Jeff (Robert Dix) is a seemingly normal guy who saves a dance hall girl named Lori (Gillian Simpson) from being roughed up by a drunken customer (John “Bud” Cardos). He then takes her for a night out on the Vegas Strip, and they wind up getting married. The next day he brings her home to meet his domineering mother (June Drake, who co-wrote the script) who naturally disapproves of the marriage. Unbeknownst to the new bride, her hubby likes to sneak out in the middle of the night and kill brunette hookers, showgirls, and party girls and retain swatches of their hair for souvenirs.
Co-written by Oliver (The Mummy and the Curse of the Jackals) Drake, Las Vegas Strangler is a real find. It’s a stylish and fun psycho-slasher that packs a pop. Not only are the strangling scenes well done (the one in the swimming pool is reminiscent of Dementia 13), but our killer also stabs, electrocutes, and impales his victims. The mostly memorable part though is the trippy dream/vision of topless women going around on a carousel.
The film also features a swinging score that’s a combination of jazz, rock, and blues guitar, including a great theme song “No Tears for the Damned” (which was also its alternate title). We also get a fun number called “Demon of Love” as part of a finger-snapping night club act. The Las Vegas location work is excellent both on the Strip and in the casinos themselves.
The scenes with the disapproving mother feel like something out of a William Castle movie, while the stuff with the hookers plays like a West Coast version of a New York roughie from the era. There’s a great sequence when Dix crashes a party where there’s drinking, dancing, and strip poker. While all that’s going on, a drunk crawls around in all fours and peeps on various couples (and throuples) boning. One short segment is even set to the tune of Tommy Roe’s “Dizzy”! Incredible.
Las Vegas Strangler is full of good-looking women, plenty of T & A, and stylish kills, which makes this a minor classic. There’s also a surprising (for the time) gay subplot in there for good measure. All in all, it’s another fine gem rediscovered by the good folks at Vinegar Syndrome for their Lost Picture Show Blu-Ray box set. The only real complaint is the abrupt ending, although I have a feeling it could’ve possibly been missing its final reel. Either way, it’s a blast.
Simpson’s Cockney hooker character gets the best line when she says, “For Christmas they raffled me off for a hundred dollars and a turkey!”
AKA: No Tears for the Damned.
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