By Melissa Antoinette Garza
Tonight seems like a good night for a dive into the great sexploitation classics of the 1970s. These are the types of movies they could never make today. I know they tried with the new LAST HOUSE ON THE LEFT (2009) and the remake of I SPIT ON YOUR GRAVE (2010), but sadly capturing the complete insanity, rawness and edge of the 70s is gone.
For all intents and purposes, the film, I’m watching tonight, is tame in comparison to many of the revered cult hits. SAVAGE ABDUCTION, also known as CYCLE PSYCHO and THE BLOODY SLAYING OF SARAH RIDELANDER isn’t as bold as some of the others, but still delivers a far harder punch than most productions today. Here, we open with what looks like a normal day in suburbia where a couple are airing dirty laundry outside.
Then, an unassuming and odd man sneaks into the home where the Mrs. is in her bedroom while she’s nearly bare in lingerie. He holds her at knife point and dances with her; only the visuals change from him dancing with the woman to him dancing with mannequins, all while a hauntingly sweet melody echoes in the background. That’s the 1970s in a nutshell. It’s eerie, creepy, sexy and insane; and I adore it. Everything from the way both his suit and her night garments match the blue of the wallpaper to the slow but oddly intense spinning of the characters, the film immediately owns me on style alone.
It is immediately revealed that the husband who was fighting with his wife earlier, Dick Ridelander (Tom Drake) hired a hitman (Joe Turkel) to kill his wife. The hitman, Harry, unbeknownst to Dick, is a serial killer, who wants far more than money. He blackmails Dick into getting young girls for him to torture and kill.
Dick, who is just a businessman, then hires a biker gang to help him find the potential victims in effort to keep his hands clean. The gang’s leader Chelsea (Steve Oliver) lies and tells Romeo (Sean Kenney), that the girls are going to be sold into sex slavery, over the Mexican border for $10K. This is the strangest and most screwed up part of the film as the context of Chelsea lying means that Romeo wouldn’t go along with giving the girls over to a psycho-sexual murderer, but is willing to participate in the existent paln. Personally, I don’t see any ethical difference in handing the women over to be drugged, raped and probably eventually killed or giving them to good old’ crazy Harry.. Not only does Romeo see the former as acceptable enough to agree to, but he is disgusted and outraged when he finds out the truth later on. I just really want to know what moral compass of right and wrong, Romeo follows because it is far more baffling than an unfeeling sociopath or an unfeeling maniac. Whatever is going on in his head, he needs to die a slow death.
Regardless, . There’s no turning back. Chelsea’s girlfriend Lorie (Amy Thomson) is hesitant about the plan, but she’s no prize. She’s a ride-or-die, alcoholic, racist, garbage human.
Now, I’ve heard all of the criticisms in regards to this movie. Yes, it’s misogynistic. It’s a 1970s sexploitation film. Watching this and complaining that it’s sexist is like watching a porn and being offended that there’s sex in it. Plainly, as a woman, I can watch these films as a female, enjoy the hell out of it and still walk away knowing I’m a kick-ass chick surrounded by strong women. To me, it’s just a movie and a fine one at that.
I enjoy seeing women (especially those from the 70s) being hunted down by psychos and trying to maneuver their way out of it. It’s the thrills, chills and the bizarre raw depth that keeps me coming back for more. Grindhouse and drive-in films provide a fascinating unease that I enjoy immensely. Combine all of those facets with an interesting plot and I’m 100% in.
At it’s core, this Hansel and Gretel and the consequences are more brutal than the witch’s oven. Here we have, Faye (Kitty Vallacher), a blonde woman in jeans and a red crop top and Jenny (Tani Gallik), a brunette with wavy hair, a short skirt and killer white boots. They are 17 year old girls who are naive, scared and one can’t help but root for them as they are accosted by the gross, crude, criminal bikers. The film tries to paint Romeo as less of an asshole, but he kidnapped girls to throw them into white sex slavery. Without question, he’s villainous scum that needs to die a painful death.
The girls jump on the back of the motorcycles believing they are only accepting a free ride. Unknowingly, this puts them in the worst predicament of their lives. The moment the girls show up at Chelsea’s it’s clear they’re in danger. Lorie becomes jealous as she sees Chelsea sexually harass Faye. Instead, of shooting her scumbag boyfriend and helping the ladies in the need, she just gets into a brawl where Chelsea beats the hell out of her.
The girls are traumatized by the dirtbags, forced to strip and thrown into a small closet. This second act is the weakest and slowest part of the production. I understand the motivation, as at the time, the motorcycle gang trope was huge. That said,it slows down the overall movie. Not to mention, the attempt to romanticize Romeo pissed me off. Next to Chelsea, I hate him the most!
Despite the lengthy and loathsome time spent with the bikers, the film does have many redeeming qualities. The scenes with Harry are sensational. Turkel is a perfect choice for the character and his performance, makes this an underrated gem. I wish the focus stayed on Harry and followed him around. It could have been a solid slasher, if given the right opportunity.
Harry is demented, but makes for quite an engaging watch. His insanity is layered and there is certainly an oedipal complex, the likes of Norman Bates, going on there. It one of the wonderfully disturbing scenes, Harry finally gets to the women and, at first, professes his love to them. At the same time, he’s clutching a knife and forcing them to dance. Like every great movie psychotic, he changes on a dime. In one moment, he’s screaming and threatening to kill the girls and in another he’s crying for his daddy because his hand is cut.
In the end, there is a showdown between Romeo and Harry and as evil as Harry is, I fully admit I was cheering him on in that fight. In my mind, at least Harry is insane. He knows not what he does. He needs to be institutionalized for life. Romeo, on the other hand, is just like the other bikers. All I can say about his efforts, at redemption, is fuck him. He sucks.
This is for a really unique type of sexpoitation fan as there isn’t nudity and there is virtually no sex. Instead, it’s just a crazy, twisted movie that has some boring spots, but is overall, more than a decent watch. For lovers of the 70s like me, this is quite a find. It’s free on AMAZON PRIME and currently up on YOUTUBE.
Now, the version I saw had no nudity or sex. That doesn’t mean it was always that way or that there isn’t a version out there has other scenes that I don’t know about. I know many streaming services are forcing older films that are released by smaller production companies to remove excessive nudity and sex from their films. I hate that. Stop doing that! Seriously, what is this: Walmart circa 1993? Let the movies stand as they are with all the brazen tawdriness that made the era so fantastic.
I wish they’d stop editing art simply because they’re too up-their-own-asses to understand why some appreciate the unabashed and in your face style that Grindhouse films brought to the table. It is an art-form. You may not like it, and you may not agree with it, but suck it up, buttercup, because some of us do.
Scared Stiff Rating 6/10
