Sunday, September 7, 2008

Forced Entry AKA The Last Victim (1975)






Be aware that this is by far the most tasteless film I have yet reviewed, but in a day and age where films like Last House on the Left and Cannibal Holocaust are being remade, I think most viewers can handle this one. Also be aware that this is not the same film that just came out on DVD recently bearing the title Forced Entry. That film is a hardcore sex movie, which coincidentally was made around the same year as this. This film's alternate title is The Last Victim and stars Tanya Roberts as the female lead role.
For lack of a more articulate description, I would say this is like Joe Zito’s film Maniac (1980) except the focus is more on the sexual perversion of the attacker than gory kill scenes. The killer/rapist narrates the film via voiceover, as he picks off prostitutes and girls stranded on the road with broken down cars. Thank god we have cell phones nowadays!
The director, Jim Sotos (born Dimitri Sotirakis), also made Sweet 16 (1983), an interesting slasher film that took place on an Indian reservation. That film was issued on home video in the 1980s by the legendary Vestron Video, and was recently released on DVD by Code Red.
This film is not for the squeamish, to say the least. The killer's demented, misogynistic thoughts narrate most of the movie, which follows him as he rides around town in his car looking for victims. In the end he spots Tanya Roberts and holds her captive inside her own home. If you liked Maniac and have a high tolerance for tasteless exploitative trash, then you might enjoy this one. Personally I think it is a more interesting film than most of the grindhouse exploitation films that are about rapists. And believe me, there are hundreds of those films out there.
The DVD company Code Red announced plans to release a DVD of this film in 2008.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Greetings, I have come to your site by way of kindertrauma and have to say that I am enjoying it. That said, I hate to be "that guy on the interent" and do this but, Maniac was directed by William Lustig and not Joe Zito. I only mention it, because it has been referenced in more than one review here. Other than that, keep up the good work Hoss.

Anonymous said...

Haha my bad! William Lustig made Maniac and Joe Zito made The Prowler. I got them confused because Tom Savini did the effects on both, and Anchor Bay/ Blue Underground made the DVDs for both.