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Classic B-film gets a re-release with new extras.

Hollywood Chainsaw Hookers is one of those films that for some reason I’ve always owned on tape, but never got around to watching it. I don’t know why, I just never did. It seemed that owning it was more of a status sign for this B-movie fanatic, and watching it just wasn’t a priority. I assumed it was a bad 1980s horror-comedy with lots of bad jokes, tits and gore. The thing is, it’s just that. And that’s why it’s one of the best.

Directed by Fred Olen Ray, the movie opens up almost instantly with sexy Michelle Bauer showing off her seductive eyes and ample bosom in a bar, picking up a guy while Gunnar Hansen (Leatherface from the original Texas Chainsaw Massacre watches from the shadows. Bauer takes the poor guy home, where she proceeds to strip down to her birthday suit (hooray!) before dismembering him with a chainsaw (not hooray!). From there, we go to Detective Jack Chandler, who’s investigating the disappearance of a young woman (Linnea Quigley), who may have gotten involved in a chainsaw-worshiping cult.

Fred Olen Ray’s filmography over the years has seen the ups and downs of a fickle B-movie market, but this is probably still his defining moment. It’s just funny enough and has just enough blood without going overboard in either department. Those, of course, are enhanced by the occasional gratuitous nudity, with Bauer’s full-frontal stripping near the beginning being a fine example.

Retromedia (Ray’s DVD company) has released the film in a new 20th Anniversary Widescreen Edition. The print is pretty nice, though the first 15 minutes or so have a line running down the side of the frame. Ray explains in a running commentary how they lost a lot of the original negatives. Ray’s discussion is extremely engaging, as he and T.L. Lankford never stop talking and always have something interesting to say. The making-of featurette has some interesting tidbits, such as Chainsaw Hookers being funded by a porn company. Quigley and Bauer join him on the featurette to discuss their roles as well. Other extras include the original trailer and the wraparound skits from Nite Owl Theater, which Ray used to include to kick off Retromedia DVD releases.

Hollywood Chainsaw Hookers is amusing and fun, never aspiring to more than it is: A B-film vehicle for boobs and blood. Even if you never watch it, if you’re a B-film fanatic you still need it on your shelf.

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