Savage Streets (1984, Danny Steinmann)

Linda Blair, known primarily as the sweet little angelic girl; turned vessel for the demonic entity, Pazuzu, makes a nice transition into the wonderful world of rape/revenge cinema. Actually, she's pretty awkward and unconvincing as a troubled teen fueled by vengeance, but I DID learn that lil' Regan's tits float in bath water...

While strutting down the streets of Burbank, a group of snotty girls get into a little back-and-forth with a stereotypical white boy gang after they almost run over Blair's deaf and mute sister (Linnea Quigley) with their convertible. The girls wait till the dudes are off dealing some junk and take their car for a joyride before filling it with garbage and running off. It ain't fun and games no more for the guys who are looking to get even. What's the best way to get even, you ask? Obviously, you corner a deaf/mute in a gymnasium and gang-rape her into a coma. Duh! This violent assault lands Linda's sis in the hospital where she's apparently clinging to life and the other girls have no idea who was responsible. There's a lot more shit going on with the bad-boys who are constantly shaking a guy down for owed cash, getting into scraps in nightclubs and eventually throwing one of Linda's friends off a bridge. Eventually, the meek member of the gang inadvertently spills the beans that it was them who dogpiled the deaf girl so Linda sets out to kick some ass via retaliation.

My god, "Savage Streets" is just SO fucking... 80s! The whole big hair thing is out of control, as well as guys wearing dangly razor blade earrings and corny-as-hell music montages. Not to mention the typically over-the-top 'urban high school' motif. The principal telling the one kid to "Go fuck an iceberg" after the kid tells him his buddy has "the clap"... Had my sides splitting! You also got a big naked girl-fight scene in the locker room shower. There's plenty to like when it comes to "Savage Streets". If you're expecting a really 'graphic' and violent 'exploitation' film along the lines of "I Spit on Your Grave", then you'll be sorely disappointed by this one. This is about as light and 'mainstream' as you can get with a rape/revenge flick, though it still entertains like crazy. Like I said, Linda Blair is fine here and delivers a few good liners, but she didn't really break out into any kind of sexy or real "badass woman" type of charisma with this, which is what she/they seemed to be aiming for. Still, it was cool watching her shoot out a guy's knees with a crossbow. "Savage Streets" is a must for any fan of 80s films. Also, it was directed by the guy who did "Friday the 13th 5"...