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Saturday, November 8, 2008

Point of Terror (1971)

Directed by:
Alex Nicol

Opening on a high note with a Tom Jones clone in a red fringe top and skin-tight matching slacks showing off his groovy dance moves while belting out the tune “This Is Me,” this obscure little exploitation effort from the makers of BLOOD MANIA is worth tracking down for fans of silly cinema. Tony Trelos (Peter Carpenter), serial womanizer and singer at “The Lobster House” (!) meets buxom blonde Andrea (ILSA series star Dyanne Thorne) on the beach. Andrea shows up at his club to watch him shake his hips and sing something about “If things turn out right, I’ll be on top,” then goes home with him and informs him that her bitter, invalid husband Martin (Joel Marston) is the owner of National Records. Meaning, if he plays his cards right he could get a lucrative contract. Tony’s sweet girlfriend Sally (Paula Mitchell) warns him not to get involved because Andrea has a reputation of “collecting men,” but the two begin using each other, anyway; he for a record deal and she for the sex. The husband catches on and during a fight with his wife ends up drowning in the pool. Tony sees everything and tries to blackmail her. A flashback reveals that Andrea also knifed her husband’s former wife to death because she wouldn’t give him a divorce! Blonde stepdaughter Helayne (Lory Hansen) shows up to lay claim on her inheritance, Tony falls in love with her, the two run off to Tijuana to get married about a week after they meet and Andrea gets really pissed and ends up in a crotch-kicking, leg-biting scuffle on the front yard. Meanwhile, Sally finds out she’s carrying Tony’s child and her compassionate lover responds by telling her, “It’s legal now, just tell them you were raped.”

This 70s relic has enough manipulation, blackmail, greed, double-crosses and infidelities to fuel a soap opera for about a year or so, plus there’s a good bit of sex and nudity, hilariously dated fashions and some clever dialogue that’s at times funny, saucy, sarcastic and chock full of double-entendres. Not really good in a traditional sense, but pretty entertaining all the same (until the shitty it-was-all-a-nightmare ending). Based on an original story co-written by star and co-producer Carpenter. The print I saw (it was released theatrically was is colorful and in very good shape. Originally released by Crown International. The director also made (and co-starred in) the above average cheapie THE SCREAMING SKULL (1958) and acted in the schlocky A*P*E (1976).

★★

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