There are occasions when I watch a movie and decide that while the film itself is not working, the person who made it has genuine talent and I get quite curious about them and want to see what else they can do. And this was what happened when I watched Hollywood 90028.
First off, do not be fooled by the many retitlings (INSANITY, TWISTED THROATS, THE Hollywood HILLSIDE STRANGLER) that sell this movie as a slasher film. The film is ultimately a screed against Hollywood in general, and pornography in particular. Even if you do not see the credits up front that identify the director as female, you can see a feminist point-of-view permeate the story.
The main character, Mark, shoots porn loops to make a living, a job he performs with a minimum of enthusiasm. He came to L.A. to be a real cameraman, after all. And he has held this job too long. He is impatient with his oafish boss. He tries to get a legit assignment but lies about his reels being in another city, knowing he'll never be taken seriously if he admits his work in porn. And most importantly, his ability to deal with women is in trouble. The clever still-photo credits hint at him being the youngest of an otherwise all-girl family, which is likely feeding his problem. But it becomes full trouble when a winsome model from one of his shoots takes a liking to him. He has already seen her naked and seductive, so he grows impatient when, on an impulsive date with her, she won't engage in anything physical.
As the opening reel played, I strongly suspected that this likely began as a student film. It had some pacing troubles, some amateurish acting, and it went from being dialogue-less at its opening to very dialogue-heavy later on. But it also had some very nice visual touches to it, the kinds of experiments one is encouraged to try in what was the adventurous climate of what film schools were like in the '70's (as opposed to the mini-job factory/fiefdoms they are today). And I could see that there was an agenda at work, something that a first-time filmmaker often attempts because they figure this is their one time at bat to get it across. It seems to me that much like John Carpenter and Dan O'Bannon lucked out with DARK STAR, some enterprising producer saw a rough version of Hornisher and Hansen's project and offered to pick it up and release it if they could make it feature length. Only in their case, sadly, unlike the story of DARK STAR, this did not lead to greater things for director Hornisher and writer Hansen.
Something that hurts the movie right away is it's current false presentation as a horror film. The print I saw opens with a heavy petting session that becomes a strangulation -- creatively done, mind you -- and then no other violence occurs for nearly forty minutes. The audience I was with was enraged. In retrospect, I sense this opening murder was tacked on by the distributor to pad the film and make it more violent. The languid story evolution that follows suggests that it is supposed to be a shock to us when Mark does in fact become a violent killer of women, no doubt due to the dehumanizing influence of his environment. Maybe in the '70's this bait-and-switch put more bums in seats, but if they were anything like the folks I was with tonight, they were not gonna stay there long. Frankly, I felt bad for Hornisher, who was clearly trying to make NOT A LOVE STORY, only to see it sold like the infamous Hustler magazine meat-grinder cover.
However, to give lumps to the filmmakers, since it's a polemic, it's too preachy. There are long, Long, LONG conversations all through the movie. To Hornisher's credit, they are juxtaposed with and against on screen action, much like Godard before and Soderbergh later on, so at least it's not just watching a pair of talking heads. A monologue by the wan model about how she succumbs to the lure of porn work, intercut with still photos depicting the descent, is quite good. But even patient me began to want all the philosophizing to stop and for someone to take a definitive step, for good or for ill.
Let me say that the movie wraps up with a great finish, one that even managed to win over the cynical loudmouths in the crowd and keep them talking about it long after it ended. It satisfies both the gorehounds waiting for death while fully in keeping with Hornisher and Hansen's downer portrayal of "the business."
In short, while I can't recommend this to a casual viewer, I was rather impressed with this debut, and I'm very sorry Christina Hornisher and Craig Hansen did not make another film. With better supervision, they could have been on a par with the other scrappy unwashed talents of the '70's.
First off, do not be fooled by the many retitlings (INSANITY, TWISTED THROATS, THE Hollywood HILLSIDE STRANGLER) that sell this movie as a slasher film. The film is ultimately a screed against Hollywood in general, and pornography in particular. Even if you do not see the credits up front that identify the director as female, you can see a feminist point-of-view permeate the story.
The main character, Mark, shoots porn loops to make a living, a job he performs with a minimum of enthusiasm. He came to L.A. to be a real cameraman, after all. And he has held this job too long. He is impatient with his oafish boss. He tries to get a legit assignment but lies about his reels being in another city, knowing he'll never be taken seriously if he admits his work in porn. And most importantly, his ability to deal with women is in trouble. The clever still-photo credits hint at him being the youngest of an otherwise all-girl family, which is likely feeding his problem. But it becomes full trouble when a winsome model from one of his shoots takes a liking to him. He has already seen her naked and seductive, so he grows impatient when, on an impulsive date with her, she won't engage in anything physical.
As the opening reel played, I strongly suspected that this likely began as a student film. It had some pacing troubles, some amateurish acting, and it went from being dialogue-less at its opening to very dialogue-heavy later on. But it also had some very nice visual touches to it, the kinds of experiments one is encouraged to try in what was the adventurous climate of what film schools were like in the '70's (as opposed to the mini-job factory/fiefdoms they are today). And I could see that there was an agenda at work, something that a first-time filmmaker often attempts because they figure this is their one time at bat to get it across. It seems to me that much like John Carpenter and Dan O'Bannon lucked out with DARK STAR, some enterprising producer saw a rough version of Hornisher and Hansen's project and offered to pick it up and release it if they could make it feature length. Only in their case, sadly, unlike the story of DARK STAR, this did not lead to greater things for director Hornisher and writer Hansen.
Something that hurts the movie right away is it's current false presentation as a horror film. The print I saw opens with a heavy petting session that becomes a strangulation -- creatively done, mind you -- and then no other violence occurs for nearly forty minutes. The audience I was with was enraged. In retrospect, I sense this opening murder was tacked on by the distributor to pad the film and make it more violent. The languid story evolution that follows suggests that it is supposed to be a shock to us when Mark does in fact become a violent killer of women, no doubt due to the dehumanizing influence of his environment. Maybe in the '70's this bait-and-switch put more bums in seats, but if they were anything like the folks I was with tonight, they were not gonna stay there long. Frankly, I felt bad for Hornisher, who was clearly trying to make NOT A LOVE STORY, only to see it sold like the infamous Hustler magazine meat-grinder cover.
However, to give lumps to the filmmakers, since it's a polemic, it's too preachy. There are long, Long, LONG conversations all through the movie. To Hornisher's credit, they are juxtaposed with and against on screen action, much like Godard before and Soderbergh later on, so at least it's not just watching a pair of talking heads. A monologue by the wan model about how she succumbs to the lure of porn work, intercut with still photos depicting the descent, is quite good. But even patient me began to want all the philosophizing to stop and for someone to take a definitive step, for good or for ill.
Let me say that the movie wraps up with a great finish, one that even managed to win over the cynical loudmouths in the crowd and keep them talking about it long after it ended. It satisfies both the gorehounds waiting for death while fully in keeping with Hornisher and Hansen's downer portrayal of "the business."
In short, while I can't recommend this to a casual viewer, I was rather impressed with this debut, and I'm very sorry Christina Hornisher and Craig Hansen did not make another film. With better supervision, they could have been on a par with the other scrappy unwashed talents of the '70's.