In preparation for a convention, Carola and I always like to watch some movies and series of guests that are attending. This weekend we are going to Weekend of Hell in Germany. In preparation for this decided to buy the DVD of Savage Streets, since it features Linda Blair. Unfortunately shortly after we watched the movie she canceled her appearance at Weekend of Hell. But after that Weekend of Hell did announce Linnea Quigley (who you also might know from Return of the Living Dead) as one of the guests, and she also plays a role in this film.
The plot of the movie is pretty simple. The movie starts with a group of girls being harassed by some punks. They almost run over one of the girls with their car. The girls decide to take revenge on these guys and literally trash their car. But these guys don't like to be messed around with and want to get back at these girls. Heather (played by Linnea Quigley) is also part of the group of girls. She is the sister of Brenda (played by Linda Blair). Heather is deaf, and also quite shy. One day at school she is all alone in the gym. The punks also show up and violently gang rape Heather. Later on, the punks also kill one of the other girls who happens to be pregnant. Brenda is furious and goes out to kill these guys one by one.
This movie is not really the typical revenge/action flick I feel. I think Linda Blair is one of the main reasons it isn't. She is great in this role and a real badass. I do like the punk characters as well. Their leader Jake (played by Robert Dryer) is a real asshole, you just hate his guts. I think his performance is just awesome, Robert Dryer did an awesome job with this character. The rape scene was very brutal, especially because Heather is so fragile and innocent. I know on this DVD this scene is cut (as it is on most releases) but still, it was very brutal. I read that the actual scene is even longer and Heather gets more beatings. Maybe one day I will find this movie fully uncut, but I have to say I didn't mind that this one was cut a little. The scene is still very powerful and I think it does what it needs to do.
This movie is just so very 80's, sleazy and trashy, just the way I like it haha. The characters are just really great, and sometimes a bit over the top. The movie also has an awesome soundtrack, most of it consist of 80's rock/heavy metal tunes. It all just adds to the flavor.
The DVD I watched is the Dutch release by Video Entertainment. It's quite a cheap ass release I have to say. The movie looks like it was converted straight from VHS. I personally don't mind this, but I know a lot of people do. If you are looking for this film in a perfect picture quality, you probably should look for another release of this one. For me, the gritty VHS look just adds to the nostalgia of the good old VHS renting days (god this makes me feel old haha). But I have to say that some of the scenes were very dark and in some occasions, you could hardly see what was going on.
The DVD doesn't have any extras, and I am honestly surprised that it even has a menu. I have more release by Video Entertainment and I always think it is funny how cheap their releases are. On most releases I have the information on the back cover isn't even correct, for example, it says the movie is for all ages. Well, this one obviously isn't and I think it should be 16 years and up (for the Dutch rating system). Also, it says that the DVD features trailers and a photo gallery which it doesn't. But a well it's a budget release and for me, this all adds to the charm.
I probably wouldn't recommend this DVD to anybody. But I do recommend giving this movie a go if you haven't seen it. Especially if you're into the cult or vigilante type of films. I'm very glad to have it in my collection and I'm glad I watched it. For me, this is a true hidden gem.
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