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Released by: Vinegar Syndrome
Released on: February 14th, 2023.
Director: Chester Fox, Alex Stevens
Cast: Sandra Peabody, George Spencer, John Moser, Chris Jordan, Brother Theodore, Anne Gaybis
Year: 1973
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Massage Parlor Murders – Movie Review:
There aren't a whole lot of details floating around out there about Chester Fox and Alex Stevens' film, Massage Parlor Murders. The IMDB lists it as a 1976 production under the alternate title Massage Parlor Hookers but evidently it was announced in 1973 and submitted to the MPAA for an R-rating that same year, but an article was written about the movie in adult magazine Genesis in 1974. It's all rather confusing, but at the same time pretty interesting, particularly when you learn who had a hand in what in regards to the production and distribution of the movie.
But what's it all about? Well when the movie begins we see a man in a room with a lovely massage parlor attendant named Rosie (Chris Jordan) - but not for long, because after the camera lingers on her nude body for a bit, she's murdered in cold blood. Thankfully two of New York's finest - a younger blondish guy named Jimmy O'Mara (John Moser) and a surlier older guy named Danny Rizotti (George Spencer) are on the case and they follow a clue or two and soon wind up at the apartment she shared with her roommate, Gwen (Sandra Peabody). Before you know it, Gwen and Jimmy are an item while surly, grumpy Danny is bitching at his poor wife (who, it should be noted, hands him a cold can of Budweiser every time he comes home from work – he clearly married up!) about the case.
Before you know it, another body appears, and then another and it starts to look like there's a serial killer about preying on the women of Manhattan's finest rub 'n tugs. Our detectives chase down a guy named Mr. Creepy (Law & Order's George Dzundza!), but no dice. Jimmy attends a pool orgy only to wind up in a high speed chase across Manhattan's West Side where he takes down a fuzzy dude wearing a leather jacket, but that doesn't add up either. Eventually they find themselves face to face with a spiritualist lunatic named Theodore (Brother Theodore) but just like the earlier leads, this one just doesn't check out. The killer, on the other hand, is getting increasingly daring with his murders and the pressure is starting to get to poor Danny!
In terms of plotting, Massage Parlor Murders isn't going to blow anyone away but don't let that stop you, as this one comes up aces in pretty much every other department that matters. Well, maybe not every department, but it's awesome. You want a quirky cast of B-movie veterans? You got it. Check out Joe Sarno regular Chris Jordan in that early murder scene looking good and while she's only on screen for a few minutes, it's cool to see her pop up here. Last House On The Left's Sandra Peabody (or, if you prefer, Sandra Cassell), gets a considerably more substantial role here as she and Jimmy hobnob about New York City, taking in the sights in Times Square, making out in an apartment and enjoying a picnic in what looks to be Central Park. We even get an appearance from the one and only Brother Theodore here, spouting off dialogue that'll make your head spin as he rants to the cops about his plans to reappear on the other side of the Hudson River and his wishes to have his head replaced with broccoli. Look for Basket Case's Beverly Bonner playing one of the massage parlor attendants
The movie is paced well and the chase scene through Manhattan is well shot and impressive. In fact, the camera work does a great job of capturing those vintage seventies locations that make movies like this so interesting for so many people. There are plenty of marquees in the backgrounds showing off different seventies movies from all manner of genres to spot and a few interesting New York landmarks, some no longer with us, scattered throughout the film. There's plenty of female skin on display thanks to the lovely ladies of the cast and the murder scenes don't shy away from stage blood, even if observant viewers may notice a dead body breathing or blinking here and there. All of this is set to a ridiculously eclectic score that alternates between fuzzed out guitar-heavy rock and soft, tinkling elevator music - very strange. At eighty minutes in length the movie doesn't overstay its welcome or ever feel padded. It's lean, it's mean, and it delivers exactly what you want it to.
Note: This release contains both the original cut of the film and the re-release version. The difference between the two is that the original version contains an opening scene that runs roughly six minutes long before the opening credits. This scene serves as a bit of foreshadowing as it details some of the exploits that occur in one of the massage parlors in question and it sets up the lunacy to come in a rather effective way.
Massage Parlor Murders – UHD Review:
Massage Parlor Murders debuts on UHD from Vinegar Syndrome in an HVEC encoded 2160p transfer taken from a new 4k scan of the original 35mm negative. Framed in its proper theatrical aspect ratio at 1.85.1 widescreen with HDR10 enhancement, picture quality is excellent. Grain is thick throughout but the high bit rate handles it really well, everything looks like proper film. Detail is quite noticeably improved when compared to the past Blu-ray release, there’s more depth to the image as well. Colors are pretty much perfect, with the film’s garish seventies color scheme replicated with tacky perfection.
The only audio option for the movie is a 24-bit DTS-HD 1.0 Mono track in the film’s native English. Optional subtitles are provided in English only. It's obvious that large chunks of the movie were shot without live sound and dubbed in post and so we have a few fluctuations here and there and a couple of shots that sound a little more muffled than others, but overall, considering the age, obscurity and low budget of the movie, there's little room for complaint. The completely erratic score in particular sounds pretty good here. The past Blu-ray release had a Dolby Digital Mono track, and this lossless option does have more depth to it, most noticeably when it comes to the score.
Extras start off with a new audio commentary track from Samm Deighan where she talks about how the movie was very tough to see for a long time, how the movie is in many ways a strange passion project for its two directors as well as their history, how the movie combines different subgenres within the world of exploitation movies, the time capsule qualities of the movie, the use of nudity in the film and some of the more unusual aspects of it such as the opening scene, the police procedural side of the movie, details on the different cast and crew members that pop up in the movie and why some of them will look familiar to exploitation movie fans, where and why the plot "muddies the waters" a bit and leaves things open to interpretation, the state of New York City at the time the movie was made, if the film and films like it stigmatize sex workers or not, Brother Theodore’s presence in the movie and some details on his life and times and plenty more. This is the only extra contained on the UHD disc.
The included Blu-ray disc contains the same commentary and also carries over some of the extras from the older Blu-ray release, but it also contains a new featurette called “Sin City” – The Locations Of Massage Parlor Murders. Hosted by Mike Gingold, this twelve minute piece does a great job of showing just how different much of Manhattan looks now compared to how it did in the film. The piece replicates a lot of the same angles used in the movie, which is a nice touch, and it shows off not just a few streets featured in the movie but also Green Acre Park on 51st Street and a few of the apartment buildings featured in the movie and it points out an interesting connection to I Spit On Your Grave. It also shows off some of the Times Square/42nd Street locations, the pool featured in the movie and the health club exteriors used for that scene and quite a bit more.
The archival material includes just under eight minutes worth of outtakes from the film. The first couple of minutes are excess material shot for the pool party/orgy scene while the rest of it is Jimmy and Gwen wandering around Times Square checking out different theaters and what not. All of it is awesome and even if there's no live sound here (music from the feature's soundtrack plays overtop), it's worth watching just so you can geek out over all those awesome marquees in the background. Additionally we get an original theatrical trailer, a re-release theatrical trailer under the Massage Parlor Hookers alternate title, a TV spot, menus and chapter selection.
Note that the liner notes from the older release, as well as the shorter cut of the film, are not ported over to this reissue. This release does come packaged with some reversible cover art though, and if you buy it from Vinegar Syndrome’s website you can get yourself one of 4,000 limited edition slipcovers designed by Robert Sammelin.
Massage Parlor Murders - The Final Word:
Massage Parlor Murders is exploitation movie gold. It's grimy, scuzzy, sleazy and beautiful. It isn't the most logical film ever made but it's got crazy style, loads of seventies atmosphere and enough nudity and gore to please most exploitation film buffs. The new UHD reissue from Vinegar Syndrome presents the movie in a very impressive presentation and with an interesting new commentary as its main extra feature.
Click on the images below, or right click and open in a new window, for full sized Massage Parlor Murders Blu-ray screen caps!
