Produced in 1973 and directed by Christina Hornisher, after its initial release, the film was  re-released and aimed at the grindhouse circuit with new titles like The Hollywood Hillside  Strangler and Twisted Throats. But as a horror or slasher film this will not satisfy most  gorehounds. At least those who don’t appreciate good films. This flick is more of a slice of  life drama about a fella who makes a meager living in swingin’ 70’s Hollywood shooting  porn loops. Even that aspect won’t satisfy those who are looking for suggestive R-rated  nudity as these scenes are rather tame. This film is for serious film buffs looking for  something out of the ordinary and obscure. I had never heard of this film but I am now  going to champion it LAMF. 

It is odd that a film with a fair amount of nudity about a guy who strangles women was  directed by a woman. But Hornisher does a masterful job of telling this little story and  captures many great little moments of dialogue between the actors -the bit about “Did you  ever wanna be an architecture?” is fantastic- while also giving the audience a look at 70’s  Los Angeles with scenes shot in Bunker Hill, the beach, DTLA and of course, Hollywood and the iconic Hollywood sign. After seeing the film’s screening at the New Beverly Cinema a couple of folks were driven to post negative reviews of the film claiming it to be boring but  I would say these basement critics aren’t serious when it comes to loving film and enjoying  the movies. This flick is engaging in many ways. It has some interesting cinematography to  say the least and is pretty well put together for what it is, an artsy film with a subject matter  most art filmmakers would avoid like the plague. And it boasts an early score by composer  Basil Poledouris (Tintorera, Serial Mom, RoboCop).  

This new Grindhouse release comes in an attractive slipcase with reversable art and is a 3- disc set. Disc one has the 4K restoration of the feature film from the 35mm negative and it  looks and sounds fantastic. The extras are spread out over the two Blu-rays and include  commentaries with the actors and crew, deleted scenes from the X-rated version, short  films by the filmmaker and a great bonus is Twisted Throats in a sketchy print but it will  come in handy if you want to feel grubby while watching as the reels are down and dirty and  look like what you would see in a theatre in a bad neighborhood. The third disc is the  soundtrack CD by Poledouris.