Plot: What’s it about?
A young woman has died in an apparent suicide, but detective Kate McBain (Shannon Tweed) doesn’t think the case is so simple. The girl involved fell from a high story in a hotel, but she was not an obvious suicide case. She was young, beautiful, and has a successful career, no signs in the least she would have done this. After some research, McBain uncovers two other cases just like it, down to the hair color, profession, and all three even died from a hotel swan dive. Her peers balk at first, but she is determined to find the link between the three cases, even if it means going deep into the case, perhaps even letting it become personal. As she seeks out contacts in various strip clubs and other locations, she bumps into Blue (John Enos), who loves blondes and McBain believes could be a suspect. Even so, she ends up smitten with him and while passions rage, she is never sure if she doomed to become the next victim. She has trained for this kind of situation, but with so much lust involved, even she won’t have an easy time finding the true killer…
I happen to think Shannon Tweed versus a serial killer is a good premise, but of course, I know some will disagree. I had some idea of what to expect here, but aside from bad acting, even worse writing, and some naked chicks, I was drawing a blank. I had serious doubts, but since Columbia has issued Dead Sexy on DVD, I figured it was worth a shot. As I mentioned, I had counted on some nudity to be included, but man, this one has a ton of naked chicks. This pushes the issues a little more than late night cable even, which was a real surprise to me. In addition to Tweed, Dead Sexy also features a number of hot ladies, most of whom drop the linen before the end credits. So if lots of nude women and lots of sex scenes are what you’re seeking out, then Dead Sexy more than delivers in the flesh department, rest assured. As far as the flick on the whole, it wasn’t better than I expected, but it was more fun to watch. Of course, all the breasts and such made sure of that, but the movie plays out well enough, with some decent moments. When compared to more mainstream thrillers, this one falls short, but in the realm of softcore ones, Dead Sexy is more than solid.
She’s been in some mainstream films of course, but Shannon Tweed has never been able to crack the surface of mainstream stardom. As she has a large fanbase and a number of direct to video films however, I doubt she’s going broke. I think she is best known for her work in Playboy and various softcore cable shows, but even I have to admit, Dead Sexy is a notch above her usual work, even if a small notch. Her work here still won’t win her any awards, but at least there is an attempt to build some kind of character. You can also see Tweed in such films as The Rowdy Girls, Hard Vice, The Naked Truth, Meatballs III, and Forbidden Sins. The cast also includes John Enos (Blade, Stealth Fighter), Kenneth White (Trial and Error, Fire in the Sky), and Maria Mayenzet (Jagged Edge, Messenger of Death).
Video: How does it look?
Dead Sexy is presented in a full frame transfer. This looks like it could have been framed for widescreen at times, but since most shots look on the mark here, I see no reason to assume this is an altered transfer. The image looks much like you’d expect from a direct to video title, a clean overall picture, though flawed. The picture isn’t as refined as a higher budget feature, but still looks good, with bold colors and well balanced black levels. I do think it comes off as a little soft at times, but for what it is, this is a solid looking visual effort.
Audio: How does it sound?
I found the included 2.0 surround option to be good, but not too memorable in the end. But as this movie wasn’t made with dynamic audio in mind, I can be more relaxed, since the track does cover the bases. There isn’t a whole lot of rear presence to speak of, but the front channels sound terrific, quite clean and effective. The dialogue is crisp and at a proper volume, while music sounds good and remains consistent. As I mentioned, this track is by no means a great one, but it handles the material, so no real complaints. This disc also includes a French language option, as well as subtitles in English, Spanish, French, Portuguese, Chinese, Korean, and Thai.
Supplements: What are the extras?
This disc includes some talent files, as well as the film’s trailer.
