Her Name Was Lisa (1979)
*** (out of 4)
Roger Watkins directs this story that starts off with us seeing a dead young woman who we learn is named Lisa (Samantha Fox). A number of people come to pay their respects and through them we see the story of Lisa and how she ended up dead.
Watkins will always be remembered for the notorious film LAST HOUSE ON DEAD END STREET but he also toyed with the porn genre and HER NAME WAS LISA will certainly appeal to his fans, although this early effort is not nearly as good as CORRUPTION. That there is without question the highlight of the director's career but there are still some good things to find in this film.
The story itself certainly isn't anything to write home about as there were several movies that used this set-up to tell its story of a young woman who finds herself dying due to how she lived. The idea of letting us know Lisa dies isn't anything original either but I thought it was decent enough to keep the viewer glued to what was going on.
Typically the stories play a part to keeping the viewer entertained but that's not really the case here because it's the sex that makes this movie so memorable. There are some pretty crazy scenes that I won't spoil here but Watkins certainly keeps your eyes wide as we get to these moments. Fox isn't exactly great in her role, performance wise, but she at least manages to keep you entertained. The same is true for Vanessa del Rio who shows up towards the end and steals the picture.
The sex scenes between Fox and del Rio are extremely erotic and are certainly the highlight of the picture. HER NAME WAS LISA isn't a masterpiece for the genre but it's certainly worth watching.