Don't Answer the Phone!
Not great.
Even as a lover of sleazy morally objectionable cinema its pretty much mostly a bore.
There are some positives, some nice shots of the la streets of 1979 (when they were filming), and there is some titties. and it does feel like it wants to be dark and transgressive and aggressively offensive in that wonderful exploitation film way some of us true amoral freaks really enjoy, but even if you are here for that, it only ever slightly brushes up against that tone and will leave you mostly blueballzed.
It wants to be hardcore but it honestly is pretty weak sauce, but if im being honest, you can sort of give it the benefit of the doubt for being the filmakers first film, but that doesnt save it from being pretty meh.
Theres some humor in it too thats pretty cheeseball and cringe and honestly not in any charming b movie way, just actually grating and lame. And large portions of the acting are demonstrably horrible.
It feeels like it had the bones to be something much darker and easthetically unsettling, and it does almost hit an unsettling tone but it just shoots itself in the foot every time before it really get you there.
Some, as you see in the reviews, do find it bothersome and offensive,
but being honest if that got you excited, you aint in for much, most of that comes from insinuation and suggestion and things taking place off screen. Its all subject and talk and no visual delivery.
Other than a bit of sleezy tits action, which honestly other movies of the time deliver in just as much glory or more.
it really wanted to be what a much better film of that year, maniac, was.
Maniac hit that dark grimy unsettling feeling in absolute spades and became legend for it.
This wanted to be that, but its no maniac. not by a longshot.
You don't even get a decent kill, most of the entire friday the 13th franchise, even the cheesiest ones had way more aggressive kills in it.
This tries to be edgy but it wont hit. move on. and go watch maniac or henry portrait of a serial killer if you want to see this sort of thing at its peak.
Even as a lover of sleazy morally objectionable cinema its pretty much mostly a bore.
There are some positives, some nice shots of the la streets of 1979 (when they were filming), and there is some titties. and it does feel like it wants to be dark and transgressive and aggressively offensive in that wonderful exploitation film way some of us true amoral freaks really enjoy, but even if you are here for that, it only ever slightly brushes up against that tone and will leave you mostly blueballzed.
It wants to be hardcore but it honestly is pretty weak sauce, but if im being honest, you can sort of give it the benefit of the doubt for being the filmakers first film, but that doesnt save it from being pretty meh.
Theres some humor in it too thats pretty cheeseball and cringe and honestly not in any charming b movie way, just actually grating and lame. And large portions of the acting are demonstrably horrible.
It feeels like it had the bones to be something much darker and easthetically unsettling, and it does almost hit an unsettling tone but it just shoots itself in the foot every time before it really get you there.
Some, as you see in the reviews, do find it bothersome and offensive,
but being honest if that got you excited, you aint in for much, most of that comes from insinuation and suggestion and things taking place off screen. Its all subject and talk and no visual delivery.
Other than a bit of sleezy tits action, which honestly other movies of the time deliver in just as much glory or more.
it really wanted to be what a much better film of that year, maniac, was.
Maniac hit that dark grimy unsettling feeling in absolute spades and became legend for it.
This wanted to be that, but its no maniac. not by a longshot.
You don't even get a decent kill, most of the entire friday the 13th franchise, even the cheesiest ones had way more aggressive kills in it.
This tries to be edgy but it wont hit. move on. and go watch maniac or henry portrait of a serial killer if you want to see this sort of thing at its peak.
Mini Review: Not great. Even as a lover of sleazy morally objectionable cinema its pretty much mostly a bore. There are some positives, some nice shots of the la streets of 1979 (when they were filming), and there is some titties. and it does feel like it wants to be dark and transgressive and aggressively offensive in that wonderful exploitation film way some of us true amoral freaks really enjoy, but even if you are here for that, it only ever slightly...