HOLLYWOOD CHAINSAW HOOKERS(1988)
Director: Fred Olen Ray
Retromedia Entertainment

Fred Olen Ray is probably the last independent director from the close of the drive-in era, often employing older B actors like John Carradine, Buster Crabbe and Cameron Mitchell towards the end of their careers. Although it doesn't have any big names from Hollywood's past, HOLLYWOOD CHAINSAW HOOKERS is one of his best-known efforts and certainly has a worldwide cult following (with a title like that, how could it not?).

The story involves a wisecracking Jay Richardson as private dick Jack Chandler, searching for a missing girl. Richardson's character is a Film Noir type detective, whose Bogie style narration is accented with crude toilet talk. The girl he's searching for is Samantha, played by Linnea Quigley, who looks a bit past the 21 years she's supposed to be. It's believed she's been abducted by a chainsaw worshipping ancient cult, but she actually joined their circle in order to avenge a friend's death.

These chainsaw-wielding mamas pose as call girls that have no trouble enticing a sacrificial John. Michelle Bauer (still known as Michelle McLellan here) is a pro named Mercedes who picks up a construction worker in a bar and takes him back to her place. She throws on an Elvis (sound-alike) record, strips down to her birthday suit, puts a shower cap over her head, drapes a plastic sheet over her Elvis poster (circa 1973), and pulls out a chainsaw. She slices up the poor guy as rubber body parts fly around and blood that looks like Cool Aid squirts recklessly.

Another chainsaw ho goes to the home of a slimy baseball bat salesman. After posing for some kinky pictures, she strikes the guy in the head with a bat, and chainsaws his body in the tub. The leader behind all these crazy dames is known as "The Master," played by Gunnar Hansen (he's called "The Stranger" in the credits), "Leatherface" of TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE fame. Hansen is a good presence but is stiff as nails. The film's climax includes Quigley performing the "Virgin Dance of the Double Chainsaws" wearing nothing but exotic body paint and a thong, as well as Quigley and Bauer dueling it in a chainsaw catfight.

Ray's schlocky piece of tongue-in-cheek is loaded with gratuitous nudity and big-haired scream queens strutting their stuff, so if that's your thing, you'll love this flick. This is the first release on his "Fred Olen Ray's Nite Owl Theater" line, and he introduces and concludes the feature from his "mansion," showing off an authentic "Land of the Giants" lunch box and a couple of nude girls playing Twister. The letterboxed transfer looks quite clean, and the image is very acceptable knowing the film's low budget limitations.

Extras include the trailer, and trailers for other Ray titles like ANGEL EYES and FATAL JUSTICE. There is also a "Making of" featurette made up of interviews with Ray, Bauer, and Quigley. Ray gives away a lot of juicy details about the film, including the fact that they only had one 35mm print to show theatrically, and that the film's temple set was a leftover from 1985's HOUSE! (George R. Reis)

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