Not that I'm normally against hardcore pr0n, but...
So, Thriller - A Cruel Picture.
Much has been made in the cult press over the last year and a half about the various influences on Tarantino's Kill Bill films. Arguably, this spectacularly repugnant(but in a good way) Swedish grindhouse favorite is certainly one of them. Christina Lindbergh's character in this is a direct influence on the Elle Driver character in the KB films.
Variously known as Hooker's Revenge and They Call Her One Eye, Thriller is the story of Madeline, a mute farmgirl, raped as a child, who is kidnapped, drugged, and forced into prostitution. After attacking her first customer, her pimp cuts out her eye in very realistic fashion.(Rumor has it that the director filmed the scene using a real corpse. It's certainly a lot more realistic than Zombie. But I digress.) After an extended sequence of Madeline being degraded by various customers(including some totally out of place hardcore inserts shot with a body double), one of the other girls is killed by the pimp, and Madeline freaks out. She learns how to drive, fight, and shoot, then exacts bloody revenge on her tormentors.
This movie is something else, let me tell you. It has all the elements of a good 42nd Street classic. Sex, drugs, violence, it's all here. Unfortunately, the reputation that preceded the film for me also ruined it, because it turns out that Thriller is only slightly better then average trashy 70's exploitation movie. The hardcore stuff is really jarring, especially since it's obviously not the gorgeous Christina Lindbergh performing the scenes. In addition, the director relies on slow motion way too much in the action scenes, and the whole final half-hour seems disconnected from the rest of the film.
There's a certain Last House On The Left vibe here, but this movie is nowhere near that film, or I Spit On Your Grave for that matter, two films it's been compared to. But if you like revenge flicks with lots of sleazery, this movie might be for you. Don May and Synapse Films have done another bangup job with the DVD here. It features several amusing trailers(including a re-release trailer where it's twinned with a movie that looks nothing like it), photo galleries(including a nice Lindbergh nude gallery), an outtake reel, a reconstructed "alternate" ending, and other materials. A nice package for a movie that didn't look like it was going to even make it to the stores, as Don May seemed to be on the track to another Jim Van Bebber-type problem.
Recommended with reservations. Don't go in expecting too much, and you'll have a good time with it.
Much has been made in the cult press over the last year and a half about the various influences on Tarantino's Kill Bill films. Arguably, this spectacularly repugnant(but in a good way) Swedish grindhouse favorite is certainly one of them. Christina Lindbergh's character in this is a direct influence on the Elle Driver character in the KB films.
Variously known as Hooker's Revenge and They Call Her One Eye, Thriller is the story of Madeline, a mute farmgirl, raped as a child, who is kidnapped, drugged, and forced into prostitution. After attacking her first customer, her pimp cuts out her eye in very realistic fashion.(Rumor has it that the director filmed the scene using a real corpse. It's certainly a lot more realistic than Zombie. But I digress.) After an extended sequence of Madeline being degraded by various customers(including some totally out of place hardcore inserts shot with a body double), one of the other girls is killed by the pimp, and Madeline freaks out. She learns how to drive, fight, and shoot, then exacts bloody revenge on her tormentors.
This movie is something else, let me tell you. It has all the elements of a good 42nd Street classic. Sex, drugs, violence, it's all here. Unfortunately, the reputation that preceded the film for me also ruined it, because it turns out that Thriller is only slightly better then average trashy 70's exploitation movie. The hardcore stuff is really jarring, especially since it's obviously not the gorgeous Christina Lindbergh performing the scenes. In addition, the director relies on slow motion way too much in the action scenes, and the whole final half-hour seems disconnected from the rest of the film.
There's a certain Last House On The Left vibe here, but this movie is nowhere near that film, or I Spit On Your Grave for that matter, two films it's been compared to. But if you like revenge flicks with lots of sleazery, this movie might be for you. Don May and Synapse Films have done another bangup job with the DVD here. It features several amusing trailers(including a re-release trailer where it's twinned with a movie that looks nothing like it), photo galleries(including a nice Lindbergh nude gallery), an outtake reel, a reconstructed "alternate" ending, and other materials. A nice package for a movie that didn't look like it was going to even make it to the stores, as Don May seemed to be on the track to another Jim Van Bebber-type problem.
Recommended with reservations. Don't go in expecting too much, and you'll have a good time with it.
posted by Jon M. at
10:53 PM
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