Stacey Walker is simply dynamite in this notorious roughie from director Byron (Space Thing) Mabe and producer David F. (Blood Feast) Friedman. Walker only had one other feature to her credit and it’s a shame she didn’t make more movies because she is far and away the best thing about the film.
Walker plays Sharon Winters, a woman who in less enlightened times would be referred to as a “tease”. She leads men on and just as they are about to do the deed, she cries rape. She even gets one boyfriend sent to jail on sexual assault charges. Sharon then sets her sights on a handsome new coworker who is driven crazy thanks to her teasing. Eventually, she meets a smooth nightclub singer (Bob Todd) who just might be her match.
Walker gives us a definitive portrayal of a maneater. She is sexy, surly, cold, cruel, calculating, and her performance is nothing short of riveting. She gets several nude scenes throughout the picture, whether it’s during sex, taking a bath, conspicuously getting naked to turn on her potential suitors, or appearing in their bondage fantasies. (She is shown as both the aggressive dominatrix and the helpless submissive and either way you look at her, she looks equally hot.)
The highlight is when Sharon welcomes the advances of her lesbian roommate Paula (Sharon Carr) and allows her to give her a sensual massage but kicks her out of bed right before things get too hot and heavy. As she leaves, Sharon scolds, “Paula, I may be a bitch, but I’ll never be a butch!” If that sounds familiar to you, it’s because this snippet has been used by Something Weird in their DVD intros for decades. No matter how many times you see this moment, it still packs a punch.
Today’s viewers will probably label the film “problematic” and it kind of is, but that’s what makes it work. The movie’s messy morality (along with Walker’s performance) helps set it apart from the countless other roughies made at the same time. Todd’s number, “I Want a Woman” is a legitimate toe-tapper too and it will get stuck in your head for days. The cinematography by Laszlo Kovacs is also excellent, even if the print is a little jumpy.
Mabe and Friedman’s next collaboration was She Freak.
