BCI/Eclipse / Anamorphic Widescreen (1.78:1 ) / Color / 1 disc / 180 minutes

This release from BCI/Eclipse winked at me seductively from the lower shelf of the “horror” movie section at a local big-box retailer while I was on a DVD-buying binge a few weeks back, so I had no choice but to drop the $11 and take it home with me.

The prospect of watching two films from trash-movie clearinghouse Crown International is always an alluring draw. Fifteen minutes later I was ensconced in my recliner with a double G&T in my left hand and a DVD remote in my right, ready to be transported back to the halcyon days of 1970s exploitation.

I began DON’T ANSWER THE PHONE (1980) envisioning cheap, lurid sex scenes, blood-splatter, wooden acting, porno groove music and lots of foul language. To that end, it delivered admirably.

Our hero is a mentally disturbed Vietnam vet-turned-photographer living in California who spends much of his free time barking herniated groans while weight-lifting, talking to himself in a mirror, harassing a radio talk-show host and stalking women for his artistic pursuits. The movie really has nothing to do with telephones, except well, characters use them to talk to each other on occasion. I figured we’d at least see someone get bludgeoned to death with a receiver, or throttled with a coiled cord, but no …

Anyway, we open the film with a relatively hot nurse chatting it up with her mother on yes, a telephone. As the call ends, our hero attacks the women, kills her and ends the scene in a bodice-ripping rape.

Naturally we have a subplot involving some inept law enforcement, a psychiatrist, and many characters from the sexual underground of late-1970s Hollywood. I won’t advance any more of the plot, but it’s basically a lurid police procedural with enough fun stuff tossed in to keep things interesting on the way to the eventual, unsurprising ending.

I give this one high marks for its trashy characters and locales — I can’t imagine Los Angeles looking any sadder — and the music is freakin’ brilliant, if you like raw synthesizers and cop show grooves.

The anamorphic transfer looked fine, although the audio had some hissing and crackling that became distracting during certain portions. Not a must-see, but a fun little picture nonetheless.

I’m still torn on recommending the second feature on this disc, PRIME EVIL (1988), directed by Roberta Findlay. It’s a newer film, but it doesn’t look a year past 1979.

It’s supposed to be about a nun infiltrating a satanic organization in New York City. The nun, who is kind of hot, should have gotten naked. I even told my wife “they are going to have the nun naked and/or raped and enjoying it by the end of this.” Well.. I’m going to go ahead and tell you, the nun doesn’t get naked, so if that sort of thing makes or breaks the movie for you, then stop reading now.

Despite that, we are treated to a few nudie scenes, one quasi-Kung Fu fight scene, Devil worshippers, lots of wooden dialog and a ridiculous ending that involves the nun, a knife, a demon and a lot of old people.

If any of that sounds like it might interest you, then by all means watch this film. But be warned, there’s a lot of filler …

So in summary:

• DON’T ANSWER THE PHONE: 3 stars out of 4 (’That’s Choice’)
• PRIME EVIL: 2 stars (’It’s Gettin’ Rough!’)

The disc itself gets a 3-star rating. The 4-5 included trailers from other Crown International movies were gold! There are no special features or extra audio tracks.