Savage Streets Review

• 21st Jun 2011

Having never encountered Savage Streets before I cannot fully explain how excited I was to see a grown up Linda Blair kick some major ass. Little did I know that I was about to experience possibly the finest cult teenage 80s violent thriller ever made. Finally available on DVD thanks to the ongoing slew of epic cult classics by Arrow, my date with destiny and a remarkably well endowed Blair is on. Linda Blair plays Brenda, the leader of a gaggle of horrible teenage girls that parade around the mean streets of their neighbourhood looking for action. She also has a deaf mute sister who’s the goodie two shoes of the family who she protects from bad boys. Having stolen the prized car of a gang of bad dudes led by the horrifying looking Jake (Robert Dryer), they naturally seek revenge.

To say that Savage Streets has shock value to it is somewhat underplays the overwhelming level of nudity and violence this film contains. The thought that a movie like this could be made today is utterly ridiculous as we’ve now sadly retreated into a beige world of fantasy and boredom. The revenge aspect of the film delivers its most astounding sequence as the deaf sister is repeatedly raped and beaten by the male gang. Keep in mind that the film also has a girl being thrown off a bridge and the use of bear traps and a crossbow as weapons.

Linda Blair is simply astounding in her overall ass kicking stance that made me completely overlook the actual lack of acting ability on show. Once armed to the teeth with bear traps (yes bear traps) and her trusty crossbow she utterly demolishes those responsible for her sister’s rape. Watching her made me dream of a dream team of her and Charles Bronson circa Death Wish cleaning up the streets, one scumbag at a time.

The remarkable thing about Savage Streets is the content, especially during the shower sequence. Here we have an endless amount of naked teenage female flesh with masses of 80s pubic hair, something you’d never see now in a month of Sundays. Following the nakedness we get a catfight that also strangely includes two extras in the background really beating the living daylights out of each other. Discipline at the school is down to Dean Wormer himself (John Vernon) playing another highly pissed off school head. His overall approach to student relations involves swearing at them as much as possible and looking as miserable as he can while doing it.

It’s almost impossible to say Savage Streets reminds me of anything given its outrageous content. Death Wish for teenagers is something you could tag it as, but you’d really be doing it a disservice to say the least. Arrow is currently the most important DVD label for fans of cult and horror cinema. Their releases are not only brilliant in terms of the titles but also the attention to detail given to each release.

Not content with allowing British fans the chance to enjoy this exploitation epic, there’s also a mountain of astounding extras. Three separate commentary tracks featuring the director, producer and members of the cast are hugely enjoyable. Also included are interviews with the now legendary Blair who, having hit stardom as the possessed child in The Exorcist, reached cult heaven with this masterpiece of exploitation.

Superlatives almost fail me when trying to fully explain the legendary standing that Savage Streets deserves. Anyone who caught this at the cinema on its original release is a lucky person indeed as it must have been a blast. This level of reckless film-making would be seen as outrageous today should anyone dare try to recreate it. Modern films such as Hobo with a Shotgun have an underlying post-modern feel that ultimately robs them of a sense of pure danger. Savage Streets is an uncomfortable experience simply down to the fact that you have no clue what will happen next. And usually it’s a lot worse than you expected.

Aled Jones