Linnea Quigley, Michelle Bauer, and Brinke Stevens are names synonymous with ‘80s exploitation at the height of the VHS era and 88 Films has decided to honour their legacy with a brand-new remastered two-disc, three-film release.
Of course, this trio of films are going to be more familiar to an older generation, for whom the weekend would bring much pleasure in front of far more primitive televisions – with even more primitive presentation. The HD masters here are a cut far above those tapes we used to rent back in the day, providing great image and sound, although the transfer on Deadly Embrace has one or two blue scratches towards the end.
Nightmare Sisters (1988) sees the trio as three geeky college roommates, transformed into voluptuous vixens, who seduce three male college geeks when a crystal ball (which one of the girls has picked up from a junk sale) unleashes its power – in turn giving them a much darker edge.
Deadly Embrace (1989) is a noir-drama, as well as a nice reminder to fans of Airwolf‘s Jan-Michael Vincent as to what he was back in the day. Here he plays a high-on-the-hog Beverly Hills husband who is dissatisfied with married life, with the obligatory bit on the side, whilst his wife, Charlotte, has taken a shine to a young male helper, Chris. However, both partners’ actions have consequences.
Murder Weapon (1989), completing the trilogy on offer, has dark delights pre-empting Basic Instinct by three years given the mix of sex and murder on offer and fans of the original Lynda Carter TV Wonder Woman will find Lyle Waggoner – AKA Steve Trevor – amongst the cast.
In Murder Weapon, the real and imagined blend into one another, as two troubled women deal with their issues, with help from a psychiatrist (Waggoner). It’s a stylish if idiosyncratic affair, with some fine makeup effects.
Fans who want their pound of voyeuristic pleasure will not be disappointed, with a fair amount of un-PC skin on show. These were tantalising, titillating affairs in their decade and were it not for the hairstyles would be just as fresh today. As such, in these more considerate, enlightened times, they should be merely taken at purely face value on those terms. Happily, they all come in at under ninety minutes running time.
THE BEST OF ’80S SCREAM QUEENS COLLECTION / DIRECTOR: DAVID DECOTEAU / SCREENPLAY: VARIOUS / STARRING: LINNEA QUIGLEY, MICHELLE BAUER, BRINKE STEVENS / RELEASE DATE: OUT NOW
