Specifically, they pay homage to zombie flick directors. O'Bannon Farm is a nod to Dan O'Bannon of Dead & Buried and Return of the Living Dead fame. Fulci Fun Center is inspired by Lucio Fulci, the man behind City of the Living Dead. Last but not least, the town's name of San Romero is a tribute to George A. Romero. He's basically the grandfather of zombie movies, putting out seminal works like Night of the Living Dead and Dawn of the Dead and influencing nearly every undead flick afterward. These locale names are not only appropriate for the material, but they're a respectful tip of the hat to the artists who inspired Gunn and company.
2 Shakespeare Sisters
Most references here are related to zombie flicks or similar subjects, but this is a bizarre exception. The protagonist and her sisters are all named after William Shakespeare characters. Juliet obviously pays homage to Romeo & Juliet, particularly with romance being a big part of her personality. Second, Cordelia is one of the sisters from King Lear. Finally, Rosalind is the main character of As You Like It.
Again, the playwright has nothing to do with the plot. Though ghosts occasionally pop up in Shakespeare's stories, he definitely never wrote a play about zombie hunting. That said, Lollipop Chainsaw is more entertaining, so James Gunn's earned the right to thumb his nose at a rival writer.
1 Talking Heads
Obviously, the most recurring gag is the fact that Juliet's boyfriend, Nick, is now a severed head. Clipped to his lover's hip, he bounces off her (literally and conversationally) through the whole game. It's an undeniably silly visual, but it's also one which the developers have tried before.
Disembodied heads have played a prominent role in two Grasshopper Manufacture games prior to this. Susie from killer7 is one such head. Another is Johnson, the talking skull in Shadows of the Damned. Both of these talking heads aid the heroes and offer their two cents on each scenario. When it comes to developer patterns, this is among the weirdest.
Lollipop Chainsaw is available on PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360.