Her Name Was Lisa Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		2.5
Video		4.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		3.0
Overall		4.0

Her Name Was Lisa Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Brian Orndorf May 26, 2018

1979’s “Her Name Was Lisa” is notable is some circles due to its director, Roger Watkins, who previously created the vicious “Last House on Dead End Street.” This awareness of helming intensity is important to retain while watching “Her Name Was Lisa,” which, unlike many adult movies, has no interest in titillation. It’s anti-erotica in many ways, and while it features all manner of sexual activity, the film is surprisingly grim, striving more to be a dramatic effort than an X-rated one.

“Her Name Was Lisa” tells the tale of Lisa (Samantha Fox), a young prostitute whose self-defense mechanisms are slowly eroded by Stephen (David Pierce), a wealthy man who enjoys destroying women. Lisa also encounters Carmen (Vanessa Del Rio), who seems friendly, but pushes heroin on the vulnerable character, speeding her entrance into the afterlife. Considering that “Her Name Was Lisa” opens with the image of Lisa’s body being transported at a funeral home, her experience with Stephen and Carmen doesn’t go well. Such darkness isn’t customary for adult entertainment, giving Watkins’s work an experimental feel, testing the boundaries of stimulation as the story is steeped in manipulation and abuse, eventually graduating to rape and revenge. It’s more of an exploitation viewing experience, and it’s never pleasant, contrasting the routine of writhing bodies with unchecked aggression.

Her Name Was Lisa Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The AVC encoded image (1.85:1 aspect ratio) presentation supplies a terrifically clean look at the particulars of "Her Name Was Lisa." While this is an adult film we're discussing, the feature has an obsession with extreme close-ups during sex acts, giving the Blu-ray plenty to work with. Clarity is sustained throughout, delivering all kinds of skin textures and openings, picking up on fine hairs and assorted bodily fluids. It's a vivid look at the movie's idea of coupling, and Vinegar Syndrome preserves the graphic content in full. Colors are encouraging, with bold period hues that capture the production era. Reds and blues are pronounced, while skintones are spot-on, with a welcomingly pinkish appearance. Delineation is comfortable. Source has a few speckle storms and exposed reel changes, but otherwise looks intact.

Her Name Was Lisa Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The 1.0 DTS-HD MA sound mix captures the strangeness of "Her Name Was Lisa" with only a modest amount of sibilance issues. Dialogue exchanges are acceptable, supporting sexual response and the movie's interest in violent escalation, avoiding distortive extremes. Music is comfortable, handling heavier beats with authority and instrumentation is compelling.

Her Name Was Lisa Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Interview (30:56, SD) with film historian and Ultra Violent Magazine editor Art Ettinger recalls his relationship with director Roger Watkins, feeling inspiration to meet the man who made "Last House on Dead End Street," eventually becoming friends with the helmer. Ettinger tracks his interest in the horror movies and Watkins's work, which culminated in a lengthy interview for Ultra Violent that helped the publication reach a wider audience. Ettinger spends a lot of time on "Last House on Dead End Street," but there's information provided about "Her Name Was Lisa," with Ettinger sharing Watkins's thoughts on casting and production origins (the script started with a title and worked backwards), and his achievements on other adult features, which helped to provide experience.

• Still Gallery (:50) includes VHS covers, ad slicks, reviews, and poster art.

• And a Theatrical Trailer (4:06, SD) is included.

Her Name Was Lisa Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

"Her Name Was Lisa" is different, winning points for a decidedly morose tone and elements of kink as S&M is introduced to the coupling of Lisa and Stephen. Watkins hilariously employs gynecological-style cinematography to cover the details of the couplings, making the picture extraordinarily graphic, adding evidence to the theory that he never wanted to make an adult film in the first place. Using Led Zeppelin's "Dazed and Confused," surely without authorization, is another hint that the helmer was living dangerously, possibly to entertain himself. Fans of X-rated entertainment might be more forgiving of Watkins and his doomsday approach, as the effort is well shot and features a winningly wicked turn from Del Rio, who gives the material a devilish tilt. "Her Name Was Lisa" is baffling to watch at times, with its sexual displays almost getting in the way of its nihilism. Watkins would go on to make a more effective brain bleeder with 1983's "Corruption," but here, he just comes off angry, bothered that sexual activity is interfering with his display of rage.