I'm a huge fan of B-Movies: good, bad, ugly... dreadful even. I'm thoroughly offended by reviewers who constantly slam horror and B films on no other basis than the genre. One of the few guides I would recommend is the Mason/Porter Video Movie Guide. Not only is it a great price, but their reviews are usually honest. They don't compare FRIDAY THE 13th to THE GODFATHER. They compare FRIDAY to classic films within its own genre, like HALLOWEEN or TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE, and compare GODFATHER to CITIZEN KANE, GONE WITH THE WIND... other "large" scale features. This is my goal in this (intended) monthly feature.

My thoughts and opinions are coming from a horror (B Movie) fan, to horror (B Movie) fans. I don't care if AMERICA'S DEADLIEST HOME VIDEO was shot on video. I'll look at whether or not it fits within its genre; compare it to other s-o-v's like CRAZY FAT ETHEL II (yucka!) and BLOOD CULT (not great, but watchable). You get the drift. So, that said, my choice this month is....

BORN INNOCENT (1974)

Starring: Linda Blair, Janit Bladwin, Joanna Miles, Kim Hunter. Written by Gerald DiPego. (Based on the novel by Creighton Brown Burham.) Directed by David Wrye. UVA. 100 minutes. Unrated.

THE PLOT:  A teenage girl, who frequently runs away from home, is taken into custody and forced to endure life in an all-girls detention facility. Her innocence is slowly stripped away as everyone she loves becomes as betraying and cold as the delinqient juveniles who beat and rape her repeatedly, while the adult wardens do little to protect her.

SHOULD YOU SEE IT?:  In today's climate of negativity focused on the ills of television and films, one would think we're currently experiencing the most lurid and decadent of societal atrocities in history. "There's too much sex and violence on T.V…."  "Our children are being desensitized…" "The downfall of our society is the fault of the media, not the parents…"

There are three things about BORN INNOCENT which prove these theories wrong. First, the 1970s offered up an amiable amount of sex and violence, even during the so-called "family hours." Sample TRILOGY OF TERROR (1975), LOOK WHAT'S HAPPENED TO ROSEMARY'S BABY (1976), THE BABYSITTER (1980) and most notably THE LEGEND OF LIZZIE BORDON (1975), during which said villainess (Elizabeth Montgomery) graphically butchers her parents while quite noticeably nude. Today's movie-of-the-week doesn't offer even half the same amount of onscreen bloodshed, violence or suspense. Let's not even mention what was hitting the local drive-in…

Second, perhaps if we allowed our children to witness the punishment for partaking in seedier sides of life (such as DAWN and SARAH T: PORTRAIT OF A TEENAGE ALCOHOLIC), and likewise taking time to explain why what happens on screen is a bad thing, we wouldn't have so many problems.  Why has no one questioned why teens in the 1970s and 1980s were exposed to the most cinematically violent period in history, yet none of them went to school with shot guns the next day?

BORN INNOCENT wasn't exploitive as its legend insists. It strived, like many films of the time, to be informative. There was a point to the events unfolding on screen. It didn't necessarily glorify them. Rather, it said, "This is what life is like here. Do you want to experience it?" Focus was also on the many problems perpetrated by the judicial and juvenile systems.

Finally, BORN INNOCENT shows it can, in fact, be the parents at the root of the problem. This is particularly topical again in our current age of "My child does no wrong. I know everything they do and think."  Well, no, you don't. None of the teen inmates here were born bad… Each of them has experienced varying degrees of heinous home lives.

Released in 1974 as THE movie-of-the-week to watch, BORN INNOCENT, directed sensitively by David Wrye, broke new ground for what could be shown on national television.  The controversial story focused on then 14 year old Linda Blair as "Chris Parker," a frequent runaway whom we are originally supposed to suspect leads a devious life. 

Viewers are led through her process of being booked for her "crime," then spending a few days in a holding cell with over aged prostitutes, drug dealers and truly violent criminals (not to mention scary lesbians…). After a quick visit in front of the judge where she learns her parents have relinquished their rights as her guardians, Chris is whisked off to a juvenile detention center.  Upon her arrival, the audience further witnesses the demeaning ritual of "cleansing" during which every orifice is checked by guards for weapons and drugs.

It is only after this, as her story unfolds, when we learn her only crime was repeatedly running away from an abusive father and a mentally challenged mother who believes reform school is her daughter's only escape from her father's lashing belt.  It's a situation no one portrayed within the legal system seems to care about. The fact is, Chris has partaken in no true crime.

Regardless, Chris enters her new "home" at the all-girl detention facility. At first, she appears to be the only resident who maintains her "innocence." Her housemates seem to be another story...

There's a nasty dyke (forever seen as criminals in any prison flick) named Moko who repeatedly tries to make Chris her bitch. Josie, Chris's first friend, was turned into a prostitute at the age of 10 by her own mother.  Crazy Denny (HELTER SKELTER'S Janit Baldwin), is a nervous wreck constantly on the verge of going postal. Janet, an Indian girl who awaits the birth of her child, seems to have committed no other crime than shaming her family. Then there's Bea, another feisty lesbian in desperate need of anger management classes, who gets off on seeing other girls being beaten and raped. As the movie goes on, each of these girls' back-stories unfold as well.

Chris is told by a counselor she is not being held prisoner, even though her room is locked at night, she must request simple items like shampoo, guards lead them to each class, and there are barbed wire fences surrounding the property. Bedrooms are equally fun, with wire cots, cinder block walls covered in graffiti and one television set for 30 girls.

Her housemother, Emma Lasko, is a well-intentioned but ultimately cold woman who won't allow herself to feel the girls' pain. Other teachers and social workers are basically the same, except one teacher (Joanna Miles) whom the girls refer to as "mom." She is the only adult who seems truly interested in her charges thoughts and emotions. She takes a notable interest in Chris, realizing she's the one girl most likely to succeed on the outside. Unfortunately, Chris has many setbacks to face in trying to reach freedom.

Day by day, scene by scene, Chris's innocence is stripped away. During the film's most infamous and graphic scene, she is sodomized in the shower by a group of girls with "Johnny," a toilet plunger handle. This results in the first of her many unsuccessful attempts at escape; each of them nail-bitters with excruciating let-downs upon her recapture.

Even though "mom" repeatedly attempts to save Chris from the same system which claims to rehabilitate, it all ends in an unexpectedly downbeat, ultimately depressing conclusion. Chris has lost her innocence, her belief in good and family, becoming another child who fell through the cracks.

For all its exploitive possibilities, the film is far from Blair's raunchier CHAINED HEAT (1983). BORN INNOCENT is actually a dramatic feature, which treads the line between trash and class. Extreme amounts of nudity are suggested as Blair reveals much more skin than one would expect of a 14-year-old girl on national television. These scenes, however, are anything but titillating – unless you enjoyed THE LAST HOUSE ON THE LEFT (1972) and I SPIT ON YOUR GRAVE (1979) for those very reasons. Additionally, the aforementioned "plunger handle" sequence still maintains its potency, even in its now cut version (good luck finding the 1974 uncut print).

More sensitive viewers will also find many a scene requiring hankies. Each dramatic arch is united with a wonderfully soft score by Fred Karlin, who knows exactly which button to push and when. We are further exposed to the other girls' softer sides, pin-pointing the exact reasons for their delinquency…. Always stemming from the parents.

Among the most effective emotional breakdowns is Chris's "isolation" room confession to "mom." Another arrives at the climax when the girls' erupt in violence against their "prison" and housemother, leaving her near death.  In an earlier scene, when Janet loses her unborn child and the adults refuse to take responsibility, Blair proves her acting chops for the five-hundredth time, expressing bitterness, rage, empowerment and defeat simultaneously.

Why Linda Blair didn't receive an Emmy for her performance is a mystery. She exudes the innocence of the title and easily transforms into a heart-wrenchingly-cold delinquent by the movie's end. With her character literally hurt and betrayed by every person she has known and trusted, Blair makes Chris's inner pain real.

The other teenaged actresses are equally wonderful. Most notable is the actress portraying teen prostitute "Josie" (a poor cast list makes naming her impossible), who decides to remain in the safety of the center rather than return to her pimp mother when offered a chance to escape. Also delightful is Janit Baldwin, whose "Denny" is so jittery and scarred, then unexpectedly violent, she comes across as thoroughly believable. You fear her, yet want nothing more than to hug her. 

Joanna Miles, likewise, makes for a wonderful vision of motherhood. She loves these girls because nobody else will, and treats them as her own children. Miles is sensitive and sincere and yet challenging when her girls act up.

Performances, combined with David Wrye's direction and Gerald DiPego's thorough script (based on the novel by Creighton Brown Burham) makes for a must see trip into a real-life hell. BORN INNOCENT is an uncompromising and frighteningly realistic look at how our society can trample on and easily discard our own children.

MASSACRE AT CENTRAL HIGH (1976)

Starring: Andrew Stevens, Kimberly Beck, Derrel Maury, Robert Carradine, Loni O'Grady, Cheryl Rainbeaux Smith, Ray Underwood, Steve Bond. Written and Directed by Renee Daalder. EVI. 90 minutes. Rated R.

THE PLOT: New-boy-at-school David (Maury) has arrived at Central High only to discover the students are terrified and controlled by a group of well-dressed, rich, and out-of-control boys headed by the truly nasty Bruce (Underwood). With his own friend Mark (Stevens) a member of the elitest group, David tries to seek help from within the group to turn things around and make high school an enjoyable place. When the tough guys turn on him, however, permanantly crippling him as part of a sick prank gone wrong without remorse, David is out for bloody revenge. However, he soon learns that just because you dispose of one group of nasty, conrtolling people, it doesn't mean others won't immediately try to assume the same roles.

SHOULD YOU SEE IT?: Hell yeah! Voted one of The New York Times Best Films of the Year, MASSACRE AT CENTRAL HIGH is a somewhat dated, yet all-too-true tale of high school cruelty and revenge Americans have finally and unfortunately been learning to deal with since Columbine.

An incredibly difficult feature to locate even on eBay, the chintzy box art does little justice to the film with its depiction of a teen standing in a pool of blood and holding a bomb in one hand and a bloody butcher knife in the other. A slasher movie this is not. A bloody movie it is not. In fact, it is one of the most unique offerings of the teen exploitation genre. While David is a killer, he is a sly one. He is never seen on screen killing any of his classmates, so the finger can not be pointed directly at him by either his fellow students, nor the audience, until the final act.

Admittedly, the film was shot on an incredibly low-budget, which it often shows. Some poorly lit scenes, occasionally silly dialogue and just a few preposterous kills (the giant boulder smashing a three-way sex romp is rather humourous), plus an obvious lack of adult supervision (are there any teachers who work in this school?) would seem to bring the story down, but it's the story itself, and its determination not to be predictable, which keep the whole project afloat and entertaining.

Then there's the cast: Have you ever seen such an odd assortment of well-known (by 70s and 80s standards) TV, movie and soap opera personalities in one picture? Beck (FRIDAY THE 13TH, PART IV: THE FINAL CHAPTER), Stevens (THE FURY), Underwood and Bond (GENERAL HOSPITAL), O'GRADY (EIGHT IS ENOUGH ... and she's naked!), Smith (REVENGE OF THE CHEERLEADERS), Carradine (REVENGE OF THE NERDS) and so many more!

One other unique element...there's a moral to the story! Go figure, right? Ripped of by HEATHERS (1989) (especially the explosive conclusion), MASSACRE AT CENTRAL HIGH says, "Get rid of one class of nasty people with power and watch former underdogs clamour to see who can claim the throne for their own greedy purposes." Not to mention the Columbine connection: Treat your classmates like shit and suffer the consequences. Of course this school is a little harsher than the reality of todays education buildings. Girls are raped, nerds are beaten, bookworms are humiliated...well, maybe it's not so far fetched after all.

GRADUATION DAY (1981)

Starring: Christopher George, Patch MacKenzie, Linnea Quigley, E.J. Peaker, Vanna White, E. Danny Murphy, Billy Hufsey, Richard Ballin, Virgil Frye, Carmine Argenziano, Beverly Dixon, Hal Bokar, Denise Cheshire, Karen Abbott, Tom Hintnaus, Carl Rey. Written by Anne Marisse and Herb Freed. Directed by Herb Freed. Columbia/GoodTimes. 97 minutes. Rated R.

THE PLOT: Following the unexpected death of the lead track star Laura, who drops over dead at the finish line from a blood clot, the surviving Senior Track Team members suddenly find themselves being slashed, shot, bashed and beheaded as graduation day draws near. Could it be Laura's disturbed military sister Anne (MacKenzie) who has come home for answers? Or perhaps it's the track coach (George) who's been fired for driving his team too hard. Of course there's always Laura's devastated boyfriend (Murphy), the jealous snobby girl (White...yes, the one who now turns letters), or any other number of red herrings...and why is that dead girl still wearing her cap and gown?

SHOULD YOU SEE IT?: Somehow I managed to miss this addition to the early 80s teenager slashfest on or near important holidays or events subgenre. I'd purchased it brand new for $3.00 back in the mid-90s (on Goodtimes crappy EP mode VHS - seek out the SP mode from Columbia to make your life ... and viewing ... easier) and though I watched it at the time, I must not have really been paying much attention. (Afterall, I'm already dedicated to the high school horrors of PROM NIGHT, HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME and THE SLUMBER PARY MASSACRE, so why seek out others?) When I popped it back in the 'ole VCR recently and actually watched GRADUATION DAY, I discovered a nice, if not too scary but at least entertaining, slasher opus.

In a rare turn, it seems the casting directors hired actual athletes to star in this feature, as the actors faces are always visible during their well executed stunts on the field, the high beam bars, the pole vaulting, etc. Double surprising is the acting doesn't suffer any more than it does in your average slasher film.

Of course, GRADUATION DAY is a true slasher in every sense of the word. An unseen killer wearing black gloves breathes heavily as he/she/it follows the co-eds through the woods (don't campuses ever have open sidewalks away from woodsy areas?) until they discover their admirer, let the audience know they recognize him/her/it, and eventually have their throats sliced open. Of course the girls get to make it to the shower room for some ample T&A shots and a quick fake scare before they bite the big one (tee hee), as we wouldn't want to let the straight male and lesbian portion of the viewership down.

On a comparitive level with the earlier high school slashers I mentioned, plus others of its ilk such as MY BLOODY VALENTINE (1981), HELL NIGHT (1981), and FRIDAY THE 13TH (1980), GRADUATION DAY is a lesser film because, perhaps, we've just seen the exact same story too many damn times. The gore isn't overly outrageous, the scares are, indeed, more false than real, and the quick paced editing is a little too rapid for the viewer to cohesively make out what they're seeing at times. Additionally, GRADUATION DAY makes the mistake of not really offering up "the final girl" - with whom the audience can identify from her very first appearence until the bloody finale. Sure, there is a final girl, but since she is one of the main red herrings throughout the picture, viewers never have much of a chance to grow to like her. Once we realize she's no longer a suspect during the last 10 minutes, do we really care if she lives or dies?

On its own, without being overly aware of the other films it competes against, GRADUATION DAY does have several winning moments. Probably the biggest kicker is seeing the ever proper WHEEL OF FORTUNE star as an 18 year old, incredibly whiny bitch. Does she bite it? I can't give it away, but many may not be happy to find out. It's also very sweet to view actors like Hufsey (OFF THE WALL, FAME) and Quigley (THE RETURN OF THE LIVING DEAD) in very early roles stripping down and getting chased by the machete/sword wielding maniac. In fact, Quigley (who apparently was a mere extra who won the larger role when another actress refused to do the required nudity) has the longest of the on-screen chases with the killer, and even gets to boogie around at a roller rink before she has smokes, pot, has sex and dies.

In addition to this juvenile fun, GRADUATION DAY does manage to muster up a bit of occasional tension and even gives us TWO nifty jump-from-your-seat scares near the end. Go for the sister slashers first. If you've tired of rewatching Jamie Lee Curtis do bad disco for the thirty-third time, give this cap 'n gown thriller a try. 

SLAUGHTER STUDIOS (2002)

Starring: Peter Stanovich, Amy Shelton-White, Nicolas Read, Allen Scotti, Matt Westmore, Tara Killian, Andy Chulani, Eva Frajko, Laura Lawson, Serra Ellison, Lorissa McComas, Matthew Roseman, Darren Reiher, Christopher Dalton, Andrew Craig, Mia Zottoli. Written by Dan Acre and John Huckert. Directed by Brian Katkin. New Concorde. 86 minutes. Rated "R." Theatrical release December 4, 2002.

PLOT: Hack director Steve Sperg (Stanovich) grew up on the trashy, low-cost flicks of the legendary Roman Grocer (Craig), who directed over 122 B-movies for Slaughter Studios from the 1950's through the late 1970s when the accidental on set death of his lead actor, Justin Kirkpatrick (Westmore), caused the studios closure. Some 25 years later, the abandoned Stage 17 is set for the wrecking ball, so film student Steve hopes to sneak in and make one last cheapo horror flick.

Gathering a cast of no-talent actors and a green film crew from the local community college, Steve and co. set out to film their movie, Naughty Sex Kittens Vs. The Giant Preying Mantis, within a 9 hour period. Little do any of them know they've disrupted a killer's lair, and bloody revenge is in order.

SHOULD YOU SEE IT?: Simultaneously witty and stupid, SLAUGHTER STUDIOS is a combo of the post-SCREAM self-awarenesss trend spliced with one of those fun B-movies from the 1980's where naked girls run around and get splattered with blood while everyone else around them is oblivious to the screams for help. It's difficult to determine how much I liked this film. I'm thinking it's along the lines of JEEPERS CREEPERS...the first half is really great, the last half really stupid and a let-down.

SLAUGHTER STUDIOS gathers an excellent cast of mostly newcomers who, for the first 45 minutes, constantly wink their eyes at every Roger Corman ("Roman Grocer" -- get it?) produced B-movie flick, most notably the Jim Wynorski era of the late 1980s and early 1990s. Films such as THE SLUMBER PARTY MASSACRE (1982), SORORITY HOUSE MASSACRE 2 (1992) and HARD TO DIE (1991) are skewered with scathingly funny quips and images. Non-sensical dialogue, cheap gore FX and costumes, actresses who wear peek-a-boo nighties for no apparent reason...they're all here in ample supply, and it's supposed to be funny. The fact is, for those first 45 minutes, the film is successful in its intent. This is its saving grace in the long-run, but is also why the second half seems bogged down, when the self-knowing humor falls away to the true - and too common - trappings of an 80s slasher opus. The girls no longer wink at the nudity...they just get naked...and for no reason. Meanwhile, characters begin to wander off for stupid reasons only to be hacked off in rapidly edited kill-scenes so you can't tell how un-effectively they're lensed.

Is this a bad thing? Well, yes and no. It's bad in the sense that, unlike SCREAM (1996), it forgot it was a parody. The movie should have remained true to it's beginning throughout. The ending is still fun, but only if you're in the mood for a cheesy slasher flick, which, again, it then should have been all along. In other words, you either parody SORORITY HOUSE MASSACRE 2, or you make SORORITY HOUSE MASSACRE 3...don't try to do both. The main problem is that, at the mid-way point when the events switch from comedy to horror, it's too obvious the switch has occured. The viewer will most likely go from laughing with the movie to laughing at the movie.  Was this director Katkins' intent?

I should emphasize SLAUGHTER STUDIOS is not a bad movie. In fact, it does remain fun in its unintended stupidity. There seems to be an honest run of sentiment, while it's best jokes are the more subdues ones, most likely those which the average viewer would not "get," but those Corman fanatics (and I know there's a lot of you out there) would. The characters and actors are amusing and extremely likeable, most notably Stanovich as obsessed director "Steve Sperg" (JAWS...anyone?), put-upon heroine Madigan (Shelton-White), uber-bitchy Portia (Killian), and goofy insect mutant Kevin (Read - who I'll admit I worked with in STINGERS, so I had to give him a plug, which he deserves regardless). McComas shows some genuine comedic talent as "Candyce," the girl obsessed with the dead Justin Kirkpatric, even though most male viewers will be focused on her bowling ball size boobs and pretty face. I also suspect the same fellas (and maybe a few deisel drivin' ladies) will find curiosity rising (among other things) with the debut of Italian hottie Mia Zottoli in the opening 70s monologue. It would have been more amusing to have former and current Corman players take part (Mary Woronov, Maria Ford, Brinke Stevens et al), but I guess that can be saved for the sequel. All together a "just-barely-missed-the-mark" fun flick headed for the guilty pleasure/cult favorite section.

PSYCHO FROM TEXAS (1974/78)

Starring: John King III, Herschel Mays, Linnea Quigley, Candy Dee, Janel King, Joanne Bruno. Written and Directed by Jim Feazell. Paragon Video Productions. 90 Minutes. Rated R.

PLOT: Two poor slobs decide life in the downlane really sucks, so what better way to make some quick cash than to abduct a man of wealth from a town where no one will know them, and hold him for ransom. When the man escapes, one of the abductors hunts the oil man down, while the other vows to seek revenge on the man's family by raping and torturing them, along with a few townsfolk who unwittingly get in the way.

SHOULD YOU SEE IT?: Wow. There are bad movies, and then there are BAAAAAD movies. You know, the kind where they're so bad they're not even remotely amusing or funny in an unintentional sort of way. Though the title suggests a bad combination of PSYCHO (1960) and THE TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE (1974), this poorly shot, edited, written and acted film steals most of its theme from THE LAST HOUSE ON THE LEFT (1972), and not very convincingly. There are two main purposes here: First, two thugs decide they want to rob a local business man. Once they abduct him, they figrue they can get ransom money from the family, but no really seems to care that he's missing. So on goes our LAST HOUSE chase through the woods with a little DELIVERANCE (1972) thrown in for good measure. The second purpose to to rape, beat and humiliate as many naked women as possible in a 90 minute running time. This is where a very young Quigley, making her screen debut and appearing as the main naked damsel on the embarrassingly bad  poster art, comes in handy, as she is forced to dance naked as beer is poured over her body, then later made to hump a dead guy.

Interestingly, it would seem the lovely Quigley's scenes were filmed long after...years after, actually, the original footage was shot. Since many review books differ on the year of completion (some say 1974 while others read 1978 - and even a few quote the 1983 published onthe box cover) the fact is Quigley would have been too young to appear nude back in 1974. Also, while main villain King III has the traditional long hippy hair of the early 1970's which seems to be his own, when the scenes begin involving Quigley and others towards the finale begin, King III suddenly appears to be wearing a wig and is shown in very...VERY dark lighting, perhaps to mask his five years of aging between shoots. Many of those scenes also seem to come from nowhere...they make no sense to the rest of the "plot," and the fashions worn by the cast alter from early 70s to late 70s. My personal guess is the production either ran out of money, or wrapped without a long enough screen time, and it therefore took another five years to find someone to invest in this pile of doo doo.

On the minor plus side, the Paragon VHS copy does offer some not-meant-to-be humorous previews of early 1980s shot-on-video flicks like BOARDING HOUSE (1980), and PSYCHO FROM TEXAS itself offers maybe one or two somewhat nice gore FX, but don't fast forward...you might miss 'em. Also, some may get a laugh (other will simply be offended) by the portrayal of a black house keeper as more of an overzealous "Mammy" than a house keeper.

The film's tagline reads "It's a Shocker!" Well, it doesn't lie, because it's a shocker this sloppy sucker ever saw any kind of release. Linnea seldom talks about it, and neither should we....

SAVAGE STREETS (1984)

Starring: Linda Blair, Linnea Quigley, Lisa Freeman, John Vernon, Robert Dryer, Sal Landi, Johnny Venocur, Scott Mayer, Debra Blee, Marcia Karr, Luisa Leschin, Ina Romeo, Jill Bunker, Mitch Carter, Richard DeHaven, Bob DeSimone, Joy Hyler, Judy Walton, Carol Ita White, Louis P. Zito, and Brinke Stevens (in a quickie nude cameo). Written by Norman Yonemoto and Danny Steinman. Directed by Danny Steinman. Vestron. 93 minutes. Rated R.

PLOT: After a group of tough street girls, led by Brenda (Blair) and accompanied by her shy, deaf-mute little sister Heather (Quigley), confronts a pushy and obnoxious gang of thugs on Hollywood Boulevard and steals their car as revenge, the thugs decide to repay their embarassment with revenge. Invading the girls' high school and incorporating one of their male classmates, Vince (Venocur), into their gang, the thugs terrorize the students both at school and their local hangouts. Brenda and her friends don't take the threats too seriously until the virginal Heather is gang raped in the school gymnasium and one of their group is murdered "for fun." Really, REALLY pissed-off, Brenda takes matters into her own hands, tricking the thugs into a game of cat 'n mouse, eventually cornering them to enact her own blood soaked, female empowered revenge.

SHOULD YOU SEE IT?: A strange case with this one... As I get older and go back to many of the B movies I so dearly loved fifteen years ago, I'm now discover a lot of them really were crappy movies. To my dismay, many of them are, to my post-modern senses, just not as good as I remember. SAVAGE STREETS, however, did something even more unexpected...it seemed better than when I originally viewed it.

I'll admit, when I first saw SAVAGE STREETS a good ten years ago, I thought it was a big pile of dookie. Of course I wanted to watch it because of three things: Linda Blair, Linnea Quigley and Lisa Freeman (1984's FRIDAY THE 13TH - THE FINAL CHAPTER). I had long heard it was a rather impressive hit back in the day both during its theatrical run and even bigger on video. It had garnered a cult reputation for being scary, trashy, exciting, and for the first time...you got to see Linda's boobs. (Personally, I didn't want to see them. While quite ample, I just always held Linda up on such a high pedestal because of HELL NIGHT and THE EXORCIST, it seemed almost like looking at a family members knockers. So seeing her cha-chas, in all truth, actually kind of scarred me!)

Anyway, I ultimately found, during my initial viewing in the mid-1990's, the movie wasn't as exciting as as my classmates had said, and wasn't too greatly acted, nor was it at all scary. So I forgot about and moved on. A few months back a local video store went out of business (a shame too, 'cause it had every B-movie known to man) and when I came across SAVAGE STREETS for $4, I couldn't resist, figuring I'd grab a nice chunk 'o cash for it on eBay. Well, I decided to watch it to make sure it was in good condition and...to my horror and shock,  found myself enaged with it! I mean, I was totally into it this time! The acting isn't as horrible as I remember, the story moves really quick, the mid-80s atmosphere is just plain fun (ah, my junior high school days), and two scenes which really did bother me still bothered me. The rape of Linnea and murder of another female character (I don't want to give away the suspense) are just plain disturbing, as they're supposed to be. Those two scenes in particular are what hold the story together and give the film its edge.

Danny Steinman (who would land the directorial reigns of 1985's FRIDAY THE 13TH, PART V: A NEW BEGINNING as a result of this movie, and also courted an official LAST HOUSE ON THE LEFT sequel for several years) lends some trashy power to this little number. Sure, some of the dialogue is still campy ("I wouldn't fuck your boyfriend if he had the last dick on Earth...."), and the production is clearly low-budget, but ultimately SAVAGE STREETS holds together rather well as a prime choice cut of 80s exploitation sinema at its best. Most likley the BLACKBOARD JUNGLE (1955) of its time (Well, maybe that comparison should go to CLASS OF 1984....).

THE LITTLE GIRL WHO LIVES DOWN THE LANE (1976)

Starring:Jodie Foster, Martin Sheen, Scott Jacoby, Alexis Smith, Mort Shuman. Written by Laird Koenig. Directed by Nicholas Gessner. Vestron. 90 minutes. Rated "PG."

One of the most chilling, unsettling, and thought provoking films in horror history is also one of the most forgotten by critics and the general public, which is surprsing, considering its stellar, A-list cast. Rynn Jacobs (Foster) is a quiet, 13 year old girl who lives with her father in a big house near the east coast shoreline. The days are almost always misty, and characters breath can almost always be seen. Rynn is exceedingly intelligent for her age. She's fluent in numerous languages which she learns herself by renting language records from the library. Her English is spoken like that of a literary professor. She is well versed in historical facts, and adept to the works of both classic and modern authors. She is also alone.

Rynn's father doesn't seem to ever be home. As she puts it, he is always traveling for business meetings to London. Therefore, she cooks, cleans and generally keeps up after herself. Since she is home schooled, her only known friend is a hamster. Unfortunately, someone else wants to be her friend...local child molester Frank Hallet (Sheen). Hallet's mother (Smith) is not only one of the most powerful women in town and the landlady/owner of Rynn's rented abode, but she is also aware of her son's disturbing fantasies...yet does nothing to stop them. When mother and son discover Rynn is frequently alone in the house, each sets out on a mission to corupt her in very different, but always maddening ways. This is one little girl, however, who won't take physical or emotional abuse without a fight...and she has one hell of a secret in the basement to prove it.

Filled with perversion, underage sex and animal torture, its amazing THE LITTLE GIRL WHO LIVE DOWN THE LANE was ever made, much less released and given a "PG" rating! In today's world it simply wouldn't happen, which is a shame, because it is story telling at its most subdued and powerful. Foster is remarkable in her depth and range portraying the heroine, a ratty, not-overly-pretty girl with a chipped tooth and bad haircut. She is so far removed from the innocent Disney comedies she was making at the same time, like the still-hilarious FREAKY FRIDAY (1977), it's amazing to behold her Oscar-worthy performance.

Equally breathtaking is Sheen's turn as the ultimate pervert. He is clean cut, wealthy and handsome...yet you know the minute he steps on screen he is someone to loathe. Sheen literally makes you want to take a bath after watching, and hating, him, as he at first tries to seduce young Rynn, then force her into his arms with blackmail once she refuses his advances. Make no mistake, this LITTLE GIRL and its PG rating are not for family viewing. On the same note, its also not because of bloodshed or killings. This is one of the driest horror films known to man.

There are no pop-out scares, monsters or butcher knives. No screaming (well, okay, in one scene for only a few seconds), and no climactic chase through the woods, house, school...you get the jist. In fact, nothing visually exciting happens at all during the more-than-satisfying, laid back conclusion. Yet the viewer has just experienced true horror, the kind which leaves you with such unease you can't shake it. Even though there is little violence, the film offers the kind of psychological suspense which actually makes you nervous. In a good way, this film is icky. It also appears to be homegrown.

The screenplay was written by Laird from his own novel. Shuman, who portrays the lone authority in the film, also supervised the music score. Clothes are average, and 85% of the picture takes place in one location. The film also appears to have been lensed on 16mm, though it could simply be Vestron's grainy reprint. The grain-effect, intended or not, only adds to the eeriness and reality of the feature. There is no special "horror lighting." Tones and hues are natural. There are even a few bloopers. In one sequence, while Rynn and her handicapped boyfriend (he had polio which left him with a severe limp) (Jacoby) return to the house during a rain storm, Foster opens the door where camera crew members are seen standing inside. Still, the low-budget only adds to the ultimate effect.

Viewers looking for a dark, dark drama with real issues regarding the legal system, age discrimination and the untapped intelligence of children should find this chiller mostly undated, and a clear understanding of why Foster remains one of the best actresses in film history.

DUCK! THE CARBINE HIGH MASSACRE (1999)
Starring: William Hellfire, Joey Smack, Misty Mundae, Lilly Tiger, Chris Perez, Stephen Harris, Pamela Anne, Ryan Trimmer, Liz Bathory, Mike Roner, Larry Wellman, Kendall Ward, Michael Ovum, Henry Krinkle, Marie Mazur, Michael Lime, John Jamek. Written by Joey Smack, William Hellfire, Todd Russell, Mick Leo. Directed by Joey Smack and William Hellfire. Factory 2000. 102 minutes. Not Rated.

I've recently had to hang my head in shame. I realized I've been violating my own protesting stance against people who criticize movies they haven't seen. I experienced it first hand with my own coarse exercise in teen violence, 5 DARK SOULS (1996), then turned around and unjustly perpetrated the same act against the makers of a feature which has received more than its fair share of unjustified backlash based on nothing more than its sensitive topic.

The Massacre at Columbine High School in April 1999 continues to sting America and its contentions on media violence. Debates since that fateful day when our nation was given a screaming wake up call to the real issues of teen violence have placed blame on everything from age old scape goats like news programs, video games, rock music and horror movies to unresponsible and detached parents and educators. DUCK! THE CARBINE HIGH MASSACRE confronts each of these issues head on with a dark, comedic tone guaranteed to offend anyone who hears about it... but doesn't see it.

Crudely shot on video and for the most part poorly acted (with the exception of Misty Mundae - wink wink - who sheds her soft core queen status to prove she has real talent and, unlike most of her counterparts, knows how to memorize and deliver her lines), DUCK! at first appears to be your average college kid confection by a group of friends with some inspired ambition but no budget. If you actually pay attention to what's being said and shown, however, you'll discover creators Hellfire, Smack, Russell and Leo (the first two most likely not using birth names) put some serious thought into the debate. Being this is the first known movie to cover the general events of Columbine, it has a strong, if not cynical voice.

For the most part, DUCK! offers varying points of view, and while it refuses to depict its gun slingers as innocents, it likewise declares it will not make its victims the angels the media storm portrayed them to be. DUCK! doesn't stoop as to say murdering classmates as an act of revenge - a'la CARRIE - is the right answer, but it does imply the trench coat wearing leads were not entirely unjustified in their rage against fellow students who ridiculed them into being outcasts through emotional and physical abuse -- facts which have slowly filtered out of the true events.

That Hellfire, Smack, etc. chose to make the story into less of a horror movie and more of a dark, twisted satire is both disturbing and yet on the mark. Walls of the blood soaked cafeteria are lined with posters we've all seen in our high schools. One promoting an upcoming football game reads, "KILL KILL KILL!" Another refers to the "Junior Class Blood Drive," and yet a third advertises "Pick up Your Yearbooks: The Class of '99 Lives!" while a fourth points out "We love Jocks!," adhering to America's obsession with and admiration of the class status.

Equally interesting is that aside from the killers, none of the other characters have names. They are listed simply as their prototypes: "Bible Girl," "Playgirl," "Afro American," "Retard," Goth Girl," "Goth Boy," "Car Kid," "Bench Press," "Song Girl," etc. The parents - all of them amusingly portrayed by Stephen Harris and Pamela Anne - are pure characterizations, yet you know they really do exist. In an early scene, Derwin's (Hellfire) parents literally watch him and Derick (Smack) build a bomb from instructions on a computer screen, but are oblivious to it. Soon after, while Derwin's father complains of the hellacious rock music the boys are listening to, we realize everything negative falls on his mother's literally deaf ears... she doesn't hear anything she doesn't want to. Anne and Harris's other parental parodies also embody those who are either over-involved, self-involved, drunks or abusers. It doesn't paint a pretty picture.

Scathing remarks are also made frequently. Following the massacre, the smug, self promoting principal who sacrificed a student to save his own rear end, pities himself on live television saying, "The ones who survived, like me, are heroes." Many defaming insults, most commonly "faggot" and "freak," heard daily in high school hallways, are thrown at the meeker and "alternative" students.

Other events deal more directly with the way the world reacted in the days and months following Columbine. As the massacre occurs at Carbine High, the news channels repeatedly show a bloodied, wounded student running for his life... no less than 8 times in 20 seconds! A variety of folks not even remotely involved in the situation are televised giving their opinions of who and what are to blame... all quotes you've heard in real life since April 20, 1999.

There are many situations which either exaggerate or completely make up the steps leading to the massacre. We should remember, however, as the boxcover and opening credits state, "This motion picture is a work of fiction with ficticious characters. However, it is based on actual events." While this is an obvious attempt to cover Factory 2000's butts from legal action (which rumor has it failed anyway because the makers were arrested for bringing unloaded shot guns onto a vacant playground), you'll know exactly which characters are based on their true life counter parts.

What viewers of DUCK! are going to be most disturbed by, though, is the basic, general truths the movie is declaring. As a society and as individuals, we do not want to admit to our own faults. That is the most blatant, and successful point this movie wants us to understand... and accept.

THE BABY (1972)
Starring: Anjanette Comer, Ruth Roman, Marianna Hill, Suzanne Zenor, David Manzy, Michael Pataki, Tod Andrews, Beatrice Manley Blau, Virginia Vincent. Written by Abe Polsky. Directed by Ted Post.World Video. 86 minutes. Rated PG/Uncensored.

They just don't make 'em like this anymore, ya know? Only in the 1970's, when half of America was experiencing self induced hallucinations and the term "politically correct" meant your local congressman understood why Watergate was a bad thing, could any filmmaker have had the nerve to make a horror movie this bizarre, and get it into theaters... with a "PG" rating no less!

Pretty and innocent Ann Gentry (Anjanette Comer) is a social worker recently assigned to the Wadsworth family. Momma (Ruth Roman of Hitchcock's 1951 classic STRANGERS ON A TRAIN) is a stern, chain-smoking woman who takes no crap, has LOTS of make up and hair, and reveals a nervous twitching eye to let you know you've irritated her just a little too much. Then there's Jermaine and Alba (Marianna Hill and Suzanne Zenor), two young "ladies" who revel in the art of being suspicious, creepy and slutty. And let's not forget little Baby... well, perhaps he's not so little...

See, Baby (that's his given name) is a 19 year old man, but he acts like an infant. As in "goo goo, gaa gaa." He can only crawl, cry, drink from his bottle and babble incessantly as only the best of babies do. (Though his talent with an unsuspecting babysitter is just the unexpected oddity to kick off the beginning of the true madness which permeates from the movies every perfectly out of place light and shadow.)

As Ann digs deeper into Baby's life, she comes to find that Baby is not, as his family insists, mentally handicapped. In fact, his inability to function as a normal person his age stems directly from his own family. Seems momma was used, abused and abandoned by every man she came in contact with, including the different fathers of each of her children. Refusing to let her own son grow up to be the average man, she has instead decided to force him to forever remain a child. Any attempt to walk or speak results in numerous zaps with an electric cattle prod, gleefully handled by his most delirious sibling, Alba. Once Ann decides she needs to get Baby out of his dysfunctional situation, the ladies of the household take desperate measures to silence Ann. The tricky little social worker has a few secret agendas up her own polyester sleeve as well, however, and it all culminates in one satisfying night of bloodshed to determine who Baby really belongs to.

Writer Polsky has come up with one of the most unique plot lines in horror movie history (used to ample effect with 1987's somewhat similar AMERICAN GOTHIC). It's dificult to understand why this tight little thriller is seldom mentioned except among true horror fanatics and occassionally in pages of Fangoria. THE BABY truly defines the term "hidden treasure."

As a director, Ted Post (BENEATH THE PLANET OF THE APES) works the twisted plot and demented characters to their creepiest poetential in its scant 86 minutes. Every shadow, angle and light plays an important role in the mood of the scene. Though THE BABY is never truly frightening, it maintains a certain level of "ickiness" throughout and packs some dynamo suspense during the well played out climax. Amazingly, by the time the denoument begins, you'll have completely figured out how it's all going to conclude, yet remain anxious for the action to play out.

The actors eat up their "too warped to be true" roles with complete unashamed gluttony. Comer is perfect as the mothering innocent, capable of staring a grown man in the eye while he's drinking from a baby bottle and still act like she's really dealing with an infant.

As "momma," Roman performs her best Joan Crawford. You're just waiting for her to grab a coat hanger and start swinging. When she gets mad and that eye starts to twitch, you are just as afraid as everyone in the film. Yet, oddly, Roman infuses her role with an emmotional attachment of mother to child. You sense that although she is torturing her child physically and emmotionally, she does love him. At these moments, and there are several, she truly is chillingly delightful.

Daughters Hill and Zenor each have such an eeriness about them, you won't soon shake their cutting, disturbed glares. Nor will you neglect to occasionally realize these girls aren't complete monsters. At times, they each show vulnerability and regret.

It is Manzy, however, who steals the show with his non-stop "googling" and diaper wetting. How a grown man was able to appear on screen as often as he does, acting as he does, all without ever cracking a smile is beyond me. This guy is good. He has the movements, gestures and unrational emmotions of a 12 month old child down to perfection. By film's end, you've often forgotten he is an adult.

What's most amazing is THE BABY's "PG" rating, (as is listed before the film begins, though the World Video boxcover reads "Original Uncensored Version") considering the blatant sexual inuendo of lesbianism, sister/brother/"infant" incest, bloody slit throat, bloody knife wounds, ax wielding and definite all around adult subject matter... but, as I said before... only in the 1970's...

JUNIOR (1984)
Starring: Suzanne DeLaurentis, Linda Singer, Jeremy Ratchford, Michael McKeever, Ken Roberts, Cotton Mather, Alaine Perry. Written by John Maxwell and Don Carmody. Directed by Jim Hanley. Prism/Starmaker. 80 minutes. Not Rated.

This movie is a complete piece of trash... and I love it! In the ever so tasteful tradition of early 1980's horror flicks, exploitation of women reins supreme. Now, I'm not one who sits around waiting for tit shots, or even feels they're appropriate, but there is such an odd, unassuming charm to JUNIOR, who can't help but watch and giggle.

Much of JUNIOR seems to resemble a cross between THE LAST HOUSE ON THE LEFT (1972), I SPIT ON YOUR GRAVE (1978) and ANGEL (1983). It's sleazy, but ultimately doesn't have as much nudity as you think you've seen. In truth, the leading ladies, KC (DeLaurentis) and Jo (Singer), spend most of their on screen time in Daisy Dukes and tank tops... often wet. And don't look for bras... these classy brauds don't need 'em, especially when wet. Spiked heels and fish net stockings (even though they're in the country and going on nature walks) also get equal wear 'n tear.

Here's what's really odd: The movie actually has a feminist tone! How could this be, you ask? Well, here's the plot: KC and Jo, two young, sexy street chicks, have just been released from prison. Within minutes, their former pimp/drug dealer tries to run them over and rape them. They quickly enact revenge and take off with his car, drugs and money.

Our "ladies" head into the country to start new lives as decent citizens. They purchase a run down loft on the river with plans to renovate it into a bed and breakfast-type business. The locals, rednecks who make the boys from DELIVERANCE look high class, don't seem too fond of the idea, and do little to assist the women. One fella in particular, Junior (Ratchfort), a big dumb lug with a knack for forcing sex on unwanting women, wants the girls to either put out or get out. They basically tell him to get lost.

With the towns people against them and psychotic Junior after them, KC and Jo face repeated setbacks and vandalism. Being the gutsy girls they are, however, they continuously fight back to prove everyone wrong. The real danger begins, however, when they stop Junior from raping a young girl named Sally (Perry). Taking the girl into their home, KC and Jo face an upgrade of terror, taunting and harrassment. Junior is determined to get Sally, and the sheriff (Roberts) is determined not to give them any sort of help. Then there's Junior's mother (don't all psychos of this sort have one?), a crazy old biddy who likes firing shot guns at slutty girls.

As each day passes, the girls face fires, attempted drownings and murdered house pets. It all culminates on the final day as someone goes completely berserk and starts hacking off the few people who've befriended the trio. The girls, desperate to survive, fight back with all the intellegence and gusto of Rambo.

To give away the outcome would be unfair, because there are actually some well thought out surprises during the climax. Actually, one would expect a feature of this sort to be your average slasher flick (as the artwork implies), but the story plays out in several unexpected action sequences and plot twists. Yes, the girls jiggle frequently, but there are several decent scares and just as you think the movie is going to get dull, it kicks in another surprise!

DeLaurentis and Singer prove themselves as incredibly likable heroines (even with their big 1980's hair and skanky attire). Now here's the funnier part... the entire movie is dubbed. Perhaps their Canadian accents were too thick, because otherwise when you watch their mouths it's obvious they're speaking English. To boot, Junior's momma appears to be a man dressed up in drag. Since she only grunts and reacts with facial expressions it's hard to confirm, but when was the last time your grandma had an adam's apple?

JUNIOR is super cheesy in its exposition, but there' so much back woods charm and a story which never stops too long, replacing boring dialogue with girls shooting guns, this is one bad movie you can't help but enjoy. Though hard to find these days, snatch it up if you find it, have some friends over and party on!

THE INITIATION OF SARAH (1978)
Starring: Kay Lenz, Morgan Fairchild, Morgan Brittany, Shelley Winters, Talia Balsam, Kathryn Crosby, Tony Bill, Tisa Farrow, Robert Hays, Michael Talbott, Deborah Ryan, Nora Hefrin. Written by Don Ingalls. Directed by Robert Day. Worldvision. 96 minutes. Not Rated.

They say the best way to flatter someone is to immitate them. Well, CARRIE should be reeling, because THE INITIATION OF SARAH is practically a remake of the 1976 Oscar nominated horror classic.

Made for network television (back when TV movies could still have horror themes and be interesting), the movies stars Kay Lenz as the sheepish and "psycho-kenetic" (let's just admit it's telekinesis) "Sarah," Morgan Brittany as her understanding but beautiful step-sister "Patti," and Morgan Fairchild as the evil bitch on campus "Jennifer." Basically, they would be considered the "Girls of The WB" had the station existed in 1978. The film also stars Shelley Winters as "Erica Hunter," Sarah's overbearing housemother who seems to have some dubious secrets of her own.

As with Carrie White, Sarah arrives as a freshman with Patti at their posh college ruled by the popular Jennifer. Students seem so infatuated with Jennifer they'll cater to her every whim (which is funny, because most popularity and cliques reside in high school, not college). Anyway, Jennifer immediately takes a liking to Patti because of her beautyand invites the stunning brunette (my personal choice for most gorgeous woman of the 1970's - who, for trivia buffs, made her first horror appearence in 1963's THE BIRDS). Jennifer invites Patti to join her sorority, but simultaneously shuns Sarah.

The misbegotten co-ed is basically dissed by every sorority on campus, until the last one, housed by Erica Hunter and peopled with other homely girls (including 1986's CRAWLSPACE star Talia Balsam), takes her in. The girls bond, but life on campus for all of them is harsh as Jennifer and her minons, er, I mean friends, do their best to be controlling and unjustifiably mean. The stress, as one is expecting, causes Sarah to unleash her powers in tiny segments. Before you can say "rip-off," objects are moving on their own and Jennifer herself comes close to being pancaked. These freaky "coincidences" seem to go unnoticed by everyone except housemother Erica, who supports Sarah in the road to revenge leading to an ultimate showdown, then firey sacrifice during the climax.

Like I said before, you can pretty much see the storyline parallel CARRIE, right down to the pyrotechnic finale. As its own movie, THE INITIATION OF SARAH does have enough humilation/revenge to keep you thoroughly interested throughout. The look of the movie reminds one of any number of made for tv Aaron Spelling horror flicks (SATAN'S SCHOOL FOR GIRLS, HOME FOR THE HOLIDAYS) resulting in none too horrific situations, but offering some genuinely creepy and suspenseful moments. The story becomes a bit too convoluted during the last act as Erica reveals her true reasons for helping Sarah strengthen both her supernatural powers and hatred of the other girls, including those who haven't done her harm. Otherwise, THE INITIATION OF SARAH is a fun, interesting time waster which, if you loved CARRIE and need to see more of the same topic (also available in the fun and entertaining 1978 popcorn flick JENNIFER starring Lisa Pelikan), should quench your thirst.

AMERICAN GOTHIC (1987)
Starring: Rod Steiger, Yvonne DeCarlo, Michael J. Pollard, Sarah Torgov, Fiona Hutchison, Mark Lindsay Chapman, William Hootkins, Janet Wright, Mark Erickson, Caroline Barclay Stephen Shellen, Terry Kelly. Written by Burt Wetanson and Michael Vines. Directed by John Hough. Vidmark Entertainment. 84 minutes. Rated "R."

After their faltering plane lands on an unmarked island, a group of friends set out to find help. What they find instead is a family so demented they make the TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE clan look merely dysfunctional. Headed by Pa (Steiger - 1979's THE AMITYVILLE HORROR) and Ma (DeCarlo - t.v.'s THE MUNSTERS), the family, with 3 "children," are VERY religious, and seemingly stuck in a time warp. They dress, speak and act like it's 1931, and refuse to listen to their guests "stories" of space travel and "Regan" as president. Oh, and the kids - Fannie (Janet Wright - THE TERMINATOR), Woody (Michael J. Pollard - BONNIE & CLYDE) and Teddy (William Hootkins), who claim to range in age from 8 to 11, are actually in their 40's and 50's. Not weird enough? Just wait until each of the guests start getting offed in "accidents," until there are only two left to discover the family's secrets... of which there are many. Especially down in the cellar....

It continues to amaze me how no one I know has seen this film.Ungratiously ignored during its blink and miss it theatrical release and not too huge of a hit on video either, this is still one of the best, most original and gleefully bizarre horror offerings to come out of a decade mostly dominated by silent, masked slashers and cheap knock-offs of a certain dream stalker.

To say AMERICAN GOTHIC is extremely scary would be a lie. It's not. While it does offer several juicy bits of suspense and a decent scare or two, its true talent lies in its ability to suck you in out of morbid curiosities. With the exception of 1974's THE BABY, no other horror movie (to my knowledge), dealt with adults who believed they were still children. And although slashing pretty young people was commonplace in 1987, AMERICAN GOTHIC gave it a fresh spin. The killers didn't wear masks, breathe heavily and prey on naked girls in the shower. They also had a relatively unique motive.... Not revenge, but rather the simple idea of wanting to protect the world they had created away from the changing society they loathed. Whenever it tried to invade, they stopped it by any means possible.

There are basically three main themes to AMERICAN GOTHIC. First and foremost, the film spoke of the conlficts of a changing world. The more peaceful, less complicated Norman Rockwell version of the 1930's versus the high tech, fast paced, sexually charged, violent and increasingly morally bankrupt 1980's. The 1930's family would rather kill the images of modern society than convert to it. As Pa says, "The world outside is contaminated." As I mentioned, they refuse to listen to tales of men on the moon and a device called a television. In fact, it is technology which damns the modern generation. They are ependent on telephones, radios, travel, etc., but have none of those options. It is their plane which fails and brings them to the island. In the end, the "new" generation of young folks lose the game.

Sexuality also comes into play, but not gratuitously, as the baby boomers speak freely of it and plan to sleep together, even though they're unmarried. Likewise, the repressed "children," most notably Fannie, have desires which ultimately fuel their violent rages. Just before she kills one of the male characters, it's clear she has already forced her desires on her "brothers." Later, Teddy first kills one of the girls, THEN rapes her, knowing she can't fight him off. Teddy returns home immediately after and is punished - beaten actually, as the entire deranged family chants "In the name of God." This examines the third theme - misplaced Christian beliefs.

AMERICAN GOTHIC expresses some Christian beliefs can be equally immoral compared to modern society's decreased spirituality. It takes on the moral ethics point of view. Evil is based on socially conscious moral ethics. Our etchics are only meant to be used as guidelines. They're generalizations of how society should act. Unfortunately, ethics brought to an extreme wind up being more corrupt than the general populace. Ma and Pa follow the rules of early 20th century etiquette and decency. They proclaim, "The wicked shall be punished," but don't understand themselves to be the wicked of which they speak. What ironically becomes of the family in the films conclusion only points more directly to their own immoral deeds. (Stay with me... I'm almost finsihed. Just a few more points to make...)

Imagry is also an important part of the movie's tale. As the film opens, Cynthia (Sarah Torgov - 1980's MEATBALLS) is seen seated behind bars of a mental institution. At the conclusion, the camera pans down over the back of a rocking chair which, once slightly out of focus, resemble those same bars.

Cynthia's guilt over her child's death is triggered through the sound and image of water. When Terri falls unconscious into the ocean, for example, Cynthia reverts back to expressing her trauma. At the end, it is imaginary water running in a child's bassinet which sets the final act into motion.

Childhood toys are also a major form of this expression, as victims are killed on swing sets, with jump ropes, etc. The childhood innocence Ma and Pa have tried to maintain in "their" children is corrupted, dark and violent. For additionl atmosphere, director John Hough gives the film its off-center, eerie look with uneven camera angles and a well used fear of the forrest. The trees seem almost unnatural... mystical at times. They look constanty cold, dark and damp.

The actors all do an equally phenomenal job at bringing their three dimensional characters to life. You absolutely loathe Lynn (Fiona Hutchison - soap opera vet) and pray her untimely death. You'll yearn to comfort Terri (the very beautiful Caroline Barclay). And you'll eat up every word screen legends Steiger and DeCarlo utter. It's the three child-like adults, however, who steal the show. Oddly, though you know you're watching adults, Wright, Pollard and Hootkins are soooo involved in being children, you often forget you're not