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Last Friday was Friday the 13th, so I decided to watch a Friday the 13th movie. Whenever it falls on an actual Friday, I tend to pick from three favorites: Part VI: Jason Lives (the best one), Jason X (the goofy one), or Part V: A New Beginning (the sleazy one). Part V is often seen as the black sheep of the series because of its “imposter Jason” twist, but I’ve always had a soft spot for its sleazy, exploitative vibe. Directed by Danny Steinmann, whose filmography is surprisingly thin with only four titles, Part V stands out—just like another one of his films: the brutal rape-revenge exploitation flick “Savage Streets”, starring Linda Blair.
While I didn’t watch Part V, I chose Part VI this time, the mere presence of Part V on the double feature Blu-Ray put the feature front and center in my consciousness. So, I finally decided to dive into “Savage Streets” for the very first time.
“Savage Streets” is a gritty revenge thriller set in Los Angeles, where high school student Brenda (Linda Blair) transforms from a rebellious teen into a vengeful warrior after her deaf-mute sister is brutally assaulted by a violent gang. After the police fail to take effective action, Brenda takes matters into her own hands, systematically hunting down the gang members responsible.
“Savage Streets” is set against the gritty backdrop of 1980s urban decay, echoing the style and tone of films like “The Warriors”, “Surf Nazis Must Die“, “Class of 1999”, and “Death Wish 3“, with shades of 1978’s “I Spit on Your Grave“. These films depict dystopian worlds where small gangs of young men in their early 20s rule the streets with impunity. The police are notably absent, and these violent gangs operate without fear of repercussions for their actions, creating lawless environments where chaos reigns.
Brenda leads her own girl gang, though their rebellious behavior mostly involves causing trouble at school and mouthing off to teachers. However, things take a deadly turn when they steal a car belonging to the Scars, a vicious gang led by Jake (Robert Dryer), as a prank. This sets Jake and his crew on a brutal path of revenge, which includes the violent gang rape of Brenda’s sister Heather (Linnea Quigley) and the murder of their friend Francine (Lisa Freeman), who is thrown off a viaduct. These scenes are depicted in a disturbingly graphic manner, contributing to the film’s dark, mean spirited tone.
This all builds up to the revenge portion of this rape-revenge film, though the movie takes its time getting there. It isn’t until around the one-hour mark that Linda finally dons the tight black outfit—so prominently featured on the posters—and begins exacting her bloody vengeance on the men responsible. The preceding sixty minutes tend to drag, as much of the high school scenes focus on Brenda getting into catfights (often with clothes coming off) and being sent to the principal’s office, slowing the pace considerably before the action ramps up.
Steinmann’s background in softcore pornography is blatantly evident, as the film seizes every opportunity to showcase female nudity. In one scene, the Scars gang threatens a student who owes them money while he’s out with his very busty girlfriend, leading to a moment where they strip her shirt off and one gang member’s face is shoved between her breasts. There’s also an extended shower scene where the camera lingers on several fully nude women, serving no purpose other than gratuitous nudity. Another moment features a girl having her shirt torn off during a classroom fight, and the film even indulges in a slow, lingering zoom on a naked Linda Blair as she relaxes in a bathtub.
It’s all undeniably gratuitous, but it gives the film a redeeming quality that would otherwise be missing. This isn’t high art, and at least the frequent nudity provides some entertainment during an otherwise slow first hour. The pacing drags, especially in the stretch between Heather’s rape and Brenda finally taking matters into her own hands. While the excessive nudity may not elevate the film, it does offer a distraction during these slower moments.
The movie also has a distinctly low-budget, flat look to it. If someone told me it was an early Troma production, I wouldn’t question it for a second. The grainy visuals, rough production design, and overall cheap aesthetic give it the same scrappy, exploitative feel typical of Troma films.
As the lead character, Linda Blair doesn’t show much range and struggles to convincingly portray the tough girl boss. This becomes especially obvious during her rampage, where she inexplicably demonstrates expert skills with a crossbow and the ability to set elaborate traps like a seasoned hunter—skills that are never mentioned or hinted at earlier in the film. It would have made far more sense if she had leaned into using her sexuality, much like Camille Keaton does in “I Spit on Your Grave“. Though Blair briefly uses her feminine wiles, but I expected more than just a tape recording of her making moaning sounds. The lack of depth in her character and the underused potential of sexual manipulation in her revenge diminish the overall impact.
“Savage Streets” is one of those cult classics that I’m glad I watched, but I won’t be revisiting anytime soon. It offers little in terms of redeeming qualities beyond the occasional display of nudity and the presence of genre actresses like Linnea Quigley. Ultimately, the film feels largely forgettable, which is a shame, as there was definitely some potential in the material and the cast.
