Death Ranch

Director - Charlie Steeds (The Barge People, Escape from Cannibal Farm)

Starring - Deiondra Teagle (Painted in Blood), Faith Monique (Spider-Man: Homecoming, Zero), and Travis Cutner (MacGyver, Spooked)

Release Date - 2020

Genre - Horror

Tagline - "The family that slays together, stays together"

Format - DVD (Personal Collection) (Screener)

Rating (out of 5):

     Most of you have heard this before but I always feel the need to reiterate how much I fucking love blaxploitation flicks.  When I was younger my dad bought a few tapes from someone in a parking lot on our way to visit my brother.  The guy hawking the tapes was clearly "medicated" and I begged my dad to buy the tapes.  In them was several blaxploitation flicks.  Once I got big into those films Snoop Dogg released his blaxploitation horror flick Bones which only fueled my love for the sub-genre.  Over the years I've reviewed a couple dozen blaxploitation flicks and I've loved every minute of it.  A few weeks ago I received the press release for Charlie Steeds' Death Ranch.  The trailer looked absolutely fucking mental so I reached out for a review copy.  

     The film is set in the early 70s when Brandon (Teagle) escapes from jail.  He meets up with his brother and sister  and the three visit their families abandoned farm deep in the mountains of Tennessee to hide out. What they don't expect to see is a clan of cannibalistic KKK members who prey on people of color.

     Death Ranch was everything I wanted it to be after watching the trailer.  It was extremely bloody and violent with a great blaxploitat meets hixploitation tone.  I absolutely loved it and I can't wait for others to enjoy it as well.  The acting in this one is fun but there is plenty of room for improvement.  Teagle and Monique are the stars of the show and they both deliver fantastic performances.  Their characters are very grounded and real with both really giving the film their all.  The supporting cast is fun to watch with all the faceless KKK members dying but no one shares the screen as long as these two do.  The story for this one is a brilliant mixing of blaxploitation meets hixploitation.  Racism finds it's end with the story and the set up is absolutely brilliant.  The story does start out a bit slow but once it picks up it holds a steady pace of bloody action and social justice.  I couldn't have watched this story unfold over the course of three of four hours in all honesty.  Finally, the film is extremely bloody and action packed.  The kills we get do not shy away from the red stuff and fit the style of the film perfectly. A good portion of the deaths we get are the results of various gunshots.  The squibs look great and the amount of blood we get is almost comical.  I absolutely loved the look of these kills.  Not to be too repetitive, we do get some other kills using various tools found around an old farm.  These kills are just as bloody and the practical effects make them even more entertaining.  Overall, Death Ranch is absolutely fantastic.  Fans of old school horror and exploitation will want to spin this one.  It's bloody and combines some of my favorite exploitation sub-genres to create something that not only fits the social commentary of the early 70s but today as well.  I highly recommend it.  

Trump vs. the Illuminati

Director - BC Fourteen (Bigfoot vs. the Illuminati, Bigfoot vs. Megalodon)

Starring - Timothy Banfield (Father's Day, The Undergrounds), Wes Bruff (The Adventures of Hero-Man, Bigfoot vs. Megalodon), and Marco Guzman (Tickles the Clown, Jurassic Planet: The Mighty Kingdom)

Release Date - 2020

Genre - Sci-Fi

Tagline - "The ultimate battle"

Format - DVD (Personal Collection) (Screener)

Rating (out of 5):

     A couple times a month I'll review a non-horror releases because I'm a sucker for clever titles, exploitation, and goofy movies.  These reviews usually catch hell on social media when the keyboard warriors who never got the attention they needed growing up decided to comment "this isn't horror" on the reviews until they get a response from someone.  I usually poke fun at them and then I get bored and move on.  Sometimes the films are worth the headache.  Case in point, Trump vs. the Illuminati.  I was browsing MVD a few weeks ago when I saw that they were releasing this animated flick on DVD.  I couldn't pass this one up and reached out to them for a review copy.  After watching the abysmal Interviewing Monsters and Bigfoot I had to finally check this one out.  Thanks MVD for sending this one over!

     The film takes place a thousand years after the destruction of Earth.  A Chinese clone of Donald J. Trump has escaped his science lab and stowed away on a ship before it crash lands on Earth.  Now, alone, he wonders what his next move is when he is confronted by the alien race to join their forces in order to stop Aliester Crowley and the evil Illuminati before they completely take over the galaxy.

     I didn't expect an amazing cinematic experience but I was hoping for something a little more entertaining than what it was. I was all aboard watching this one to see the Trump puns and parodies but that would be the biggest weakness of the film.  The voice acting in this one is not the best.  Banfield is a pretty convincing Trump at times.  There was a few scenes where the Trump voice was extremely forced and but for the most part the Trump voice was great.  With that being said, some of the other voices were a little off.  They were too loud a good portion of the film.  The cast had no volume control and seemed a little too excited to be working on the project.  The story for this one is all over the place but I found myself really enjoying the non-Trump centered portion of the story.  A thousand year old clone of Trump helping aliens sounds like a fantastic idea on paper but this part of the film was a bit of a drag.  The movie spends too much time focusing on Trump isolated on Mars instead of focusing on the actual story.  Once the movie gets going, around the 40 minute mark, the story gets rolling and it's actually pretty entertaining without Trump fucking it up.  Sadly, this last 20 or so minutes is not enough to save the film.  Finally, the animation is very inconsistent.  Some of the scenes I found myself very impressed with it.  The vehicles, backgrounds, and creatures look great.  However, in a good bit of the scenes the animation starts out looking good but starts to lose quality when they move or interact.  Overall, Trump vs. the Illuminati is a huge missed opportunity.  I would love to see a film more focused on the story rather than mocking Trump.  Don't get me wrong, fuck Trump, but mocking him can't carry a film.  Skip it.    

Interviewing Monsters and Bigfoot

Director - Thomas Smugala (Apocalypse and the Beauty Queen, Freedom from Venezuela)

Starring - Tom Green (Freddy Got Fingered, Road Trip), Les Stroud (Survivorman, I Shouldn't Be Alive: Science of Survival), and Stacy Brown Jr. (The Pit, Hunting the Legend Part II)

Release Date - 2020

Genre - Comedy

Tagline - "Not in MY forest, you don't"

Format - DVD (Personal Collection)

Rating (out of 5):

     I reached high school in the early 2000s and I remember middle school and high school was the years that Jackass, Wildboyz, and The Tom Green Show were the popular television shows among my friends.  Jackass and the various spin offs were awesome shows but I loved Tom Green's sense of humor more.  Over the years he's appeared in some of the most underrated comedies like Freddy Got Fingered and Road Trip.  A few months ago I received the press release from the film Interviewing Monsters and Bigfoot starring Green and Les Stroud.  I was interested in it but I forgot about it until a recent trip to Walmart when I spotted the DVD.  I snagged it and as soon as I could toss it in I did.

     The film follows a college professor who witnesses his wife's murder at the hand of the cryptid bigfoot.  He teams up wit ha bigfoot hunter and the two go into the woods hunting the famed cryptid.  However, their hunt turns upside down when the forest ranger intervenes along with a director looking to make a snuff film and a government agency trying to hush the bigfoot matter.

      I was so excited to toss this one in and hit play but it made it clearly evident early on that this would be a tough one to finish.  In fact, it would take me two days to finally sit through the entire thing.  I really do like Green and his old brand of comedy but Interviewing Monsters and Bigfoot is one of the worst film's I've watched in a long time.  The acting in this one is just as messy as the film itself.  The scenes seem to lack any sort of direction and the acting is so chaotic that you struggle to follow the dialogue.  Tom Green is a lot more tame than what I was expecting.  He does a decent enough job but it's still difficult to follow the characters just of the way the film was shot.  The story for this one could have been fun but it's choppy and at almost two hours it's ways too fucking long.  The movie could have cut out the government aspect and make the film focus more on the forest ranger and the bigfoot hunters.  Almost an Elmer vs Bugs Bunny type of scenario.  There is too much going on in one scene for the movie to be anything other than messy.  Finally, the movie has a little blood here and there and some intentionally funny bigfoot costumes but that's the extent of it.  This is not a horror flick so there is not memorable kills or death scenes for horror freaks to enjoy.  Overall, Interviewing Monsters and Bigfoot is a movie that movie fans should not have to suffer through.  I hate being this negative about a movie but I can't find anything positive about it.  Even the humor was flat.  This is one I would skip.  

Son

Director - Ivan Kavanagh (The Fading Light, The Canal)

Starring - Andi Matichak (Halloween, 666 Park Avenue), Emile Hirsch (The Autopsy of Jane Doe, Freaks), and Luke David Blumm (The Walking Dead, Watchmen)

Release Date - 2021

Genre - Horror

Tagline - "You can't outrun a family secret"

Format - Bluray (Personal Collection) (Screener)

Rating (out of 5):

     Sometime ago Shudder and RLJE Films teamed up to release the films Z and Come Play.  Both were horror tales centered around children and both films came up very short in terms of entertainment value.  I hate writing negative reviews but both of these films were oddly similar yet both went nowhere.  A few weeks ago I received the press release for the Shudder and RLJE Films' joined release Son.  Son, like Z and Come Play, follows a young child but the trailer looked a lot more fun than the other twos.  I reached out and was able to get a copy of this one blu to review.  I'm glad I did because it was a lot of fun.  

     The film follows Laura (Matichak) and her son David (Blumm).  Laura had an interesting pregnancy and has put her troubled past behind her but when her son becomes ill she suspects that her sinister past has come back to reclaim David.  

     The trailer for Son looked extremely interesting but I couldn't help but think about how bad Z and Come Play actually was.  Lucky for me the film was nothing like those two and was a seriously fun horror flick.  It's a straight forward in your face bloody mess of a film that I would recommend to any horror fan looking for some late night scares.  The acting in this one is great.  I never considered Hirsch a strong actor until I saw The Autopsy of Jane Doe.  Since then I look forward to him appearing in other genre titles.  Sadly, he is very under utilized here which is a huge disappointment.  With that being said, Matichak and Blumm carry the film.  Their relationship on camera is undeniable and they work so well together.  you really do feel a mother and son bond between them too and their emotional range must be seen to be believed.  The story for this one is a fun psychological horror meets the occult.  I really liked the story and how it unfolded giving the viewer just enough to make the scene work without giving away too much.  The further into the film you get the better it is which is how a good horror film should be.  The suspense and atmosphere should progress along with the story.  Finally, the film is extremely bloody and violent.  Gorehounds will really enjoy this one.  The kills are great and the practical effects are gorgeous.  Overall, Son is a bit of a slow start but the film steamrolls through.  I highly recommend giving this bloody flick a chance.  It's well worth your time.  

Justice Society: World War II

Director - Jeff Wamester (Guardians of the Galaxy)

Starring - Stana Katic (The Possession of Hannah Grace, The Spirit), Matt Bomer (Doom Patrol, American Horror Story), and Omid Abtahi (The Mandalorian, Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles)

Release Date - 2021

Genre - War/Action

Tagline - "The fight for justice is the biggest battle of all time"

Format - UHD (Personal Collection) (Screener)

Rating (out of 5):

     DC has been absolutely killing it with their animated movies.  Their live action installments are fun for the most part but their animated films have yet to disappoint.  Sure, some of better than others but the weakest link is still a damn good movie.  A few weeks ago I started receiving promo images for the newest DC animated adventure Justice Society: World War II.  The hype train worked because I was really excited to give this one a spin.  I reached out and was lucky enough to get the UHD release of it for review.  

     The film is set during World War II when the U.S. puts together a team of meta-humans and called it the Justice Society.  Lead by Wonder Woman, the team comes together to stop the Nazi forces from taking over the globe.  However, when The Flash accidentally time travels he finds himself in the middle of World War II helping the Justice Society stop the Nazi menace.

     I'm not the most well versed fan of DC but I do know enough to get by.  However, when it comes to Justice Society I'm in the dark.  The movie does a fairly decent job establishing the superhero collective with some backstory but I was still left with more questions than answers.  Regardless, I enjoyed it and could probably watch it again.  The voice acting in this one is great.  We get some amazing performances from some seriously talented actors and actresses.  Matt Bomer, who is known for his portrayal of Negative Man in Doom Patrol, is great along with Katic and the other.  They really bring a wide range of emotions out while only using their voices.  The story for this one is fun for what it is but I really wish we would have been given more of an origins story for Justice Society over the monologue during the opening sequence.  With that being said, I like where the story went but the meat of this one should have been the sequel.  I'm also confused about the Clark Kent/Shakespear portion of the film.  A little more clarity would have went a long way here.  Finally, the animation looks exactly as you think it would.  The DC films has a style all their own and this is no exception.  The artwork looks like standard animation with a little comic flair.  I enjoyed it even more with the early Americana flair we get thrown throughout to give it that World War look.  Overall, Justice Society: World War II is a fantastic installment in the already impressive DC animated films.  It's a fun and action packed film that delivers a new look at some familiar faces.  With that being said, I would have loved to see a little more backstory for some of these characters.  All in all it was a fun experience that I highly recommend.  

Deep Blood

Director(s) - Raffaele Donato and Joe D'Amato (Beyond the Darkness, Erotic Night of the Living Dead)

Starring - Frank Baroni (Margaret Bourke-White), Cort McCown (Teen Wolf, Can't Buy Me Love), and Keith Kelsch (Through the Lens)

Release Date - 1990

Genre - Horror

Format - Bluray (Personal Collection) (Screener)

Rating (out of 5):

     Back at the end of last year Severin released the sharksploitation film Cruel Jaws from Italian filmmaker Bruno Mattei.  Honestly, I was excited to see a sleazy shark flick from a filmmaker that is usually hit or miss with me.  Sadly, the film was not that good and I found myself begging for it to end.  A few days back MVD and Severin had sent me the 1990 sharksploitation flick Deep Blood to review so I decided to turn it into a Severin shark double feature.  I want to thank MVD and Severin for allowing Horror Society and myself the opportunity to review this new blu.

     The film follows a beach front community who is under attack by a tiger shark.  When several people turn up dead they local authorities go out and hunt the shark down and when they kill a tiger shark they suspect their troubles are behind them but one young man knows different and tries to warn them that the killer is still loose.

     I was pretty let down by Cruel Jaws but I always go into a Bruno Mattei film expecting it to be a huge miss or knocked out of the park.  However, I was really curious about Deep Blood since Joe D'Amato was co-director that was uncredited and some of the scenes from this one could be found in Cruel Jaws.  Sadly, this one came up as very underwhelming but not as messy as Cruel Jaws.  At least this one was able to complete an entire film without cannibalizing other films.  The acting in this one is not bad but the characters are very generic.  The cast does a decent enough job with the characters the way they were written but most of the cast blends into the background unfortunately.  The story for this one is just like every other shark film with a little Native American myth scattered throughout that doesn't really do anything story wise.  If the Native American mythology that was mentioned in passing had a bigger hold on the story it would have been a fun spin but it doesn't.  Instead, we get a movie using the same shark-based storyline following a beach community who continue to go into the water even though a shark is known to be killing people.  Nothing original or entertaining.  Finally, the film has some bloody moments but you can only do so much with sharks.  We get some make-up effects, a fake shark's head, and that's about it unless shark stock footage is your thing.  Overall, Deep Blood was another bit of a disappointment.  The blu from Severin looks fantastic so fans of this one will want to check it out but if you are looking for something new to watch I would recommend another Severin release.  

Cruel Jaws

Director - Bruno Mattei (The Other Hell, Rats: Night of Terror)

Starring - David Luther (Only the Strong), George Barnes Jr. (Detective Extralarge, South Beach), and Scott Silveria 

Release Date - 1995

Genre - Horror

Tagline - "Just when you thought it was safe to go into the sea again"

Format - Bluray (Personal Collection)

Rating (out of 5):

     Late last year Severin Films released several movies that caught my attention.  I like Severin for the most part but there has been a few of their films that I just didn't care for.  One of those releases last year that really caught my eye was their blu release of the 1995 sharksploitation film Cruel Jaws which some of you may know as Jaws 5.  I had never seen this one before but it looked a lot of fun.  I eventually snagged a copy but wasn't able to watch it right away.  After spinning a few Arrow Video releases I decided to have a Severin sharksploitation double feature with Cruel Jaws up first.

     The film follows the beach community in Florida who is terrorized by a giant shark.  The greedy mayor refuses to close the beaches but when the shark get it's taste of human flesh it goes on a feeding frenzy forcing the authorities to spring into action to kill it before it can kill again.

     I'll be the first to admit that I'm not a big fan of shark flicks.  They tend to be boring and the lingering thought of "stay out of the water and nothing will happen" sticks with me the entire time.  Sharks are only menacing if you are in the water so if you stick to land then you just took away all the horror and fear.  However, that wouldn't make for a good movie so we have various reasons the people venture out into the sea.  I was hoping Cruel Jaws would have that Italian sleaze that Mattei was known for but it didn't.  In fact, the film fell short in a lot of ways.  The acting in this one was far from perfect but it was funny in a lot of ways.  The characters are pretty generic and a lot of the performances we get are fairly flat resulting in a lot of unforgettable scenes.  The humor is unintentional but it's funny regardless.  The cast overreacts at times making for an awkward but hysterical scene.  The story for this one is just like every other shark movie since Jaws.  A giant shark terrorizes a coastal community that is based on tourism so they have to kill the shark forcing several teams to go into the water never to return.  What makes this movie miss is how it can't even deliver original footage.  It takes scenes from previously shot movies and integrates them into the film.  You get an unoriginal film that's not finished.  Finally, you can only do so much with a shark feature.  We get some make-up effects and blood, along with stock footage of sharks but that's about the extent of it.  Don't expect a bloodbath because you will be very disappointed.  Overall, Cruel Jaws was a mess of a film that I just couldn't get into.  The blu does look great but the movie itself is a tough one to finish.  Skip it.  

     

Donnie Darko

Director - Richard Kelly (The Box, Southland Tales)

Starring - Jake Gyllenhaal (Spider-Man: Far From Home, Zodiac), Jena Malone (The Hunger Games: Catching Fire, The Neon Demon), and Mary McDonnell (Scream 4, Battlestar Galactica)

Release Date - 2001

Genre - Horror/Sci-Fi

Tagline - "What would you do if you knew the future"

Format UHD (Personal Collection) (Screener)

Rating (out of 5):

     The year after I graduated high school I was with some friends and we took a trip to a mall that was a couple hours away from us.  The mall had an FYE in there and I spent most of out trip digging through the movies.  I left out of there with a pretty solid stack of movies.  Most were horror but I did snag a few random 80s comedies and action flicks.  Among the movies I grabbed was the 2001 horror sci-fi flick Donnie Darko.  I had not heard about this one before but it looked wild.  I remember watching it with my friends but I don't remember shit about the movie.  A few days ago MVD and Arrow Video sent over the new Donnie Darko uhd release for me to review.  This was a great time to revisit the film since I couldn't remember a damn thing about it.  I want to thank MVD and Arrow for sending this one over!

     The film follows Donnie Darko (Gyllenhaal) doesn't fit in.  He struggles to find acceptance within his school and family and is forced to seek therapy several times a week.  He has a knack for creating imaginary friends but his newest, Frank, is a time travelling bunny that brings him to the middle of the apocalypse unless he can stop it.

     I know a lot of genre fans love Donnie Darko.  I've met many at cons that sport hoodies, patches, and even tattoos of the iconic rabbit.  With that being said, I was not impressed with the film after my second viewing.  I can't remember what I thought of the film the first time around but this second viewing was way too long and such a dry experience.  I can see the appeal of the film to some but it was not one that I enjoyed.  The acting in this one is pretty good.  We get amazing performances from a young Jena Malone, Seth Rogan, Drew Barrymore, and Patrick Swayze, and so many more.  This cast is really noteworthy.  They all deliver amazing performances and not a single weak link among them.  With that being said, I didn't care for Jake Gyllenhaal.  His performance just came across as dull when compared with the rest of the cast.  His real life sister Maggie even out stages him in their shared scenes.  The story for this one tries way too hard to achieve something that could have been done in half the time.  I do like how the time travel story goes around and forms a complete circle while tiring up loose ends.  I also like the aspect of the old woman going mad from having all this information.  The movie should have focused more on this and Donnie's "imaginary" friend instead of all the time spent on painting him unstable.  The movie is way too long and a lot of the movie could be removed because so many scenes are repetitive and unnecessary.  Finally, there is a little make-up effects but if you are looking to Donnie Darko for blood and gore then you will be really disappointed.  There is some visual effects but they did not age well and are very laughable now.  Overall, Donnie Darko was not one I could really get into.  I can see why some like it but it's not for me.  However, this UHD release looks absolutely fantastic.  I'm jealous that I'm not a fan of this one and can enjoy it like others can.  

Death Has Blue Eyes

Director - Nico Mastorakis (Ninja Academy, Island of Death)

Starring - Jessica Dublin (The Toxic Avenger Part II, Savage Hunt), Maria Aliferi (Taxi Driver, Consumer Society), and Peter Winter (Warship, The Pathfinders)

Release Date - 1976

Genre - Sci-Fi/Thriller

Tagline - "Love was her need.  Murder was her deed"

Format - Bluray (Personal Collection) (Screener)

Rating (out of 5):

     Arrow Video has really impressed me recently.  When I received a package of screeners a few days ago I had only seen two of the film out of the four.  I started my Arrow Video marathon with a supernatural romance flick titled A Ghost Waits that I really enjoyed.  I was not expecting that film to hit like it did and I loved it.  I followed that up with Jack Hill's classic Switchblade Sisters.  This was one I was very familiar with and actually enjoy.  It's an iconic film that should be on everyone's watch list.  When I finished Switchblade I decided to dig into Death Has Blue Eyes.  This is one I had never seen before but it looked very interesting.  As usual, I want to thank Arrow Video and MVD for sending this one my way.

     The film follows two friends who find themselves tasked with protecting a very strange woman and her well to do mother.  However, when not fleeing from gun-toting gangsters and fucking random women, they uncover that the strange woman has psychic abilities and her mother is hiding a very big secret.

     I went into Death Has Blue Eyes knowing nothing about the film and was greeted with a well acted but extremely dull film.  The movie had a lot of interesting ideas and the acting was great but it was a fairly dull movie experience which was strange.  How could a movie with such an interesting story have nothing to say?  The acting in this one is the best aspect of the entire film.  I loved the cast and their performances.  The cast was really into their roles and the characters are enjoyable for the most part.  The random sex scenes are a little on the awkward side but the acting for the most part was really well done.  It's a damn shame the story couldn't carry the cast.  The story for this one has some interesting ideas but their delivery leaves a lot to be desired.  The title lead me to believe that the woman with psychic abilities would be doing a lot more killing than she did.  Sadly, this was not the case.  Instead, we get a lot of chase scenes that are very boring along with awkward sex scenes.  We don't get enough focus on the story.  I would have loved to see more psychic chaos over the horrible motorcycle chase scene.  Finally, the film has several deaths but don't expect a lot.  Nothing spectacular or memorable here.  The psychic deaths are actually funny due to the acting but they will not stick with you.  Overall, Death Has Blue Eyes is a huge disappointment and such a missed opportunity.  The blu from Arrow looks great but the movie is not.  Collectors or fans of this one will want to snag it but for a blind buy I would recommend something else from Arrow.  

Switchblade Sisters

Director - Jack Hill (Coffy, Foxy Brown)

Starring - Robbie Lee (The Get Along Gang, Big Bad Mama), Joanne Nail (The Visitor, The Gumball Rally), and Monica Gayle (Pinocchio, Nashville Girl)

Release Date - 1975

Genre - Action

Tagline - "Mothers...lock up your sons.  Switchblade sisters are coming!"

Format - Bluray (Personal Collection) (Screener)

Rating (out of 5):

     Jack Hill was a filmmaker that ruled the 70s exploitation scene.  His blaxploitation films Coffy and Foxy Brown are damn near iconic but his career is more than that.  His contributions to exploitation and horror are legendary after helming such films as Spider Baby, The Swinging Cheerleaders, The Terror, Alien Terror, and so many more.  When I was in college I snagged a few DVDs from a vendor at a pop culture convention.  The pop up event was for comics and collectibles but someone had set up a table full of DVDs that were clearly boots.  A lot of them were titles I had never of before but when I saw Switchblade Sisters was directed by Jack Hill I had to snag it.  When I mentioned it on a horror forum I discovered that most fans of the film had seen it on boots with no quality release of it around to snag.  A few weeks ago I caught word that Arrow Video was finally giving this classic Jack Hill exploitation film a blu release and MVD was kind enough to send a review copy over.  Thanks for giving this film the attention it needed and allowing me the opportunity to review it!

     The film follows a group of female gang members who are known as the Dagger Debs who are part of a much bigger gang known as the Silver Daggers.  A new girl in town shows promise and is brought into the Debs but soon causes ripples among the group when the leader of the Daggers shows a liking to her while dating the leader of the Debs.  She betrays the Debs to get even with the new girl but in the process killing her boyfriend and Dagger's leader.  The power vacuum of his death allows the new girl to take over the gang.

     I'm not going to be like those guys in these forums and pretend like I grew up on this film.  I didn't know it even existed until I found a piss poor boot at a random pop up event.  However, I've watched it a dozen times since then and I absolutely fucking love it.  Some of my college friends didn't care for it so most of the time I was watching it alone but I swear this is my favorite Jack Hill film right next to Spider Baby.  Every viewing of this film is like the first but watching this spectacular blu is like watching some of these scenes for the first time especially when you compare it to the shitty DVD.  This is, by far, my favorite Arrow release to date.  The acting in this movie is questionable at times but the characters are legendary especially among fans of exploitation.  The cast does struggle in a few scenes which is common of films of the time with this sort of budget.  However, the characters they bring to life are iconic.  When I think of exploitation movies of this decade I always think of Patch, Lace, and Crabs.  The entire cast does a great job at creating characters instead of just acting.  The story for this one is so much fun.  We get a dash of blaxploitation, some fun gangs, and a lot of action and drama.  The character development and story progression is what makes this one so much fun.  Without the cast and the amazing characters this story would fall apart.  The drama flows very well with the story and the action scenes are just the icing on the cake.  Finally, the film has some fun kills that mostly involve gun wounds.  The effects are minimal but they work for the film.  I really enjoyed the shotgun blast and the aftermath of that scene.  Overall, Switchblade Sisters is a must see for Jack Hill fans and movie lovers who enjoy exploitation flicks.  This release from Arrow Video is essential for movie fans.  I can't recommend this enough.