Today's second Vinegar Syndrome review, this time a sleazy little thriller set in New York called Massage Parlor Murders. It's as good as the title suggests. Four years later it was re-edited and with a slightly new title, Massage Parlor Hookers! The trailer for the original and first version and the sex-version is both on the blu-ray and it's so fun comparing them. It's almost like one of those trendy trailer re-edits from few years back, transforming The Shining to a dramedy and West Side Story to a zombie/demon flick. But back to the actually movie...
Some tough cops prowls the streets in the hunt for criminals. One of them are a regular visitor at a massage parlor, but when one of his favorite hooker is killed by an unknown, sadistic madman, he goes berserk (together with his faithful colleague)! But the killer is always one step ahead and more victims is harvested! Our heroes meets one creep after another and at the same time the body count is rising...
Now this was a fun film. Totally retared, but not badly made and with a fun cast that desperatly tries to imitate the realistic roughness of similar cop movies from the same time. This is obvious a 42nd street answer to The French Connection, with two buddy cops trashing criminals and solving crimes in the hard parts of New York. They even have a long, well-made car chase in the middle of it. What's even more interesting his how it both seems to succeed Lucio Fulci's New York Ripper (in one scene, but still...) and David Fincher's Seven, but instead of the super-stylishness of these two movies, Massage Parlor Murders mores comes of as a colorful, porn-lit, "regional" big city thriller with a lot of nudity. Hard to describe.
While most set-ups are flat the actors stand out. Not because they're brilliant, but because they're taking their job seriously. Fine character actor George Dzundza plays a small part as "Mr Creepy" and the gritty, dirty exterior locations are awesome. This is one of those movies that's hard to take seriously but looks so good and have a good pacing, making it a pearl of super-cheap exploitation cinema. How's the gruesome parts then? Well, I mean. We're not talking Carlo Rambaldi or Sergio Stivaletti here. The effects are very primitive and the blood look like red color, you know, how it looks in cheaper movies during the 70's - and it's SO charming. What's there's not to love?
Not a movie for the regular movie fan I guess, but for us who's into obscure cinema this is a must. The blu-ray from Vinegar Syndrome is insanely good. It looks like a completely new movie trying to come off as newly made retro-style grindhouse movie. The trailer for the first edit of the movie also is also almost too awesome for it's own good!
"Today's second Vinegar Syndrome review, this time a sleazy little thriller set in New York called Massage Parlor Murders. It's as good as the title suggests."
I like this title.
"It's almost like one of those trendy trailer re-edits from few years back, transforming The Shining to a dramedy and West Side Story to a zombie/demon flick."
Or turning Top Gun(1986)into a gay romance, not hard to do but still.....
http://youtu.be/ekXxi9IKZSA
"Now this was a fun film. Totally retared, but not badly made and with a fun cast that desperatly tries to imitate the realistic roughness of similar cop movies from the same time."
Sounds really great....hoping you do a review of Black Caesar(1973)soon.
"What's even more interesting his how it both seems to succeed Lucio Fulci's New York Ripper (in one scene, but still...) and David Fincher's Seven, but instead of the super-stylishness of these two movies, Massage Parlor Murders mores comes of as a colorful, porn-lit, "regional" big city thriller with a lot of nudity. Hard to describe."
I think, I know what you mean.....lowbudget, gritty, with "authentic" locations, I mean NYC in 70´s looks vastly different from now.
"Fine character actor George Dzundza plays a small part as "Mr Creepy" and the gritty,"
He is very good.
"This is one of those movies that's hard to take seriously but looks so good and have a good pacing, making it a pearl of super-cheap exploitation cinema."
Yeah I think I know what you mean.
"Not a movie for the regular movie fan I guess, but for us who's into obscure cinema this is a must. The blu-ray from Vinegar Syndrome is insanely good. It looks like a completely new movie trying to come off as newly made retro-style grindhouse movie. The trailer for the first edit of the movie also is also almost too awesome for it's own good!"
It does sound like a film for only people like us......great review and thanks.
IMDB lists only 11 votes!
That´s how rare it is.......good work, Fred.
Posted by: Megatron | April 13, 2013 at 15:37