Shot piecemeal starting in 1969 but released much later in 1973, this long-forgotten exploitation curio from L.A made a couple of rounds on the theatrical releasing circuit before falling into obscurity, barely even seeing the light of day on home video in the VHS era apart from a fuzzy U.K. edition under the title Insanity. Various attempts were made to sell this as a sleazy shocker under titles like The Hollywood Hillside Strangler and Twisted Throats, but not matter how you package it, this is a tough one to categorize -- and an amazing viewing experience if you're on the right wavelength. The sole feature film by UCLA film school grad Christina Hornisher, it takes some cues from horror films like Peeping Tom and Repulsion while also foreshadowing the wave of loner maniac slasher films like Maniac, Don't Go in the House, Don't Answer the Phone, Nightmare, and so on. It isn't gory at all though, with its handful of murders limited to brief strangulations that feel very unsettling when placed in the world of SoCal's skin trade. In terms of tone though, this is more in line with the wave of youth-oriented art films that flooded theaters in the wake of Easy Rider, with that same hazy character study vibe you'll find in titles like Cover Me Babe, Model Shop, Jennifer on My Mind, and The Christian Licorice Store. After a vocally contentious screening in L.A. when a print turned up in 2005, the film started to build word of mouth thanks to its memorable fusion of genres and especially its jaw-dropping final shot, a feat that still leaves audiences with their mouths on the floor.

When we first meet cameraman Mark (The Doll Squad's Augustine), he's out on what seems like a friendly late night date with a young woman. However, things turn nasty even before the credits roll when he strangles her in the middle of lovemaking. As it turns out, Mark spends his days shooting quickie porn movies for Jobal (Glass) and his off hours strolling around L.A. and wooing women, models from work or otherwise, who could die at any moment if they say the wrong thing. Among the women he encounters are Michele (Dilger) and Gretchen (Davis), and when he finally encounters what he thinks could be true love, what will his psyche do in response?

Augustine has to pretty much carry this film in front of the camera since he's in virtually every shot, but Hornisher is most definitely not on his side. It's easy to read this as a critique of all the sympathetic studies of lonely young men stuck in dead end jobs, showing how dark that path can go when unchecked in a way later taken by 1976's Taxi Driver (with which this has been compared on several occasions). As a time capsule of Los Angeles on the cusp of 1970, this is a spectacular experience with tons of great coverage of Hollywood, the multiple beaches, and lots of nooks and crannies in between where adult bookstores, theaters, and studios could flourish during the escalation to porno chic around the corner. There's even extensive shooting up at the Hollywood sign, something a little indie couldn't pull off today (though MaXXXine gave it a try with far less potent results). The film is also significant from a film score standpoint as the first feature for composer Basil Poledouris, at the time a recent USC grad who would go on to deliver some of the greatest scores of the '80s as the regular composer for fellow classmates John Milius (Conan the Barbarian, Farewell to the King, Red Dawn) and Randall Kleiser (The Blue Lagoon). Also known for favorites like RoboCop and Starship Troopers, Poledouris still had a few odd detours in his career, most notably the U.S. version of Tintorera. His work here is exceptional, a moody and atmospheric achievement that points the way to some of the more quirky and minimalist works to come like No Man's Land.

For the film's first home video release of any kind in the U.S., Grindhouse Releasing really pulled out all the stops in 2024 with a three-disc set featuring two Blu-rays and a 17-track soundtrack CD presenting Poledouris' score for the first time in pristine condition from the master tapes. The film itself looks immaculate with a gorgeous 4K scan from the unearthed original 35mm camera negative, and the English DTS-HD MA 2.0 mono track (with optional English SDH subtitles) also sound excellent. The first disc is devoted to the film featuring two commentaries, the first with onetime Beat the Geeks staple Marc Edward Heuck and Etheria Film Night co-founder and film scholar Heidi Honeycutt. Recorded in 2022, it's packed with insights about the film, the cast, the relationship between commerce and carnality, and the history of female filmmakers in exploitation and the L.A. scene. The second commentary features Shawn Langrick (in somewhat harsh audio quality) providing an extremely thorough and useful breakdown of every single location you see in the film and the history behind it. Also on disc one are three innocuous "alternate X-rated cut" scenes from fuzzy VHS (2m53s, 1m55s, 3m45s), "The Cameraman" outtakes (3m12s) showing off more location coverage, the theatrical trailer, a Hollywood Hillside Strangler trailer and radio spot, six galleries (publicity, Drive-In Asylum newspaper ads, Hornisher, cast photos, Jerry Martinez's cover art designs, and adult bookshop ephemera), and the usual bonus Grindhouse trailers (Impulse, Death Game, Scum of the Earth, Bogard, Love Is Deep Inside, Ice House, Family Enforcer, Cannibal Holocaust, Cannibal Ferox, Massacre Mafia Style, Gone with the Pope, Pieces, The Beyond, A Cat in the Brain, An American Hippie in Israel, Corruption, The Swimmer, The Big Gundown, I Drink Your Blood, The Tough Ones, and Passion Pit). Also tucked away in here is a scan of the shorter (84m46s) Twisted Throats reissue from a very seasoned film print.

The big centerpiece on disc two is "Hollywood Dreams" (68m31s), a massive new making-of with Augustine, Jeannette Sears (Dilger), Gayle Davis, and editor Leon Ortiz-Gil about a troublesome initial female lead, the very different L.A. scene at the time, various film and music projects, positive memories of the director and Glass, how the film might fare in today's social climate, and lots more. Heuck also hosts a 38m29s Q&A with Augustine following a 2022 screening at the New Beverly (appropriately paired up with Jacques Demy's Model Shop), with thoughts on the film's locations, the spicy photo shoots done without him on the set, and his other lives in music and fashion photography. Then "Tom & Tina: The Early Years" (24m47s) features filmmaker Tom De Simone (Hell Night) recalling his student days with Hornisher and the hustling required to get a project off the ground, even on student films. Hornisher (who passed away in 2003) takes center stage again with four experimental short films: "4x8=16" (2m52s), a proto-music video piece using dolls; "The Sun Is Long" (6m), a somber black-and-white anti-war vignette; "And On the Sixth Day" (5m11s), an extremely caustic depiction of racism in action that you really don't want to play too loud; and "Sister of the Bride" (21m17s), a snapshot of family tensions during an impending wedding. Finally "Los Angeles: Here & Gone" (4m14s) takes an impressionistic side-by-side look at several locals from the film in the present day compared to their moment on screen. As usual for Grindhouse, this is peppered with Easter eggs tucked away with the biggest one being "The Erotic Director" (30m17s), a barely hidden softcore sex short starring Glass as a filmmaker who hand feeds a banana to a female model, strips off his shirt, and directs a super-cheap adult film in what looks like a warehouse while our ears get terrorized by an off-key rendition of "This Old Man." It's completely insane and often hilarious; a longer version padded out with hardcore inserts also exists, but this is the original version in a fresh film scan looking great here. Also very substantial is the insert booklet featuring a lengthy and fascinating essay by Heuck about the film's history and the story behind its director, a wild survey of Glass' life and career (largely in music) by David Szulkin, a touching remembrance of Poledouris by soundtrack guru Richard Kraft, and a brief endorsement by filmmaker Jim VanBebber.

Reviewed on October 14, 2024