Repellent, yet somehow engaging 80s rape/revenge exploitation flick has Linda Blair ("The Exorcist" "Hell Night" "Chained Heat") as a revenge seeking female version of Charles Bronson, sporting a leather catsuit and wielding a crossbow. The movie is a complete mess and is truly exploitative trash in a not good way, but its' such a mess and done with just enough flair, that it keeps you watching. Blair's deaf-mute sister, scream queen Linnea Quigley ("Return of the Living Dead" "Night of the Demons" Silent Night, Deadly Night"), is viciously attacked and assaulted by a nasty gang known as The Scars. When the police and the school principal, John Vernon (Dean Wormer himself), fail to take action, Blair takes matters into her own hands, offing the gang members one by one. The film's climax is pretty good as gory exploitation action goes, but what makes the film so bizarrely engaging is all of the strange story tangents. It's pretty clear the filmmakers didn't know what type of film they wanted to make and just threw everything against the wall to see what would stick. Is it a revenge tale? Is it a high school melodrama? Is it a girl gang movie? Or is it about disconnected teenagers? Maybe if they'd decided on a focus, the film would have been better. Still, the film does feature a catchy soundtrack made up of bands you've never heard of, some decent action, and is not a bad film to watch if you're in the mood for some 80s VHS style video nasty memories.
Review of Savage Streets
