555 - 1988 - USA - Slasher
Dir: Wally Koz
555 is about an insane hippie serial killer that attacks cities by murdering young couples every 5 years. Detectives Haller and Sergeant Connor are assigned to the case, and are determined to gain leads any way they can to prevent the killer from further racking up the body count. These two foul mouthed cops seem grumpy and unhappy all the time, and do what they can to keep a nosey, manipulative female reporter from cracking the case before they do. The film ends up playing out somewhat like a murder mystery, with a little more emphasis on the murder part.
555 can drag a little. It's more dialogue driven than action and the pacing can suffer at times, and nearly a 3rd of the movie takes place in a office with the cops discussing their next moves of action. The film plays out in a slightly repetitive nature, for a large part of the movie people are brutally murdered and violated, then the detectives spend time trying to find new leads, and the process repeats.
555's sleaziness, as well as it's look and feel, are its saving grace. There's no shortage of blood and boobs, and the plenty of aspects that give it an authentic 80's VHS feel, its a great buy just for nostalgic purposes alone. The gore, although there isn't a huge amount of it, all looks pretty great. The FX artist is Jeffery Lyle Segal, who did the FX for films like Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer, and assisted makeup in Reanimator.
Overall I'd say despite its pacing flaws, this is a fun flick and is worth a watch. If you're a fan of 80's shot on video slashers and you can find a copy, grab it while you can as it is out of print (and I grabbed the last copy available on Diabolik DVD).
Action - 4/10
Plot - 7/10
Blood n' Guts - 7/10
FX - 8/10
Acting - 6.5/10
DVD Release - 9/10
OVERALL - 7/10
The detective interrogates a suspect
bloob
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