"What a weirdo." "Yeah, but he gives great accounting." With lines like that, you know that this thriller isn't from the pen of great crime mystery writers Raymond Chandler or Dashiell Hammet. It's a trashy bit of pulp nonsense regarding the stalker of phone sex operators who murders them violently (one of the witnesses to the crime gets a shovel in the head) while dressed as a clown. Set in the sleazy sections of downtown Los Angeles (MacArthur Park easily visible), this goes into great detail about the clients and workers at the phone sex company (led by none other than Karen Black!), with sexually graphic dialogue that is more stupid than sensual and too idiotic and laughable to be offensive.
Interestingly enough, this reunites several cast members from "Lust in the Dust", with Divine (seen in a minor part in his last film appearance), Laine Kazan, Tab Hunter, Geoffrey Lewis and Paul Bartel. So there's a bit of a curiosity factor, but even though that will get the viewer to watch the whole thing doesn't necessarily mean that it's worth recommending. It's too blatant in its will guarantee to qualify as a film noir with absolutely no subtlety whatsoever. This is for cheap thrill seekers and dirty minded viewers who giggle like teenage boys over filthy insinuations, and it really didn't matter to me who the killer is. Most of the veteran cast members I was interested to see were given wretched material and completely wasted (including Bud Cort), so it's easy to see why this has not garnered a cult following.
Interestingly enough, this reunites several cast members from "Lust in the Dust", with Divine (seen in a minor part in his last film appearance), Laine Kazan, Tab Hunter, Geoffrey Lewis and Paul Bartel. So there's a bit of a curiosity factor, but even though that will get the viewer to watch the whole thing doesn't necessarily mean that it's worth recommending. It's too blatant in its will guarantee to qualify as a film noir with absolutely no subtlety whatsoever. This is for cheap thrill seekers and dirty minded viewers who giggle like teenage boys over filthy insinuations, and it really didn't matter to me who the killer is. Most of the veteran cast members I was interested to see were given wretched material and completely wasted (including Bud Cort), so it's easy to see why this has not garnered a cult following.