The Hollywood Strangler Meets the Skid Row Slasher

Some fruitcake is loitering around the streets of L.A. taking pictures of (ugly) wannabe models, all the while we hear a voice-over narration as he muses about his ex girlfriend or ex wife- it's never made clear- and then strangles said wannabe models. This is occasionally interrupted by scenes of another ugly woman, who works in a used bookstore, stabbing bums to death on the streets with an ever handy switchblade. No explanation is ever given as to why this is happening, why the killings are being committed. Sleazy little movie looks like it was filmed in one or two days on the streets of L.A. and in back alleys and in old apartment buildings - maybe the crew just decided it would be cheaper to film this at their houses instead of on an actual set? There is NO DIALOGUE!, just a narration added in after the fact and a lot of canned background music all jumbled together, and some of the narration is barely decipherable. That might make it worth watching in a "so bad it's good" kind of way, but if you're looking for anything more than that, steer clear.

Oh, Mr. Steckler! I love "Incredibly Strange Creatures," especially the stunning execution of the musical numbers (not to mention the little monkey screaming "Get your tickets-tickets-tickets he-yah!"). Liz Renay gingerly navigating a steep & rocky hillside in (& out) of heels while emitting half-hearted squeaks with a psycho-maniac in hot pursuit in "The Thrill Killers" thrills me. The inept children's chorale raggedly shouting the theme song of "The Lemon Grove Kids" has enduring appeal. All these moments and many more from your unique oeuvre are forever-burned into my brain. But i had to fast forward thru most of this sad affair. I did, however, enjoy the roller-disco "scene." (It reminded me of the cake walks we had in grade school.) And TWO STARS for the Peanuts wastebasket!

OK you probably know Steckler as the mastermind behind The Incredible Strange Creatures that Stopped Living and Became Mixed-up Zombies!, but this turd is probably without peer in the world of b-movie schlock. OK maybe not. But it's probably the first silent movie to be made in the 70's! Steckler dubs dialogue whenever quote unquote actors are not facing the screen and there's a constant grating monologue by Pierre Agostino running in the background. In the true nature of serial killers, he uses the exact same order of shots every killing! Pure genius. Anyhow watch this with the Joe Bob Briggs commentary on and a six pack, and you'll be pleasantly amused. Trash heaven. Long live Steckler.

After waiting nearly twenty years to see The Hollywood Strangler Meets the Skid Row Slasher, I was not disappointed. This is one of Ray Dennis Steckler's best films, rivaling his classic cheapies from the sixties. A lot of people probably look at this one as a cheap slasher flick (emphasizing the cheap, since it was filmed without sound). I suppose the slasher film fans found it disappointed because the slasher aspect was pretty limited (and the blood was rather obviously fake), but I found it to be rather entrancing for some reason, maybe because of that. The cinematography was great, the choice of locations was excellent (seeing all those old * shops and what not that you really don't have anymore to provide local color to an area was enjoyable). There's a surreal reality to it all, from the nearly-glowing red blood on the slasher's victims, to seeing all of the movie memorabilia in the used book store that Carolyn Brandt's character works in (that poster for Last of the Wild Horses is something I'd slash someone for too). This has to be one of the quirkiest "love" stories you will ever watch. For some reason, about the only movie I can think of compare it to is Daughter of Horror (without all the Dali-esquire imagery, of course). This film is definitely worth a viewing, whether you're a Ray Dennis Steckler fan or not.

A photographer strangles homely models after he photographs them he then meets a ugly girl who strangles bums. Really not much more of a plot and aside from some narration added in post production. This is a stupid stupid film and if I hadn't already watched "Schizophreniac: The Whore Mangler", I would have thought it the worst serial killer film I had ever seen. But I DID see the aforementioned film so this one while still horrid, doesn't seem bad in comparison. The ONLY way to watch this travesty would be with the Joe Bob Briggs commentary on or not at all. My Grade: D DVD Extras: Movie Intro & Commentary by Joe Bob Briggs; Second commentary by Ray Steckler; Interviews with Steckler & Caroline Brandt; Production stills & poster art; and trailers for "Blood Shack", "Adventure of Rat Pfink and boo boo", "Slaughter Hotel", and "Nightmare come at Night" Eye Candy: Joanne Hiatt, Lori Morrir, Snowy Sinclair, Bonnie Smith, and Jean Robert all get topless

Why, oh why did I see this horrible film? Well, it was purely because I am trying to see the films of the great auteur, Ray Dennis Steckler--one of the most craptastic directors/producers/actors in motion picture history. I fact, I have, on a lark, decided to see as many of the films of a group of craptastic film makers--including Al Adamson, Arch Hall (Junior and Senior), Larry Buchanan, Ed Wood, William Grefe and a few others. These men all shared many wonderful traits--the ability to make films for almost nothing and a complete ineptness that makes many of their films unintentional laugh riots. However, not all of their films are laughable messes--some are just nasty, horrible films--like THE Hollywood STRANGLER. What makes this film so unpleasant and non-funny is that the film, though inept, is also a bit like being inside the mind of a sex pervert murderer--and seeing his depravity up close and in person. Sometimes seeing crime is interesting--this is more like being and experiencing the murders first-hand--a nasty proposition indeed. Some may like this but mostly it just felt sleazy and sick. And, there were lots of assorted murders (stabbings, suffocations, etc.) and tons of gratuitous nudity--with women who looked rather skanky. Overall, the entire film was handled so poorly, even the voyeurs out there will be disappointed. That's because when Steckler made the film, it was silent! Sound was added later as well as a voice-over dialog as well as occasional "Popeye Speak". In other words, voices were added in some scenes and the voices were too soft and rather garbled--sort of like the way Popeye talked to himself in cartoons! It all is very bizarre and very cheap. The only saving grace to all this is that the film is rather short. A terrible film in every way. And, for that matter, I worry about anyone who would actually get enjoyment out of this thing. It's just nasty and stupid--a rare combination.

I am a big fan of old slasher movies and have watched many of them through the years, a lot of them good and of course a lot of them bad. But this one is a definite contender for the worst slasher movie I've ever seen. Despite an interesting title and the fact that it features 2 serial killers and it's rather bleak setting, this was just mind numbingly boring and tasteless. It was just endless scenes of repeating itself, the guy endlessly strangles women to bad taste and each death less suspenseful than the last, and then we the viewer are treated to a mindless monologue of the boring thoughts in his head as he tries to find his pure woman, who also happens to be the skid row slasher who kills tramps, which again not a spoiler as firstly it's revealed early on, and secondly these deaths aren't any better, as the theme around these seem to be pure sleaze, and again we are also treated to endless scenes of her jogging on the beach after each murder. Okay I do understand in what's it's trying to go for, it is something different to the usual fare, but it's just poorly executed in this and the narration is just downright pure boring, even the final showdown between the two was an awful disappointment, which was kinda expected after viewing the latter half of this god awful mess. So all in all, stay well clear it just leaves a bad taste in your mouth and only seek out if you have to.

At this point in his filmmaking career, Ray Dennis Steckler had become obsessed with making his movies for as little money as possible. What he does here is an amusing study in minimalist filmmaking. It doesn't matter if it wouldn't exactly have been up for any Oscars, it remains a curious, watchable oddity for its mercifully brief 71 minute running time. As one might guess, there's not a whole lot of story here. The movie concerns two characters who we know are destined to come together at some point. Pierre Agostino is The Hollywood Strangler, a photographer by trade who's come to regard his models and other assorted young women as "bad" and in need of punishment. Yeah, we've seen guys like him in movies like this before. Carolyn Brandt, Steckler's ex-wife and frequent collaborator, is the other character whom we follow around, a bookstore employee who, when she's not staring off into space or jogging on the beach, is offing drunken bums with her handy switchblade. It's only a matter of time before these two like minded individuals are going to make the move of introducing themselves to one another. In the meantime, it's important to note that Steckler wasn't too interested in using microphones, so he filmed this as a virtual silent movie, a bold move for any exploitation film made during this time period. (Stock) music, sound effects, dialogue and narration were all added later. And what a hoot that narration is, hilariously written and hilariously performed, adding some spice to a leisurely paced pile of cinematic trash. The major point of interest with this thing is viewing it as a series of snapshots of a particular place - Hollywood Boulevard and its series of adult businesses - during a specific era, in this case, the late 1970s. That's really what makes it fascinating, although what's good for a great deal of entertainment are Agostino's expressions and Brandt's *lack* of expressions. Adventuresome sleaze lovers are certain to find this an acceptable diversion; others beware. It comes complete with numerous breast shots, shots of legs kicking as female victims get killed, various sexy outfits, and a generous helping of that endearingly tacky bright red movie blood. Seven out of 10.

Such as it is, I'll try to give a brief outline of the movie. During a photo session, the photographer strangles his model. Meanwhile, a bookstore owner stalks and knives a wino. Later, the same photographer strangles another model. The bookstore owner stalks and knives another wino. This continues until the two meet. Without a word, they seem to fall in love. But what kind of relationship can two serial killers have? Apparently, not much of one. The Hollywood Strangler Meets the Skid Row Slasher is the perfect example of inept film-making. If you're idea of a good time is watching people you don't know kill other people you don't know, this may be the movie for you. This basic premise is repeated over and over and over. Eventually, I just wanted to throw something at the screen. How about a little explanation as to who these people are and why they are doing what they do? Unfortunately, concepts like a plot don't get in the way of the killing. Steckler filmed this movie without any dialogue. He later added some voice overs at the insistence of his distributor. Dialogue may have helped, although I doubt it. If you really must see this movie, watch it with Joe Bob Briggs commentary. There are a few laugh out loud moments. Otherwise, I found it impossible to get through even the first 10 minutes.

Wow. Woah. There are occasions when the viewing of a movie is so perfectly timed that it just grabs you and refuses to let go. For me, it was midnight, and the movie was "Hollywood Strangler Meets the Skid Row Slasher." <SPOILERS> Since seeing the well-deserved lampooning of "The Incredibly Strange Creatures..." on MST3K, I had very low expectations about this effort from maverick poverty-row director Ray Dennis Steckler, but was completely riveted by what took place over its 72-minute run time. Amazing, considering the movie is a series of events repeated over and over again. We follow a disturbed photographer (Pierre Agostino) who strangles young, voluptuous girls, and a bookstore clerk (Carolyn Brandt, incredibly attractive and menacing) who slashes the throats of grungy alcoholic bums. The movie skips the dull exposition that plagues more higher-class slashers by getting right down to business, and it never once lets up. Steckler's documentarian eye for authentic locations and actors, accompanied by a creepy score (stock music, perhaps?) sets a fitting mood. I mentioned the verbatim repetition of events (watch him photograph; watch him strangle; watch him drink a beer/watch her close up shop; watch her walk by the 25 cent XXX arcade; watch her stab with the exact same motion every time), but nothing is more chillingly repetitious than the manic voice over (for Agostino's character, but possibly someone else's voice) that propels the movie--that's right, the only real dialogue is this nut's forlorn search for a "pure" girl. And since he feels Brandt's slasher is the refined, cultured girl he seeks, the film leads to a powerful ending that's one of the greatest love scenes ever committed to celluloid. Bravo, Mr. Steckler! 7/10