Frank Zito( Joe Spinell ) is a killer, he also enjoys collecting women, in fact his squalid little basement apartment is full of them. Not real ones of course that would be crazy, just mannequins that he adorns with his victims clothing and their hair.Frank will scalp the corpses and bring the bloodied hair pieces home where he will nail them to the heads of store window dummies.
Frank's mother never really bothered with him much, except when she was using him for an ashtray, putting lit cigarettes against his body or torturing him in some other sadistic manner,evidenced by his unclad upper body. No, Frank's mother was more interested in sleeping around with strange men.
What makes this killer more scarier than some of the other killers seen in the movies is the fact he does'nt need to hide behind a goalie's mask, fedora, or even a William Shatner face turned inside out. There is no super natural forces at large here, just a child trapped inside a man's body, shown by such scenes as Frank playing with a toy space gun and the eating of Cracker Jack popcorn as he is packing his instruments of death inside an empty violin case. And most importantly his doll collection. His child hood was destroyed by his mother, hence his hatred towards women.
Frank is a little over weight, sweats protrusely, kind of a sleaze ball but sort of likable. But I still have a hard time being convinced that a beautiful woman takes an interest in him and accepts his dinner invitation. Anna ( Caroline Munro ) is a fashion photographer who shows an interest in Frank. Strangely Anna is even more beautiful and photo genic than the models she is photographing.
Director Bill Lustig can be seen working behind the desk of the sleazy pay by the hour hotel, where Frank will take the young prostitute he just picked up to. This young hooker has just turned her last trick.
In one of the most suspenseful scenes of the film, a young nurse who has just finished her night shift. Making her way home and believing to be followed, makes her way to an empty subway station. Finding sanctuary in a graffiti riddled bathroom, she hides in a stall that you know is just reeking of piss. You can sense the fear in her like a rabbit being chased down by a fox. She slowly exhales as minutes have elapsed, releasing the tension she had built up, even laughing a little to herself at how silly she must look. Gaining her composure she makes her way to the sink, bending over splashing the cool water onto her face, when she stands erect again, she is horrified to see another reflection sharing the mirror with her own. This is a marvelous piece of low budget film making and a brilliant display of acting on the young actress' part.
Tom Savini supplies the gory mayhem we see here, and again we are thankful for the splatterific displays he has to offer , such as a shotgun blast to the face of his own character of Disco Boy. The bloodied trophy scalping's from Frank's victims, and other scenes of carnage that all adds realism to an already too realistic look into a man's descent into mental deterioration. One scene involving Frank at his mother's grave, again showing the breakdown of Frank's mind is no doubt inspired by Brian De Palma's ending of Carrie. The conclusion shows that good old Frank has finally reached the point of no return as he believes he is being mutilated by his beloved collection.
My Thoughts: I believe this was on England's list of video nasties of the 1980's. This is not as shocking now as I'm sure it once was , but still packs one hell of a punch, even without the gore.
My Rating: 4 Go Go Girls out of 5
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