Sweet Kill (1973)

Director:

Curtis Hanson

Writer:

Curtis Hanson (writer)

Release Date:

January 1973 (USA)

Genre:

Thriller | Horror

Plot:

Horror and suspense in the story of a psychotic maniac who literally "loves" women to death. |

Plot Keywords:

Maniac | Multiple Murder | Mother | Sexual Frustration | Psycho Thriller

Cast

Tab Hunter	...	Eddie Collins
Cherie Latimer	...	Lauren
Nadyne Turney	...	Barbara
Isabel Jewell	...	Mrs. Cole
Linda Leider	...	Vickie
Roberta Collins	...	Call girl
John Aprea	...	Richard
Kate McKeown	...	Sherry
Angus Scrimm	...	Henry (as Rory Guy)
Frank Whiteman	...	Willard
Harv Selsby	...	Davidson
Josh Green	...	Danny
John Pearce	...	Mr. Howard
Sandy Kenyon	...	Newscaster

Also Known As:

A Kiss from Eddie (USA) (alternative title)
The Arousers (USA) (reissue title)

Runtime:

85 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Metrocolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

UK:R | USA:R | Iceland:16

Company:

Curtis Lee Hanson

Trivia:

Disappointed by the boxoffice generated under its original release title "Sweet Kill", Roger Corman had Curtis Hanson shoot additional sex scenes over a period of two days.

Lots of nudity, but not a lot of fun

This is part of a strange trend in the early 1970's of 1950's male matinée idols playing serial killers. First, Rock Hudson appeared in the wonderful black comedy "Pretty Maids All in a Row" as high school guidance counselor, football coach, and sex murderer. Then Troy Donahue appeared in the bizarre "Love Thrill Murderers" (aka "Sweet Savior") as a Mansonesque cult leader. And in this movie, years before more publicly exploding his screen image in John Water's "Polyester", Tab Hunter plays an impotent and murderous PE coach (is there any other kind?). The plot is pretty simple: Tab can't get it up, so in frustration he kills the many women who excite him or come on to him.

This movie is better made than many (like the "Love-Thrill Murders), but it is presented in a VERY serious manner and could have really used the black humor of a film like "Pretty Maids". The premise is pretty ridiculous after all. The film also follows another 70's/early 80's trend of being told from the POV of the deranged killer and trying to make him somewhat sympathetic. Again this can work if it's a well-made film (i.e. "Peeping Tom", "Taxi Driver")or if it contains a good dose of black humor ("Deranged"), but often the results ended up being either highly unpleasant ("Maniac", "Don't Go in the House") or just plain risible ("Don't Answer the Phone", "Mardi Gras Massacre"). This falls more into the latter category (despite some lingering misogyny). Strangely, in spite of the killer's occupation as a P.E. coach, the movie resists joining the teen sexploitation trend that was big at the time (with movies like "Pretty Maids", "The Cheerleaders", and Tom Loughlin's ridiculous "sex-with-the-babysitter movies"). Tab's victims are all collegiate age or older women (although I might point out to both the drooling perverts and clucking moralists that the same 18-to-30-year-old actress types were used in all these movies regardless of how old the characters were supposed to be). There is one minor subplot where Tab tries to help a troubled male teenage virgin, but it gets dropped pretty quickly.

Mostly this movie just isn't a lot of fun. It's hard to take seriously, but it contains little or no comedy. There is one scene where a hippie girl complains about her missing (murdered) roommate and the cops bust her for possession of marijuana, but this scene is really not mined enough either for humor or scathing social commentary. That really leaves only the generous female nudity to recommend this thing, and that may not be enough for most people.