Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		4.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		0.5
Overall		3.5

The Swinging Barmaids Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov December 11, 2018

Gus Trikonis' "The Swinging Barmaids" (1975) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Code Red. The only bonus feature on the disc is a gallery of trailers for other releases from the boutique label's catalog. In English, without optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-Free.

The psycho

The best thing about the ‘70s was that they made it possible for a lot of young American directors to roll the dice, and often on a budget, and figure out the genre and style that would work best for them. Also, the entire decade was immune to political correctness and as a result it was awfully difficult for these directors to be tagged offensive -- Brian De Palma was of course the notorious exception -- which is precisely the reason why many of them were able to create unique hybrid projects that now seem uncharacteristically bold.

Gus Trikonis’ The Swinging Barmaids is one such low-budget hybrid project from the ‘70s that borrows from a number of different places and tries to be a couple of different things at the same time. It was almost certainly meant to be screened at smaller independent theaters alongside colorful exploitation films of the type that routinely popped up on 42nd Street in New York. If a bigger theater that had previously booked mainstream titles like Arthur Hiller’s Love Story had welcomed it for a few days, it is fair to speculate that it was probably because of a failed arrangement with a local distributor. Simply put, it has niche written all over it.

The plot of The Swinging Barmaids can be described either as severely undercooked or so ridiculously trashy that it is actually rather special. Indeed, it is hard to imagine a scenario where one would enjoy select parts of the film but dislike the rest because the trash essentially becomes its mise-en-scène and for approximately ninety minutes Trikonis digs deep in his bag of tricks to legitimize it. It is the very reason why his film does not deliver enough conventional suspense, sex, drama, or cynical humor -- the trash is the one and only flavor on its menu, so one would either find it tasty or awful.

The fun begins when the busty beauty Boo-Boo (cult vixen Dyanne Thorne) is brutally murdered in her cozy apartment by an unhinged killer (Bruce Watson) wearing a wig. While the killer takes photographs of her warm body Boo-Boo’s three coworkers (Laura Hippe, Renie Radich, and Katie Saylor) appear and catch a glimpse of him, and later on profile him in the local police department. When a local TV station breaks the news that the authorities have a legit description of the killer, the psycho changes his appearance and begins visiting the bar where the girls work. His plan is to eliminate them all, but one melts his heart and he recklessly begins improvising. Meanwhile, veteran detective Harry White (William Smith) takes over the murder case and realizes that for some reason the killer is always a few steps ahead of him.

The bulk of the action is seen through the killer’s eyes but since there is hardly any suspense the thrills are limited. Also, the veteran detective is clearly underused because whenever he appears in front of the camera the film gets a bit of proper flavor that just feels right.

At the end of day, however, it all comes down to the quality of the trash. The truth is that the film is neither as wild nor as sleazy as it could have been, but it’s a got a retro vibe that just about makes it enjoyable.

*For a decisively better dose of similarly-themed ‘70s B-grade entertainment, check out John Peyser’s The Centerfold Girls and Howard Avedis' Scorchy.

The Swinging Barmaids Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 1.78:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Gus Trikonis' The Swinging Barmaids arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Code Red.

The release is sourced from a very nice exclusive new remaster. The only two areas where there is still room for improvement are the following: First, density levels could be a little bit better, but even on a larger screen the visuals boast very pleasing depth and fluidity is about as good as one can expect it to be in a low-budget film from the '70s. Second, with adequate funding the few minor nicks and flecks that remain could have been eliminated (see an example in screencapture #18). The rest I like a lot. The entire film has a consistent organic appearance and plenty of native nuances become very easy to appreciate. I like the color grading as well -- the primaries are stable and nicely balanced with the supporting hues. There are a few segments where shadow definition fluctuates a bit, but again I think that the element that was used to produce the master basically guarantees a few such drops. All in all, I think that this is a very solid effort from Code Red that makes it extremely easy to enjoy the film on Blu-ray. My score is 4.25/5.00. (Note: This is a Region-Free Blu-ray release. Therefore, you will be able to play it on your player regardless of your geographical location).

The Swinging Barmaids Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0. Optional English SDH subtitles are not provided for the main feature.

The lossless audio is stable and free of age-related anomalies. However, as it is usually the case with some low-budget period films the native dynamic range of the soundtrack is limited. Also, the mixing retains some light unevenness, so a few lines and exchanges sound a bit 'thin'. But, this is how the audio was recorded and mixed, so the lossless track basically recreates its native organic qualities. Optional English SDH subtitles would have been appreciated by some viewers.

The Swinging Barmaids Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Trailer Reel - a collection of trailers for other releases from Code Red's catalog.

The Swinging Barmaids Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

I had a pretty good idea what to expect from Gus Trikonis' The Swinging Barmaids so I decided to see it at the right time, which for me is always the wee hours of the night, and was rather entertained. The trash in it is not exactly of the premium grade that makes these types of low-budget '70s films wildly enjoyable, but its loose nature and retro vibe were good enough for me. Code Red's new release of The Swinging Barmaids is sourced from a wonderful exclusive remaster and is also Region-Free, so if what the film has to offer appeals to you do not hesitate to pick up a copy for your collection. RECOMMENDED.