Hellroller - 21st Anniversary DVD

[Ian Jane Administrator Find all posts View Profile Close Ian Jane]

Has anyone heard of this before?



Anyone actually seen it?

"This is the most special feature-packed edition of this movie possible! Hellroller is a shot on video classic about a wheelchair-bound killer roaming the streets of Los Angeles killing strippers and muscleheads.

This edition features two commentaries, cast/crew interviews, TV clips, interactive menus, and much more. With each order you also get a copy of the original Hellroller script. This is a must own!"

Some fun comments on the IMDB page here.

[Paul Casey Frito Bandito Find all posts View Profile Close Paul Casey]

haha Wow. I think I need that.

[Jason C Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Jason C]

I ordered it yesterday. I'm a bit of of a Michelle Bauer fanatic. The bootleg I have is crap and the VHS always sell for more than I'm willing to pay ($50+). I'll let you know if this release is any better than the crap bootleg I have.

[Ian Jane Administrator Find all posts View Profile Close Ian Jane]

What did you think of it Jason? I'd forgotten about it but then found it on eBay for $15 shipped so I bit. Should be here in a few days.

[Paul Casey Frito Bandito Find all posts View Profile Close Paul Casey]

I fell asleep during it. Wasn't too good from what I remember. Maybe I'll give it another spin soon. Might not have been in the right mood for it.

[Jason C Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Jason C]

It's a poorly done VHS rip on DVD-R with cheap artwork. What's on Youtube is better. Unfortunately, the film didn't tickle my "so bad its good" bone either. It was a real slog. A complete waste.

[Ian Jane Administrator Find all posts View Profile Close Ian Jane]

Blah. Sounds like I might have wasted $15 then, haha.

[Ian Jane Administrator Find all posts View Profile Close Ian Jane]

Well, a year and a half later and I finally got around to watching this.

Firstly, why did they frame this DVD at 1.78.1? Bad move. Clearly cropped. I get that it's tape sourced and on DVD-r, I can live with that (it was shot on tape anyway) but the framing is bad. Some interesting extras though - including an installment of The Peoples' Court where an issue involving a promo photo of Bauer was used without permission to help market Invasion Of The Scream Queens. Weird what wound up on that show back in the day.

As to the movie itself.... I dunno. It was interesting and I don't regret buying it or watching it but it really is terrible. Michelle Bauer's scene adds nothing, but you get to see her stretch a lot. And hey, Hyapatia Lee gets naked and does a strip tease.... alone in a crummy looking apartment - for who? How did she wind up in this movie? We don't know. All the murders take place off camera but there is some 'after effects' style gore thrown into the mix.

The guy who played the lead, the Hellroller himself, was pretty nutty. He makes twitchy into an artform but he's only got one setting and that's 'over the top.' He's also extremely unlikable, the same can be said about pretty much everyone else in the movie. It's full of vile characters, but I did have to giggle a few times as the sheer wackiness of it all.

But yeah, it sucks. I'll never get rid of it, but it sucks.

[Jason C Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Jason C]

That VHS tape still sells for ridiculous money ($100+) on eBay. Some people must have serious nostalgia for it. My Michelle Bauer fanaticism has compelled me to sit through a lot of shit and HELLROLLER might be the worst of it.

The People's Court extra almost made up for time lost on the feature. I have that SCREAM QUEENS tape in the question. It was surreal seeing Judge Wapner handle a case concerning it. Can't believe I used to watch that show back in the day.

[Ian Jane Administrator Find all posts View Profile Close Ian Jane]

Yeah, I remember watching it too - seeing that in the extras was a trip.

It was also weird seeing Mary Woronov pop up in the feature.

[Ian Jane Administrator Find all posts View Profile Close Ian Jane]

Also this is the only movie I've ever seen where a pair of conjoined twins rape someone.