Plot: What’s it about?
Samantha (Linnea Quigley) has run away from home, so her mother has hired a private dick to track her down. This man is Jack Chandler (Jay Richardson) and while his skills are a little less than you might expect, he is usually able to solve the case. He fits the mold of most potboiler detectives, he talks to himself a lot, uses his typewriter to take notes, and always ends up mixed up when it comes to the dames. As he tries to track down Samantha, he watches the body count from a strange chainsaw killer mount, which has him interested, to say the least. The chainsaw murders begin to happen closer and closer to him in fact, as he gets closer to finding young Samantha. Chandler soon suspects Samantha to be the chainsaw killer, but he starts to find other leads also, which means the real killer or killers could be anywhere. But when he discovers an entire cult of chainsaw toting hookers is responsible, he has to rescue Samantha, topple the evil cult, and manage to survive the entire ordeal.
I am thrilled to see Fred Olen Ray’s Hollywood Chainsaw Hookers released on DVD, as it is a wild and very fun picture. Olen Ray had less than sixty grand to work with here, but even on that tight budget and with a short time frame, he delivered a terrific B movie classic. Of course, this kind of movie has a select audience, but if you’re a fan of these kind of flicks, Hollywood Chainsaw Hookers is one of the best, without a doubt. It has two B movie queens in Linnea Quigley and Michelle Bauer, the former Leatherface himself Gunnar Hansen, and more outrageous moments than you shake a chainsaw at, I assure you. The girls in this movie not only get totally naked (and I mean totally!), but they also brandish chainsaws, which they don’t hesitate to put to use. The blood and gore is used for laughs here and that’s fine by me, as the scenes are hilarious, just as intended. I simply cannot recommend this movie enough and with such as cool disc here, I can’t imagine any fan of blood soaked, hilarious T&A movies that wouldn’t want this one in their collection.
These days, low budget movies can cost millions of dollars, but back when Fred Olen Ray made this picture, it was more like fifty-eight thousand bucks. That sum is what Olen Ray had to create Hollywood Chainsaw Hookers with and of course, he made every last cent count and even worked special deals, in order to get equipment and locations. Olen Ray is one of the masters of low budget movies like this one, so genre fans should know his name and if not, then it is time for some serious home video homework. Other films directed by Olen Ray include Sideshow, Evil Spawn, The Phantom Empire, Dinosaur Island, Demon Cop, and Emmanuelle 2000. The cast includes Linnea Quigley (Kolobos, Fatal Frames), Michelle Bauer (Lust for Frankenstein, Dr. Alien), Gunnar Hansen (The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Hellblock 13), and Jay Richardson (Bad Girls from Mars, Attack of the 60 Foot Centerfold).
Video: How does it look?
Hollywood Chainsaw Hookers is presented in a 1.66:1 widescreen transfer, which is not enhanced for widescreen televisions. This was a short shoot on a very low budget, so you have to adjust your expectations, I think. I was pleased with the visual effort here, as it looks cleaner than expected, plus is in widescreen, which is a treat. No, this doesn’t stack up against more recent, higher budget movies, but in as far as this movie goes, I don’t think it gets much better than this. The colors looks a tad muted, but the contrast is stable and the print looks very good also. Simply put, fans will be very impressed here, which is what counts.
Audio: How does it sound?
This is your basic mono track and while it isn’t too impressive, it covers all the bases, which is enough in this case. I had to turn up the volume a little more than usual, but the balance was even, so I won’t complain much. The sound effects and music are well presented, at least when given the age and nature of this material, that is. I heard no serious problems with this track, but you can tell the budget was slim, as you should expect. No errors with the dialogue however, whether in terms of volume or clarity, this is a smooth, but somewhat dated mix.
Supplements: What are the extras?
I was pleased to find a solid behind the scenes featurette included here, which runs over twenty minutes and offers a glimpse into how Hollywood Chainsaw Hookers was made. In interviews with director Fred Olen Ray and stars Michelle Bauer and Linnea Quigley, we trace the film’s origins from concept to production to release. This was an informative and very honest piece, as the participants share their memories, but never just pat each other on the back. This disc also includes segments from Fred Olen Ray’s Nite Owl Theater, as well as the film’s trailer.
