Malibu High

I saw this (or a very abbreviated version of this) film on TV back around 1985. It was a puzzle. I found of copy of the film, then bought my first VCR. I was not disappointed. It is the silliest movie I have ever seen! Every aspect of it's production (acting, writing, sound, composition, cinematography, etc.) is truly bad and hence it rates an 11 on the scale of 10 all-time-bad movies.

Malibu High improves with age like a fine wine - each viewing brings new insights into how bad (and how entertaining) a film can really be. I'd recommend a group viewing with like-minded friends who occassionally need to kick back and have a great laugh.

You don't go into seeing this one with any grandiose notions, and, if you are like me, you should be pleasantly surprised that this is one of those vintage "bad" movies that is just loads of fun to sit through. Kim Bentley loses her boyfriend and so she begins failing her classes, etc... when she decides to become a prostitute and then later an assassin picking up booze, weed, and coke along the way. Jill Lansing appearing in what seems to be her only screen credit gives a credible performance as the "hooker to hit girl" as she frequently disrobes and lets her breasts get lots of air, seduces two of her teachers for grades, and runs a profitable business from the back of her pimp's van. We get lots of stereotypes here and the plot is pretty threadbare when it comes to anything other than giving us lurid and "shocking" behaviours to be witnessed. The rest of the cast is better-than-average for a movie of this ilk, and I laughed out loud several times at the bizarre going ons and what I was suppose(perhaps not) to take seriously. In addition to all this Kim has a few hazy flashbacks about her father hanging himself. Malibu High is sleazy and fun - and entertaining. It has what you would expect in a picture like this but packages it well. As some have noted the soundtrack is weird to say the least as we get an instrumental People's Court theme used in a most inopportune moment and that bizarre SCTV strident tone used when something significant is being conveyed - at least that is what the director is trying to convey.

It's no wonder that the Drive-ins were drug, booze and party havens in the '70s with this type of fare being shown! Even with all of it's flaws, there is something I really like about this movie. The plot alone was what made me want to watch this hooter flick in the first place. High School flunky, turned Hooker, turned Hitgirl! When Kim gets bad grades, she seduces her Teachers and it escalates from there to becoming a full blown hooker. Not on the street mind you, but in the back of a van! What more of a classic Drive-in masterpiece could this be? The acting is awful and stiff. Speaking of stiff, the sex scenes are almost, if not worse than the acting! The camera work looks more like a home movie than a theatrical presentation. The fashions in this movie look more like mid '70s than 1979 fashion. What really cracks me up is when Kim (Jill Lansing) decides to become a hooker and shows up to school in a halter top and mini skirt! Where did she get that mini skirt from? It looks like it was made of cardboard! Didn't anyone tell Kim that mini skirts were out of fashion by 1974? The other thing that makes me laugh about this movie is the music. It sounds like what you used to hear at the supermarket. That canned piped in music called "Muzak". It's not offensive, it just doesn't really suit the movie. At the same time though, it is what gives this movie it's charm. There are a couple of music selections I had heard before. One was the music that plays after Kim tells her Mom off. This music was used for the station identification on the comedy show SCTV, which ran in the early '80s here in Canada. The next selection was during the chase scene at the end. The music being used is the same music for the syndicated TV show "The People's Court" opening! The one thing that stands out in this movie is the 1971 Mustang convertible. It's the real star of the show! It is nice to see this version of Mustang caught on film forever without rust and holes all over it, which these cars were known for. If you like movies like "The Van", "The Pom Pom Girls", and "H.O.T.S.", you may find this movie disappointing. But if you are like me and can appreciate trash flicks like "The Lonely Lady" and "The Seduction", then you will enjoy this made-for-drive-in classic!

This film is really a surprise and not in a good way. It's about an alienated teenage girl who starts to lose respect for everything when her boyfriend dumps her. Rather than turn to drugs or cults, she turns to murder. It's incredible how quickly the change happens. Sounds like it might be entertaining on a trashy level but's it so amateurishly made, downbeat and cheap looking that it fails to impress. It is however somewhat amusing to watch as the main female character paints herself further and further into a corner and the unhappy men she leaves behind due to her very promiscuous behavior.

OK, this is a B movie. Let's just start there and realize that this film is just not a great piece of cinema. Now, knowing that, we can move forward. This is the best film of its type there is. Here's the synopsis. Girl is in high school. Girl's mother suggests that she get a job. Girl becomes prostitute. Girl kills pimp. Girl becomes HitGirl-for-the-Mob. Lots of other subplots to keep you entertained. Probably too many. But the lines in this groaner are worth the price of admission, if you can find it anywhere. "I'm a hooker - not a hitgirl!". Come on! Does it get better than that? MH belongs in the Hall of Fame with Faster Pussycat Kill Kill, They Came From Within and Attack of the Killer Tomatos, and is the best of the bunch. This film is an A+ in the world of the B-.