Streets of Death (1988)

Directed by Jeff Hathcock [Other horror films: Victims! (1985), Night Ripper! (1986), Fertilize the Blaspheming Bombshell (1992)]

Another of the many SOV horror films churned out in the 1980’s, Streets of Death may be among the most palatable of them. It’s not a half-bad story, and while I still think it’s a little below average, it’s a movie worth seeing if you’re into shot-on-video horror.

The plot is like a mix of Stripped to Kill and The Last House on Dead End Street, with prostitutes being killed by a serial killer for snuff movies, and so there’s a cop who goes undercover as a sex worker in hopes of drawing the killer out. So the plot’s not the most original material, but throw in some fun performances, and I think the film goes down somewhat easily.

For a low budget picture, I didn’t mind most of the performances. Both Guy Ecker and Larry Thomas (Terror on Tour, Night Ripper!, Doctor Spine, and Untitled Horror Comedy) worked great with their somewhat manic, somewhat suave, personalities. I didn’t love portions of Susanne Smith’s story, and how she fell for Lawrence Scott’s (Night Ripper!) character, but she was good. Simon de Soto (Night Ripper!) had some strong moments, and I especially liked his scenes with Tommy Kirk (The Ghost in the Invisible Bikini, ‘It’s Alive!’, and Blood of Ghastly Horror), who had a surprisingly decent character arc.

I was sort of hoping the gore would be better here. We got a few good scenes – a woman was killed by a drill, a few people got stabbed with a knife, and someone got their throat slit – but for the most part, these were all pretty tame. There was someone who had their body dismembered – we do see a dismembered hand for a little – but that’s entirely off screen. The concept is playful, though.

Some of the film was decently amusing, such as a portion when the killer is dumping a body, but has to kill not just one, but two people who happen upon the scene, and another has a prostitute saying one of the more classy lines I’ve heard in a while: “Let’s discuss it over a cocktail. Your cock, and my tail.” I laughed at that.

There is a small area of the film that bothered me. It was partially amusing, to be sure, but it still felt problematic. While going undercover as a prostitute, the officer makes some arrests on those who proposition her (which seems to me like entrapment, but I may be wrong). Now, it’s funny to see an older, naked man (still wearing a hat) being chased down by some cops, but I don’t have a problem with prostitution, and arresting people who are interested in some intimacy just rubs me the wrong way. Legalize prostitution, please, and give sex workers a safer environment, and I’d be a happier guy.

Overall, though, Streets of Death is a much better film than I honestly thought it would be. It was directed by Jeff Hathcock, who directed some other SOV films (though I’ve only seen one, Night Ripper!, which was decent), and I think this was quite good for a SOV entry. It’s not a movie I’d watch often, but I do think it deserves some respect.

6.5/10