Scream Queen Hot Tub Party

I grew up with Cinemax in the house and late night Cinemax was a great place to find these movies. But Scream Queen Hot Tub Party is kinda bad. Took me years to find a copy and when I did I was not impressed. Its a few short cuts of cheap video footage mixed in with clips from much better movies. If you've seen them then you've seen everything you need to and you dont need this movie. It looks ugly and the "plot" is even thinner than the movies it showcases. You'll be happier if you track down the other Jim Wynorski and Fred Olen Ray films & just watch those over a couple weekends. Scream Queen Hot Tub Party adds nothing to the genre and what it has is low quality.

Cinema can be many things to many people. Some view film as a way to escape their mundane lives and live through the heroic characters displayed upon the big screen. Some search for a moment that will trigger an epiphany, answering a question that has beguiled them in real life. Some seek a feeling of triumph that can only be displayed when art takes motion and the underdog finally has their day. Some want proof that mankind can overcome, join as one, and view as a singular audience the joys of cinema without the modern day dividers that plague our current existence.

This celluloid miracle is made up of many things: Plot, cinematography, story, character, lighting, narrative, sound, editing and of course...an actor's portrayal of the subject.

In the year nineteen hundred and ninety one "Scream Queen Hot Tub Party" was unleashed. One would be foolish to attempt a full review of this venture which clocks in at just under one single hour.

What can be said, is that it overachieves in more ways than one. It is a triumph in it's simplicity. It can only be applauded and therefore described in a victorious, emphatic, neon and singular word. And that word is.....TITTIES!

Bravo, "Scream Queen Hot Tub Party", Bravo!

It's a rare film that brings together so much legendary horror talent—the last time I recall such a gathering of genre greats was in Pete Walker's House of the Long Shadows, only that one didn't have its stars stripping off and hopping into a hot tub together (now that's what I would call horror!).

At less than an hour, the running time for Scream Queen Hot Tub Party is extremely short, just like the nighties the girls wear whilst holding their obligatory Ouija board session; similarly, the plot is thinner than its stars' underwear. Despite this lack of substance, the low, low production values, and some truly groan-worthy dialogue, scream queen fans still get value for money, each lady eagerly showing off their particular horror movie skills while wearing the minimum of clothing.

Brinke Stevens explains the art of the horror movie shower, going through each move in detail (I found things quick and easy to pick up; I'm now a master at soaping up my chest and lifting one leg to hide my naughty bits); Monique Gabrielle does an erotic vampire dance; Michelle Bauer puts Leatherface to shame whirling a chainsaw around like a dervish; Roxanne Kernohan acts goofy and gets attacked by a crappy monster; and, in a special treat for horror fans, the hitherto relatively reserved Kelli Maroney joins in the fun, greasing up her frontage to pump some iron.

'Classic' clips from the girls' finest films pad out the run-time to the full fifty minutes (these can be a bit boring if you've already seen their films in their entirety), after which the lovely ladies grab the soap and help each other to wash those difficult to reach parts of the body.

Scream Queen Hot Tub Party is about the most literal title that could be attached to this particular film; a shot-on-video film that plays more like a compilation of seventies and eighties b-movies narrated and discussed by the buxom actresses who starred in them, the film is a video diary that effectively praises all things horror and breast.

Starring five actresses famous for their work in scuzzy b-movies, Brinke Stevens, Monique Gabrielle, Kelli Maroney, Michelle Bauer, and Roxanne Kernohan all arrive at a home one day expecting to be a part of a seminar on how to properly create a horror film. When they enter the home, they realize the house is totally empty, but are troubled when they hear the house making eerie and unsettling noises. They order an Ouija board from a delivery service that delivers quicker than a contemporary Jimmy John's and also includes five skimpy nighties, which the girls embrace accordingly. The gaggle of queens proceed to enter a hot tub and reminisce on the conventions of the horror films they have acted in, as well as share their insights on working in the field of b-movies.

This involves Stevens showing us how a scream queen effectively showers, breaking down the conventions step-by-step in a steamy, arousing scene and the remainder of the girls giving us a taste at other attributes to the life of being a scream queen. In the opening of the film, the girls give us unwritten rules of the queen life, with one of the main rules being "no scenery unless they see 'greenery'" and the fact that scream queen girls are not allowed to think in any particular way. It's safe to say these women know their roles in their films, and the eye candy they provide is only elevated to the fact that they are an entertaining bunch to watch, energetic and unpredictable in the way they try to merit some kind of reaction out of the audience, be it a scare or an arousal.

Scream Queen Hot Tub Party's third act (in an affair that's only forty-six minutes long) mainly deals with clips from films of the scream queen era that effectively show what it means to be a queen in action. The clips are pleasant enough, but take away from the true appeal of the film, which is seeing five beauties sharing a hot tub and talking about their experiences on set and in film in general. The film would've benefited the most if it had kept the focus purely on the women at hand rather than serving as a greatest hits compilation for other, unseen queens like Linnea Quigley.

The film was directed by Fred Olen Ray and Jim Wynorski, who has made a long, prosperous career out of showing off the assets of beautiful women and surrounding them with ridiculous, b-movie elements. Scream Queen Hot Tub Party is a delightful ode to those principles, and at least profiles a collection of actresses who have long since go unnoticed and deserve their dues in some respect. At least one can say it's given by a man who knows what he's doing and is very familiar with the area.

Starring: Brinke Stevens, Monique Gabrielle, Kelli Maroney, Michelle Bauer, and Roxanne Kernohan. Directed by: Fred Olen Ray and Jim Wynorski.

Pretty much a last harrah for the golden age of Scream Queens, plot-wise the era ends on a whimper. However entertainment wise it ends with a bang. Showing a lot of clips to pad out the still skimpy 49 minute running time and name-dropping other films at the drop of a hat. This film still succeed at what the film's main purpose is: Showing nudity and loads of it. Yea, the jokes are beyond lame and grown worthy, yea the story sucks, and yes the clips DO wear thin quite a bit. But this is pretty much the last movie to find Scream Queens in all their '80's glory. I know it was technically made in the '90's, but trust me it's an 80's movie through and through. (the 80's movies started a bit earlier than the '80's with "the Warriors" by the way)

My Grade: C+