Violated!

This is a fun, albeit, uneven rape revenge movie that starts off with as a serial rapist runs rampant; assaulting not only our cast of characters but many others who are only talked about over the radio. It makes for a feel that the city is in crisis as everywhere we turn a new assault has occurred, often leaving the victim in need of severe medical care. But since the identity of the rapist isn't known the revenge part becomes equal parts whodunit and Death Wish as our squad of assault survivors take it upon themselves to find the guilty party at all cost. It definitely suffers from some inconsistent pacing but the final act more than makes up for it as the film goes further than most viewers would probably expect from such a flick.

Oh, Albert Zugsmith - the Auteur Supreme behind College Confidential (those who saw The Movie Orgy know what that was all about) sometimes lets a scene go on a bit too long for its own good (or not good), but that doesn't stop him from staging some of the most ruthlessly sleazy, sickening and engaging rape scenes in the 1970s; this all being rapes where it's clear the guy in the laughable Halloween masks always keeps his pants on.

Not that it makes it any less horrific, mind you, as it is rough to watch, but there's almost something so ludicrous seeing it unfold is on a line between inept and entertaining. Oh, and there's a Swatstika carved into the women because that equals bad! (Not much time for actual political context but why carp for this Z grade nonsense). There's times the performers are trying to add some real heft to the characters... and other times what you see is exactly what you get - they can get through the dialog... mostly!

This isn't meant as a complaint so much as a point of order (like I'm in a courtroom I guess now, order I say), like this is a movie where it has to be made so painfully clear to the audience that the cops won't do Jack s**t about the raper crimes and that comes after the cop explains to one of the woman (gasp) how next to impossible these crimes are to prosecute as if we have no idea how sex crimes were and are ignored. Yet there are scenes that go on for a minute too long where the cop does question guys and those don't go nych anywhere, so... hell with it, get to the revenge and paybacks! Go sadism!

This is all like tawdry and kind of silly pizza underneath it's exploitation deep-dish crust, and even with the expert blu-ray restoration by Vinegar Syndrome everything has that unmistakable 1970s auburn sheen (so many ugly vouches and wood walls, and denim clothes and fully body suits. Violated! Is I have to mention again kind of ineptly made, in the slack direction and over-written and over wrought dialog, but the "kind of" is because this is still watchable and has a feral quality to how the violence and attacks happen, and you want to see how the rapist cutter gets his.

Among the "lost" films in the VS box set, this one at least has a strong sense of its time and place in the seediest parts of LA and the crude attitudes of everyone involved fits the subject matter. It's a guilty pleasure.... like strap me to the electric chair next after the guy in this movie, huh huh....

Very strange this one. Given as the title is an exploitation film and being a rape and revenge one it turns out to be very strange indeed. At first there is a large number of brutal rape scenes (and a swastika carved in the poor girl's flesh) and then it all changes around. There are serious comments about the difficulties of convicting in rape cases, although when the girls think they have found the rapist it becomes rather amusing but then it gets really serious because they have to have a chair. A home-made electric chair! And at the very end the freeze frame of the masked rapist and dialogue overlap suggesting that maybe all men are possible rapists. Albert Zugsmith was usually a producer, writer, director of exploitation but he also just produced Touch of Evil in 1958 although the same year as The Female Animal. He made more than 20 films and then his very last one.

"Violated!" is a sordid affair, a sleazy, and unabashedly exploitative flick from the master of low-budget shockers, Albert Zugsmith. Released in 1975, this pseudo-slasher is not for the faint-hearted or those seeking cinematic elegance.

The film follows a simple formula: take a disturbing topic, in this case, rape, add a generous helping of titillation and cheap thrills, stir in some questionable ethics, and you have "Violated!" in a nutshell. It's a recipe that will undoubtedly divide audiences, with some reveling in its outrageousness and others being rightfully offended.

The story, if one can call it that, revolves around a heinous act of sexual violence and the subsequent revenge that unfolds. What sets this film apart from others in the 'rape and revenge' sub-genre is its unabashed embrace of the exploitative nature of the topic. The slide whistle and freeze-frame finish, as mentioned by other reviewers, are bizarre and almost comical choices that somehow make the film even more disturbing.

The cast, though small, is committed to the frenetic energy of the film. They unleash a torrent of anger and unrestrained emotion onto the screen, creating an unstable and unpredictable atmosphere. While the acting is not award-worthy, it suits the grindhouse nature of the film.

One scene that stands out is a bizarre debate between the leads about the ethics of the Bible and the electric chair. It's a psycho-babble-filled interlude that adds a layer of pseudo-intellectualism to an otherwise base and visceral film.

"Violated!" also taps into societal stigmas surrounding sex work and sexual assault. It offers fleeting moments of insight and sanity within the gutter, as one reviewer aptly put it. These glimpses provide a twisted form of social commentary that elevates the film slightly above pure trash.

However, these moments are few and far between, and the film primarily exists to titillate and shock. It is a product of its time, and one can't help but feel a sense of unease at the way it exploits sensitive topics.

In conclusion, "Violated!" is a mean-spirited, gritty, and bloody affair that will appeal to fans of exploitation cinema. It earns a rating of 5/10 for its sheer audacity and ability to provide a glimpse into the seedy underbelly of 1970s grindhouse cinema.

So, if you're feeling adventurous and have a strong stomach, step right up and let "Violated!" take you on a wild and sinful ride!

Just remember, as the film itself warns, keep an eye out for perverts, and don't get Violated! 😈