Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		3.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		4.5
Overall		3.5

Hollywood Chainsaw Hookers Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov April 27, 2015

Fred Olen Ray's "Hollywood Chainsaw Hookers" (1988) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of British distributors 88 Films. The supplemental features on the disc include an original trailer for the film; new audio commentary by Fred Olen Ray and cult filmmaker David Decoteau; exclusive new audio commentary by genre expert Callum Wadell and author Justin Kerswell; making of documentary; Hal Kennedy's film "Linnea Quigley's Horror Workout Video" (1990); and more. The release also arrives with a leaflet featuring an interview with actor Gunnar Hansen conducted by Calum Waddell. In English, without optional English subtitles for the main feature. Region-B "locked".

"You construction workers really turn me on..."

Private eye Jack Chandler (Jay Richardson, Smooth Operator) is hired to track down a young beauty (Linnea Quigley, Graduation Day) who has disappeared in the City of Angels. While sniffing around, Chandler gets involved with a couple of prostitutes who may or may not know who is responsible for a string of gruesome killings. The prostitutes lead the private eye to the leader (The Texas Chain Saw Massacre) of an underground sect worshiping a really whacky ancient god.

Fred Olen Ray’s Hollywood Chainsaw Hookers could make sense only if approached with the right state of mind. Indeed, it is an utterly wild film that likes to push all sorts of different buttons with an attitude that cannot be easily tolerated. Viewers expecting some kind of solid logic in it will quickly reject it, but those who like their films trashy and untamed will surely embrace it with wide open arms.

The film blends elements from two entirely different genres. One part of it is dedicated to the usual thrills straightforward slasher pictures like to promote -- there are plenty of graphic killings, close-ups of dismembered body parts, and intense screams. Another part of it focuses on the wide range of female curves most men find irresistibly attractive. (There is no need to identify them here). The two are glued together with an odd dose of black humor that essentially gives the film its identity. (British censors, however, apparently disagreed and a long time ago when the film was officially released in the UK they decided that it was their duty to protect local genre fans from the supposedly very disturbing excess).

For the most part the excess is managed rather well, but it is very obvious that the creators of the film had a very small budget to work with. Indeed, even the best/most extreme sequences look quite rough while the transitions between them seem fairly uneven. The dialog is also very basic, though admittedly plenty of the film’s trashy charm comes precisely from the dumbed-down exchanges.

The film’s greatest strength is the enthusiasm of its stars. The beautiful Michelle Bauer, in particular, looks great covered with red paint and holding a giant chainsaw. The entire sequences where she entertains the clueless construction worker and then cuts him to pieces is utterly ridiculous, but Bauer clearly disagrees. (Hint: If possible, pay attention to the upper part of her body). Quigley is also willing to impress -- with or without her clothes on. Richardson is a bit stiff, but has the best lines. Only Hansen looks slightly annoyed, but his time in front of the camera is very limited.

The film is complimented by an unusually solid soundtrack created by Michael Perilstein (The Deadly Spawn). Also heard throughout the film are tracks performed by The Fugitive Kind (“Baby So Long”, Nothing Comes From Nothing”, and “No Surf”) and Jesse Hawkins (“Kick Around Me”, “Lies”).

Maxim Magazine selected Hollywood Chainsaw Hookers as the 4th greatest B-movie of all time.

British distributors 88 Films present Hollywood Chainsaw Hookers fully uncut. On the Blu-ray release, the film’s running time is approximately 75 minutes (01.14.49).

Hollywood Chainsaw Hookers Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 1.78:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Fred Olen Ray's Hollywood Chainsaw Hookers arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of British distributors 88 Films.

The technical presentation is somewhat inconsistent, but the producers of the disc should not be blamed for the obvious fluctuations -- or at least not for the most obvious fluctuations. Indeed, a long time ago, HBO apparently borrowed the negative for Hollywood Chainsaw Hookers to make their own transfer. When eventually they sent it back, reel #1 was missing. The first seven minutes of the film were then reconstructed from an answer print, but scratches, density and some minor stability issues remained (see screencaptures #1 and 6). The current transfer has been sourced from a recent master struck from a 2K scan. It is quite good, but it has been sharpened (see screencapture #8). Detail is pleasing, but it is obvious that without the sharpening the film could have had a much more convincing organic appearance. Colors are stable and well saturated. There are no large debris, cuts, or stains, but a few tiny specks occasionally pop up here and there and a couple of vertical lines remain. (The vertical lines seen early into the film are inherited from the answer print; some additional small imperfections remain as well). Finally, while there are no major encoding anomalies, some light compression artifacts occasionally can be spotted (see the upper right side of screencapture #10). All in all, the technical presentation is a bit uneven, but for the most part the issues addressed above are quite easy to tolerate. My score is 3.25/5.00. (Note: This is a Region-B "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-B or Region-Free Blu-ray player in order to access its content).

Hollywood Chainsaw Hookers Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There are two standard audio tracks on this Blu-ray release: English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 and English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0. Optional English SDH subtitles are not provided for the main feature.

I viewed the film with the 2.0 track. Clarity and depth are mostly good, but some extremely light background hiss occasionally makes its presence felt (see the footage around 00:08:22). There is some general unevenness as well -- the narration and the dialog could be better balanced in different parts of the film. Still, these are not issues that will affect negatively your viewing experience. There are no audio dropouts or distortions to report in this review.

Hollywood Chainsaw Hookers Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Audio Commentary by Calum Waddell and Justin Kerswell - in this audio commentary, genre expert Callum Wadell and author Justin Kerswell (Teenage Wasteland: The Slasher Film Uncut) discuss the identity of Hollywood Chainsaw Hookers (and specifically whether it is a slasher film or not), its visual style and atmosphere (the distinctive grindhouse/trashy feel), Michelle Bauer's unusual career, the film's distribution history in the UK and the United States, etc. The commentary was recorded exclusively for the 88 Films release of Hollywood Chainsaw Hookers.

• Audio Commentary by Fred Olen Ray and David Decoteau - in this new audio commentary, cult filmmaker David Decoteau and director Fred Olen Ray discuss the production history of Hollywood Chainsaw Hookers, the casting of Gunnar Hansen, the film's soundtrack, the missing first reel (which apparently disappeared after HBO borrowed the negative to produce their own transfer), the shooting of specific sequences, the editing process, etc.

• Remembering Chainsaw Hookers 27 Years Later - in this new video piece, actors Michelle Bauer (Mercedes) and Jay Richardson (Jack Chandler), director Fred Olen Ray, and cult filmmaker David Decoteau discuss Hollywood Chainsaw Hookers. In English, not subtitled. (22 min).

• Theatrical Trailer - original theatrical trailer for Hollywood Chainsaw Hookers. In English, not subtitled. (3 min).

• Archive Making of Documentary - presented here is an archival featurette with clips from interviews with director Fred Olen Ray and actors Linnea Quigley and Michelle Bauer. In English, not subtitled. (24 min).

• Fred Olen Ray's Nite Owl Theater - a hilarious archival promo piece featuring the director of Hollywood Chainsaw Hookers. In English, not subtitled. (6 min).

• Linnea Quigley's Horror Workout Video - a hilarious trashy low-budget horror feature with scream queen Linnea Quigley directed by Hal Kennedy. In English, not subtitled. (61 min).

• Linnea Quigley's Horror Workout Video with Audio Commentary - the film with a bonus audio commentary by Linnea Quigley and director Hal Kennedy.

• Leaflet - featuring an interview with actor Gunnar Hansen conducted by Calum Waddell.

• Cover - reversible sleeve with original poster art.

• Trailers - trailers for other 88 Films releases.

Hollywood Chainsaw Hookers Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Fred Olen Ray's Hollywood Chainsaw Hookers is a trashy slasher that could be a lot of fun if seen late at night with the right group of friends. The folks over at Maxim Magazine apparently liked it quite a lot because they voted it "the 4th greatest B-movie of all time". British distributors 88 Films have produced a very nice Blu-ray release of Hollywood Chainsaw Hookers with plenty of excellent supplemental features. If you like the film, pick up a copy for your collection and make sure to spend some time with the two audio commentaries. RECOMMENDED.