‘They charge an arm and a leg!’
Hollywood Chainsaw Hookers is a 1988 comedy horror film directed by Fred Olen Ray (Glass Trap; The Alien Dead, Evil Toons; et al) from a screenplay co-written with T.L. Lankford [as B.J. Nestles].
The movie stars Gunnar Hansen (Mosquito; The Texas Chain Saw Massacre), Linnea Quigley, Jay Richardson and Michelle Bauer.
Incredibly, over-zealous censors decreed that the UK 1980s video release was not allowed to use the word Chainsaw in its title, so the film was released simply as ‘Hollywood Hookers’ with the word ‘Chainsaw’ replaced by the outline of the offending power tool!
When private detective Jack Chandler (Jay Richardson) tries to track down a teenage runaway (Linnea Quigley), he runs into a cult of Egyptian chainsaw-worshipping prostitutes led by “The Master” (Gunnar Hansen—Leatherface from the original The Texas Chain Saw Massacre).
Reviews:
” …the movie is more than a nudity-fueled splatter fest; Hollywood Chainsaw Hookers is also a nifty film noir spoof, with Richardson doing a better-than-average job as the gumshoe / narrator of the story, delivering lines that, on occasion, are pretty darn witty.” 2,500 Movies Challenge
“Hollywood Chainsaw Hookers made me feel like I was 12 again, where you’d go to the video store and rent the most ridiculous movies you could find based on the cover or title alone, and sometimes you’d find a real gem.” Oh! The Horror!
“From comedy (there are some sly jabs at the film noir genre), to action (there’s a chainsaw duel between Linnea Quigley and Michelle Bauer that’s miles better than anything in Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2), to romance (there’s lots of titties in this one), Ray is a true renaissance man.” The Video Vacuum
“I have no reservations with saying that the film is exactly what every horror comedy sleaze fests should aspire to be. Everything blends together perfectly. It is ridiculous entertainment and the epitome of fun. I can’t imagine fans of schlock not absolutely loving this film.” Cinema Slasher
“The best thing to know about Fred Olen Ray’s masterpiece of b-cinema is that you’re going to get some boobs, some blood and a whole lot of shtick. It’s a camp comedy-horror classic in many circles, so it’s definitely a must see if only to check out all the hype, but you’ve been warned […] It’s a good bit of fun, just don’t go in expecting the moon.” Varied Celluloid
Buy 20th Anniversary Edition from Amazon.co.uk
Cast and characters:
Gunnar Hansen … The Stranger
Linnea Quigley … Samantha
John Henry Richardson … Jack Chandler
Dawn Wildsmith … Lori
Michelle Bauer … Mercedes
Esther Elise … Lisa
Tricia Burns … Ilsa
Fox Harris/Fox … Hermie
Jimmy Williams … Bo
Michael Sonye … Jake the Bartender
Dennis T. Mooney … Harrison
Jerry Miller … Murphy
Steve Welles … Lab Tech #1
Charles O’Hair … Lab Tech #2
Susie Wilson … Sally
Gary J. Levinson … Nubian
Jeffrey Hill … Cop #1
Gerry Jenkins … Cop #2
Sandy Palm … Detective #3
Christopher Ray … Kid at Bar
Technical specs:
1 hour 15 minutes
Aspect ratio: 1.85: 1
Audio: Mono
Budget:
$60,000 approximately
