Director: Katt Shea
Year: 1987
Country: USA
Alternate Titles: Strip Me Deadly
Genre: Slasher
Plot:
Following a series of strange deaths, a low-ranking police detective is tasked with going undercover to a special strip club where the dancers are being targeted by a savage killer which soon brings her and her partner into contact with the potential suspect as they try to keep their cover.
Review:
This was a decent enough if somewhat slightly flawed effort. One of the main features to be had here is the far more intriguing and detailed storyline that takes place here offering a bit more depth than expected. Even though this initially sets itself up to be nothing more than a chance to get to see the dancers in various states of undress, the main mystery angle with this one comes across nicely with the investigation into the killer going around trying to kill off the workers of the particular strip club. With a fun way to get the process started with the eyewitness encounter to the first dancer being set on fire and burned alive while failing to save them, the idea of going undercover into the club to find out what’s going on leads this into a solid investigation angle that includes some genuinely intriguing means of using the available clues to figure out what’s going on. That is especially true when the real culprit is revealed and everything is spelled out as it comes off rather well and logically with how the clues are used to put it all together.
There’s also a lot of fun to be had here with the general sense of exploitation going on in this one. As mentioned, the frequent and oftentimes incredibly enjoyable sexuality and sleaze on display is usually rather fun as the idea of making sure everything comes off with far more class as the sequences are shown to have quite a lot going on. With the blindingly neon lighting, elaborate choreography in the routines alongside the series of speeches imparting the nature of the business to her while training her for the job, and the use of blasting music, the scenes take on a life of their own as it does a lot more than just showcase writhing and grinding naked bodies. When it comes to the stalking scenes of the killer going around knocking off the dancers, these scenes are quite brutal and generally have some fun work involved including the opening attack on the dancer on the street overpass or the strange stalking scene with the woman going home from work to encounter the killer. The final confrontation is also quite exciting with the fun encounters and a thrilling resolution, giving this some fun moments.
There are some issues to be had here. Among the biggest drawbacks of the film are the disjointed amount of time spent on the dancing and stripping scenes than the psycho stalking moments. The scenes involving the dancing and other background shenanigans in the club are far more than it does spend on the slashing which are spread so rarely in the running time that it’s sometimes possible to forget this type of film is actually happening. That makes for a bit of a sluggish pacing at times with the film going for that kind of sleazy dancing rather than being a genre effort so it can be somewhat off with the disproportionate amount of time figuring everything out. The other issue here is the strange amount of obviously fake elements that are required to propel the story along including how the police force is fine with putting an officer in a sexually compromising position in the club or why he would bring the girl on the roster with her performance which is just the start of things here that hold this down.
Overview: ***.5/5
A fun enough sleazy genre effort even with some flaws, this one comes off solidly enough in that regard while still having some big issues keeping it down. This will mainly appeal to those looking for this kind of sleazy genre thriller, aren’t bothered by the negatives, or are fans of this era of film while most others out there should heed caution with this one.
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