Rating summary

Movie		2.0
Video		3.0
Audio		3.5
Extras		3.5
Overall		3.5

Blonde Death Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Brian Orndorf March 6, 2024

1983’s “Blonde Death” is a slice of campy crime from writer/director James Robert Baker (billed here as “James Dillinger”). He’s armed with a lunch money budget, access to an empty house, and a video camera, looking to pay tribute to the juvenile delinquent cinema of his youth with the endeavor, mixed with plenty of affection for the work of John Waters. “Blonde Death” strives to go wild with unruly behavior and outrageous punishments. Heck, it even visits Disneyland for a few minutes, really doing something dangerous along the way. But as a study of crime and lust, the effort struggles to get past its no-budget approach, dealing with a thin story that doesn’t really go anywhere, leaving viewers with shrill performances visibly wrestling with showy dialogue, while comedy is a real your-mileage-may-vary situation.

Tammy (Sara Lee Wade) is a high school dropout moving from Mississippi with her father, Vernon (Dave Shuey), and his new wife, Clorette (Linda Miller). The parents are born-again Christians looking for a new life in Anaheim, California, and they refuse to accept much attitude from Tammy, who’s ready for a boyfriend, or anyone, to give her the sexual release she’s been craving. When Vernon is called away on business in Saudi Arabia, Tammy is left with Clorette, who hates the adolescent. Instead of dealing with the kid, the stepmother takes off for the weekend, leaving Tammy alone to go crazy with diet pills and beer. She picks up an admirer in Gwen (Anne Kern), an eyepatch-wearing lesbian who wants to seduce the teen. And Tammy runs into terror with Link (Jack Catalano), a mass-murderer looking for the previous owner of Vernon’s house. Instead of resisting Link’s gun-toting demands, Tammy falls into lust with the madman, with the pair commencing a sexual relationship, also dealing with the return of Clorette. As the days pass, the lovebirds cause more trouble in town, eventually joined by Troy (Scott Ingram), Link’s former cellmate and a man ready to reconnect with his friend, with or without clothes on.

“Blonde Death” is explored via tape recorded confession, with Tammy working to secure her thoughts on the last week of her life, including her arrival in Anaheim, home of “Donkey Land” and all its theme park fantasy delights. She’s a kid from Mississippi ready to devour the Southern California lifestyle, but Vernon and Clorette block her escape, with the will of God driving their actions, offering severe punishments for household crimes, including any display of sexuality. There’s a good ten minutes where “Blonde Justice” seems like a semi-normal study of domestic abuse, but once Vernon takes Tammy over his knee for a spanking, and Baker offers a tight close-up of the act, it becomes clear what kind of audience this production is trying to reach.

Fetish play weaves throughout “Blonde Death,” with Vernon’s interest in his daughter revealed to be more than just fatherly love. Clorette is a lunatic, eager to permanently get rid of the teen, pushing her into the arms of Link, who’s killed 19 people while searching for a safe place to lie low, meeting his match in Tammy. She’s hungry for love, and “Blonde Death” looks to handle some bedroom activity and maintain criminal escalation, with Tammy and Link ready to take on all authority figures, especially in a Christian world of influence, with entertainer Pat Goon hogging television time. Complicating the situation is Gwen, a neighborhood predator who lost one eye mysteriously while the other is firmly trained on Tammy, looking to bed the teenager. And there’s Troy, who returns to Link’s world…ready to sexually assault the man with motor oil as lubricant. Baker certainly has an unusual way with relationships in the feature.

Blonde Death Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The AVC encoded image (1.34:1 aspect ratio) presentation is listed as a "preservation from the original 3/4" tape master." As with most shot-on-video productions, "Blonde Death" isn't here to wow with fine detail. It's a soft look at frame particulars, with a general sense of screen activity. Textures aren't present, but character activity is faintly appreciable, along with costuming. Dimension is also inherently restricted, yet some feel for household interiors is present, and rare visits to the outside world, including Disneyland, are passable. Color deals with age and technical limitations, but primaries are acceptable, handling style choices and domestic decoration. Some points of damage are encountered during the viewing experience.

Blonde Death Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The 2.0 DTS-HD MA also finds some age-related limitations, but dialogue exchanges are easy to follow, dealing with accent work and the amateur status of the cast. Scoring offers basic support, with limited instrumentation.

Blonde Death Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Commentary features film historians Elizabeth Purchell and K.J. Shepherd.

• Interview (10:08, SD) is a conversation with actress Sara Lee Wade, who explores her acting career at the time of appearance in "Blonde Death," happy to participate in the production. Memories of director James Robert Baker are shared, with the helmer quick to frustration when cast and crew couldn't meet his schedule. Characterization is discussed, with Wade looking to get more "practice" in the part, also figuring out her accent along the way. The interviewee also examines the brief shoot inside Disneyland, her hesitation with nudity, and being recognized in public.

• Interview (12:13, SD) is a discussion of moviemaking with EZTV director Michael J. Masucci, who details the history of the company, with founder John Dorr committed to creating a home for video production and artful pursuits. Talk of "Blonde Death" is shared, including participation from director James Robert Baker, and tensions with Disney are explored, with the company eventually realizing Disneyland was used in the feature. The interviewee also provides an update on EZTV and his own career.

• "Filmmakers Forum" (12:55, SD) is an episode of an old cable access program, with host Rick Pamplin welcoming EZTV founder John Dorr to the show. The interviewee discusses the origin of his company and his experience with "video filmmaking," looking for a way to make movies when Hollywood wouldn't pay attention to him. Amusingly, Pamplin hammers on Dorr's inability to get something made in the industry. Dorr also details his experience with equipment and exhibition, getting a little grief about visual quality, and he explores some aspects of "Blonde Death," which carried a $2,000 budget.

• John Dorr's 1986 Tour of EZTV (9:23, SD) follows the filmmaker as he offers a look inside his West Hollywood office. Art is identified, offices are visited, and employees are encountered.

• And a Trailer (1:13, SD) is included.

Blonde Death Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

"Blonde Death" fights to make a mess of these lives with extraordinarily little money to work with. Baker puts his faith in hard-boiled dialogue and broad performances, which do little to energize the feature. Sexuality is mostly ridiculous too. The only part of the endeavor that genuinely surprises is a brief trip to "Donkey Land," with Baker managing to complete a few scenes inside Disneyland, working quickly to capture his secret invasion. It's a lively sequence in an otherwise wearying picture, showing a sense of bravery and mischief the rest of this film lacks, even when it strains hard to be something of a romp involving characters with low impulse control.