A SCREAM IN THE STREETS (1972)
Label: Severin Films
Region Code: Region-Free
Rating: Unrated
Duration: 90 Minutes
Video: 1080p HD Full Frame (1.33:1), Widescreen (1.85:1)
Audio: English DTS-HD MA Mono with Optional English Subtitles
Audio: English DTS-HD MA Mono with Optional English Subtitles
Directors: Carl Monson, Dwayne Avery (Uncredited), Bethel Buckalew (Uncredited), Harry Novak (Uncredited)
Cast: Joshua Bryant, Sharon Kelly, Frank Bannon, Linda York and Angela Carnon
A Scream in the Streets (1972) comes by way of famously slimy exploitation producer Harry Novak (Axe), it's a seedy slice of roughie exploitation directed by Carl Monson (Please Don't Eat My Mother), as well as a handful of uncredited co-conspirators which included XXX directors Dwayne Avery (Weekend Lovers) and Bethel Buckalew (The Dirty Mind of Young Sally), and even contributions from producer Harry Novak.
A Scream in the Streets (1972) comes by way of famously slimy exploitation producer Harry Novak (Axe), it's a seedy slice of roughie exploitation directed by Carl Monson (Please Don't Eat My Mother), as well as a handful of uncredited co-conspirators which included XXX directors Dwayne Avery (Weekend Lovers) and Bethel Buckalew (The Dirty Mind of Young Sally), and even contributions from producer Harry Novak.
In it a pair of L.A.P.D. detectives are tasked with capturing a transvestite psychopath who is meeting young women at the local parks and raping and murdering them with a butcher's knife. The cops are seasoned veteran Ed Haskell (Joshua Bryant, Enter the Devil) and a rookie named Bob Streeker (Frank Bannon). The newbie drives vet Haskell nuts he's a hothead, and he makes a ton of rookie mistakes, blowing several busts for not following proper protocol.
The transvestite serial slasher (Con Covert, Repo Man) their after always seems to be one-step ahead of the cops, despite the fact that he's clearly a deranged maniac and his drag routine is fucking awful. His fashion sense sucks, he has five o'clock shadow, an Adam's apple, it's quite a laugh, but his gams ain't too shabby. At one point he sits next to a woman at a city park who reveals herself to be an undercover officer attempting to lure the killer, and of course a cop with that poor judgment does not last long, and she soon finds herself the latest victim of the killer.
The transvestite killer is not the only concern of the cops however, the quarrelling detectives beat also take them to a massage parlor to cuff a violent pervert who bashes the comic-reading proprietor of the seedy establishment over the skull before whipping a rub-down girl with a belt, and then go after a neighborhood peeping tom, and arresting a robber who graduates to murder one during a botched store hold-up. Funnily, the robber ends up getting off on bail, which angers the detectives, and they detectives later end up chasing him off a cliff during a high-speed pursuit.
It's not all crime in this flick though, it's total total smut-city, coming in just a notch above being a full-blown porno with about twenty-minutes of sex action that leaves very little to the imagination, with tons of 70's bush and hairy balls. I would imagine that some of these scenes were actual intercourse between the actors, and it was trimmed out, that's the sort of flick it is.
It plays out more as a series of violent and naughty vignettes than an actual plot-driven crime film, but I was not expecting much more than that from a Novak produced cheapie exploitation movie, and I was not disappointed. It's a silly film but played fairly straight, it's plenty humorous but not comedic, the laughs are mostly unintentional. The stuff that made me laugh the most was the banter between Haskell and Streeker, it's fun stuff, and the way things pan out for them interesting.
The dress-wearing killer is also a riot, his gal get-up is awful, just awful, and that he does not attract the attention of cops earlier, and that they have to practically stumble upon him in the act, might be stretching reality more than some are willing to give. That's not an issue though, this flick smacks you in the face with so much sleaze ball 70's sex and cornball cop action that I couldn't re-watch it fast enough once it was finished.
Severin Webstore Exclusive Slipcover
Audio/Video: A Scream in the Streets (1972) arrives on region-free Blu-ray from Severin in 1080p HD, framed in both 1.33:1 full frame and 1.85:1 widescreen, both sourced from the same 2K restoration of the original camera negative. The widescreen version is a crop of the full frame presentation, while I preferred the widescreen version, which typically does not feel to cramped, there is more information to be seen in the 1.33:1 framing. We get a nice looking layer of film gain, and the source is relatively clean throughout. I noticed some minor blemishing by way of cigarette burns, scratches and print damage but overall the source is in fantastic shape for an early 70's cheapie. The gaudy 70's colors are quite vivid and bright throughout, with surprising depth and clarity, it looks fantastic. Skintones look natural throughout, and you will see a lot of skin in this flick, with about twenty-minutes worth of near-hardcore sex stuff! Black levels are also solid, though most of this takes place during the broad daylight hours, which is an interesting choice for a slasher. Checkout out the over 50 screenshots from the Blu-ray at the bottom of the review, including a comparison of the 1.33:1 and 1.85:1 framing.
Audio comes by way of English DTS-HD MA mono with optional English subtitles. Not surprisingly this cheapie z-grade slice of smut has some hiss evident throughout, but nothing too distracting.
Extras include a pair of shorts, both titled The Peeper, that were produced using outtakes from the main feature, both involving a peeping tom watching lovers go at it, totaling about 21-minutes. The disc is buttoned-up with a trio of trailers, two under the title A Scream in the Streets and a third under the alternate Girls in the Streets title.
The single-disc release arrives in a black Elite keepcase with a reversible sleeve of artwork featuring the original movie poster on one side, and a variant on the other. I like that the logo on the spine for each option is in a unique font and that the images on the back side are different as well.
Special Features:
- The Peeper – Two Sexy Shorts Produced From A Scream in the Streets outtakes (21 min)
- A Scream in the Streets Trailer 1 (3 min)
- A Scream in the Streets Trailer 2 (3 min)
- Girls in the Streets Trailer (3 min)
- Reversible Cover Art
- Webstore Exclusive Slipcover
- Reversible Cover Art
- Webstore Exclusive Slipcover
A Scream in the Streets (1972) is tasty and tawdry bit of 70's drive-in exploitation with enough smut and corny cop-action to bring a smile to any lover of trashy cult films face. Severin do good work bringing it to Blu-ray, the extras might be slim, but the deviant delights run deep.
Screenshots from the Blu-ray:
Top: 1.33:1 Version
Bottom 1.85:1 Version
Extras:
