Junior

This movie combines several exploitation genres in a high energy, highly entertaining way. It includes Women In Prison, Good Old Boy Action Comedy, Horror, Soft Core Sex, Women Stand Up and Fight Back Against Town of Rednecks, and more! It is not, as the box suggests, just another slasher film. If you are looking for that, you might be disappointed. If you like campy humour, and lots of beautiful women in bikinis (and often out of them, too), you can't go wrong with Junior.

The rating 5/10, which I awarded to "Junior", is far too generous. I'm well aware of that. And yet, I can't help being mild for this insane and severely inept piece of Canuxploitation! The film is a bit of a mishmash between "Porky's", "I Spit on your Grave" and "Psycho". Interesting combo, to say the least, but it roughly just translates as juvenile (but welcome) nudity, tough chicks extracting vengeance, and a driveling maniac with a mommy complex. Although entirely filmed in ice cold Québec, the story supposedly takes place in the deep South. Two buxom babes, freshly released from prison, settle themselves in a lakeside town where seemingly only male hillbillies live. The craziest redneck of the bunch is named Junior, and he makes it his mission to terrorize the girls so that he can impress his mother. The scenes with "momma" form the most hilarious highlights of the film. She just sits there, on her porch, with a pair of binoculars in her hands and cheers for his idiot son from a distance. Momma can't be seen properly, but I strongly suspect she's played by a male actor, probably because the director couldn't find an old lady crazy enough to appear in his film. She/he isn't listed in the credits, neither. Despite the buzzing chainsaw on the VHS-cover, "Junior" doesn't contain much gore, suspense or action. Gratuitous sleaze, on the other hand, there is plenty! And jolly good, brainless fun as well.

This one's about two prostitutes who just got out of jail to start a new life in a small town, only there's one small problem, and it's name is Junior. The box makes it sound like this is your classic slasher flick, comparing itself to both "Texas Chainsaw Massacre" and "Nightmare on Elm Street" and clearly stating it's "a cut above the rest." Here's the problem with that, the movie's only 80 minutes long and the only things that die by the hour mark are a plant and a dog. But any movie that features a scene where a girl makes a gas bomb out of her bikini can't be all bad.

Oh goodness this movie brings back memories, i bought this video 10 years ago, at a closing down video store, i was only 15 years old at the time. "HOW DID THEY LET ME BUY THIS VIDEO?? IT HAD A TOPLESS GIRL AT THE BACK OF THE COVER the guy at the store just looked at me after he saw the cover and didn't say anything. The movie is actually called "HOT WATER"(1985) in Australia but i never knew it is also known as "JUNIOR".

Anyway this is the story:(FROM BACK OF INSERT) Two beautiful young women suddenly find themselves at the centre of a terrifying whirlpool of horrifying violence, when they become the prime targets of a systematic reign of terror by a vicious gang of bikies. A rundown restaurant and a waterfront marina looks to be a golden opportunity for a fresh start after a life on the streets and a recent stretch in prison. Moving in they find themselves the unwilling landlords of the gang, who have long regarded the marina as their own. The merciless confrontation between the two sides rapidly escalates into a murderous, bloody climax.

"If you can get your hands on this title buy it!"

The main review on this page says it's a wannabe slasher. Well it's not a slasher. And I don't think it ever intended to be. Just clearly a film that was marketed as one because they didn't know which way to pigeon hole it. Just as combat shock was marketed as a war movie when actually its a gritty depiction of post traumatic stress disorder and mental illness. Granted this movie does have some hokey and schlocky moments (the mother and some genuine under reaction in a few scenes) But I think there is more going on here than just another mindless Texas chainsaw rip off.

I'll focus in a on a few key points as to why I think this is a cut above.

First off the strong female leads. These two girls are bad ass and don't take sh*t from anyone.

The building tension though out the film. From the first encounter the girls have with junior and his posse you can tell they are in over their heads. As juniors pranks escalate in cruelty the level headed girls start to unravel. You constantly see people over stepping their boundaries, coming into the girls house, chasing them around on boats, calling them every name under the sun. It builds a tension right into the sh*t kicking climax.

The whole fish out of water scenario. As much as this film may borrow from I spit on your grave, Texas chainsaw and psycho it also has elements of deliverance and straw dogs. It's really an interesting mix.

Don't let the other reviews fool you. Sure some of the dialog is cheesy and you have to suspend belief in a few scenes but it's a solid flick with some genuinely likable and despicable characters. Not just another hack n slash gore fest (which I also love) but there's more too it.

I'd say definitely check it out