Despite the difficulties, two of New York’s finest—a young, blonde guy named Jimmy O’Mara (John Moser) and a somewhat brusque older fellow, Danny Rizotti (George Spencer) remain committed to the case, and end up following a clue to the apartment of murder victim Rosie (Chris Jordan) which she shared with roommate Gwen (Sandra Peabody). Gwen and Jimmy end up falling for each other, while Danny finds his marriage under serious strain, given his pre-occupation with the investigation.
As it turns out, the massage parlor girls (who spend their free time haggling over money and talking about movies), are on a list of a serial killer with a twisted moral agenda. The cops chase down a guy named Mr. Creepy (A pre-Law & Order George Dzundza) but he’s not their man. Jimmy attends a pool party (orgy, really) and ends up in a high speed chase across Manhattan’s west side where he takes down a strange dude in a leather jacket, but comes up empty. As they continue to chase suspects, the body count continues to rise. The killer is getting more brazen, and Danny is feeling the pressure.
In terms of plot, Massage Parlor Murders doesn’t of a lot of heft. However, if you like B movie goodness, this one is for you. Along with a brief appearance by B movie regular Chris Jordan, Massage Parlor Murders offers up Last House On The Left’s Sandra Peabody (or, if you prefer, Sandra Cassell), Beverly Bonner as one of the massage parlor attendants, and Brother Theo who spits out a few quotable gems.
For a low budget film, Massage Parlor Murders is shot surprisingly well. The camera captures some of those vintage 1970’s New York locations that make these movies so interesting to some people. The various marquees and landmarks are fun to look at, and serve as a reminder of just how much New York City has changed in the last 30 years or so. Beyond that, there’s plenty of female skin on display and the murder scenes offer plenty of (obvious) stage blood. At eighty minutes in length, Massage Parlor Murders doesn’t overstay its welcome, making it a perfect pick for fans of exploitation cinema.
Framed on the 1.85:1 aspect ratio, this 1080p transfer is pretty solid. Using the 35mm conformed original camera negative as a source, the image has been cleaned of any major defects without losing its naturally dark and grimy look. The color palette contains an array of reds and browns. While it would be a stretch to say that the colors are astoundingly vivid, they look better than average.
The Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono Track sounds somewhat scratchy in places, but the dialogue is still understandable. This is probably as good as this film will ever sound and action comes through fairly accurately. Be aware that there does appear to be quite a bit of dubbing involved.
The following special features are available:
- · Two Different Cuts of the Film: The Film – Original Cut (79:56, HD), and the Re-release Cut (73:18, HD) which essentially cuts out the prologue.
- · Massage Parlor Murders Trailer (2:42)
- · Massage Parlor Hookers Trailer (1:57)
- · Outtakes (7:50)
- · Radio Spot (0:28)
- · Booklet: In color, the linear notes trace the history of the film written by Chris Poggiali. The essay talks about the backgrounds and known history of the producers and directors, offers up some information on the cast members, and more.
- · The Film’s Lab Card: A nice replica is included in the keepcase.
- · DVD Copy of the film.
