The Last Victim

Unknown to most people who are not true down in the dirt fans of all the sleaze / horror that used to dwell on the seedy, shadowy screens of N.Y.'s 42nd St. theaters in the 70's, this watered down version of Forced Entry is actually a remake of a film by the same title that came out a year or two earlier. The original was an XXX rated hardcore nightmare that starred a much younger porn legend Harry Reems (from Deep Throat fame) as the brutal killer / gas station attendant. The story is almost identical to this version, but is WAY more intense & disturbing.

The basic plot of this R - rated version revolves around a disturbed service station attendant named Carl who gets female customers info when they pay for gas & such with credit cards. He then proceeds to stalk them, and brutally rape & kill them in a vicious fashion. He not only rapes & kills them, but he rants & taunts them while in the process. This remake is a vein attempt to cash in on the originals viciousness & the then current stream of "Last House on the Left" rip offs. The highlight, though, is seeing the hot, young Nancy Allen & Tanya Roberts. But, if you want real nightmares, try to track down the original XXX version starring Harry Reems under the Pseudonym Tim Long. It's much more powerful than this lame R rated rip off.

The Last Victim is one of those films that it's hard to believe actually exists — an R-rated remake of the infamous 1973 'roughie' Forced Entry that not only stars future Charlie's Angel/Bond girl Tanya Roberts, but which also features Robocop's Nancy Allen in a minor role.

While this one might not be as downright nasty as the original movie (that's an understatement: the '73 version is a utterly repugnant experience), it's still a very sleazy piece of grind-house cinema, one that I imagine neither actress is particularly proud of. Of course, for many fans of obscure, gritty exploitation, the involvement of two future stars in such a mean-spirited, misogynistic piece of trash will only add to the fun.

Roberts plays Nancy Ulman, housewife and mother of two young children (which she must have had while she was still in school, given how young she looks), who finds herself targeted by psycho garage mechanic Carl (Ron Max), the man responsible for a spate of recent brutal rapes/murders in the area. Allen plays one of the unhinged grease-monkey's earlier victims, a pretty hitch-hiker whose lack of manners seals her fate.

Fans of Ms. Roberts might be surprised, and probably more than a little disappointed, to find that the actress keeps herself pretty much covered up throughout (even her obligatory shower scene offers very little titillation). The film's gratuitous nudity comes from Carl's other victims: a pretty motorist who is raped and killed after breaking down on a remote country road, a teenager who suffers the same fate after stopping by the nutters place of work to pump up the tyres on her bicycle (this scene is particularly sleazy given the girl's tender age), and Allen's unfortunate hitch-hiker, who is briefly seen stripped and bound in a flashback.

The final assault on Nancy in her own home is a long, drawn out affair that borders on tedium, and which ends in a ridiculous manner, the killer practically handing his last victim a massive carving knife (which amusingly turns into a smaller joke-shop knife with a retractable blade while she is stabbing him).

This is a trashy film and will be of no appeal to most viewers, but what's interesting about it is that it would make a great companion piece to the notorious 1980 "Maniac". I don't know why anyone would want to watch THAT film in the first place, but it's hard not to notice the obvious similarities. Although far less graphic and bloody, "Forced Entry" also allows as to "share" the maniacal killer's warped worldview, and the depiction of his mind seems pretty accurate. There is a minimal amount of plot, but it's starkly directed, and this is also one of the few chances you'll have to see Tanya Roberts giving a halfway good performance. (**)

It's hard to judge the ratings here because it isn't known what version they are reviewing. But the ridiculously low score here suggests that most viewers have seen the 75 minute cut, the one that was released to theaters after the commercial success of actress Tanya Roberts. "Forced Entry" is of course, a loose remake of the hardcore feature starring Harry Reems. In that movie, the psychotic sex maniac was a disturbed Vietnam Vet, and that porn movie is so unpleasant and ugly that parts are difficult to watch. If they had spent more time on the horror aspect and less on the ugly hardcore sex, that film would be a classic. Apparently someone else thought so too, which is why this remake was made. Or is it a remake? Originally titled "The Last Victim," this time the maniac, Carl, is the product of an abusive mother who tortured him as a child. This movie, in it's original form, is a lean and mean, and very intense horror film that closely resembles "Maniac" that came out a few years later. With a 75 minute running time, the length typical of hardcore features of the time, the story is told from the killer's point of view. We follow the car mechanic Carl on his hunting adventures. He hunts for beautiful women to murder, and rape..in that order. Those who have the misfortune of crossing Carl's path, meet a horrific end graphically nasty end. Females are choked, beaten, stabbed and violated with beer bottles. But if you have only seen that 75 minute cut, you won't see any of the disturbing scenes described here. This film was reworked and played theaters with a PG rating, which is absolutely unthinkable, at least in the 1970s, when movies had reached their peak with graphic sex and violence . Every frame of this movie was seedy and lurid and i would not consider one second as family entertainment. But a few years later, when the name of Tanya Roberts, who made her film debut here, became a household name, the owners of the movie rights decided to clean it up, releasing an even shorter version, running a mere 72 minutes, that removed what little sex and violence there was in the 75 minute cut. In the end, that reworked version survived, while the original, 93 minute cut, seemed to disappear from the face of the Earth, other than it's survival contained within that rare VHS tape. To make matters worse, the movie was released on Blu Ray, but for some ridiculous reason, it's that truncated, heavily censored 75 minute version! Apparently the director prefers the soft version that omits all the sex and violence. For grindhouse movie fans, this Blu Ray is the most disappointing and worthless product ever..because the original is truly a powerhouse of exploitation insanity. Nancy Allen most likely wishes this one was forgotten, as her role of the raped and abused hitch hiker is short, but very graphic. She must be pleased that her rape/nude scene is GONE from the Blu Ray release. Credit must be given to Tanya Roberts however. She managed to star in this ultra sleazy rape movie, while managing to avoid doing any actual nudity. She comes very close, but manages to retain her honor as the terrorized housewife who turns the tables on her stalker. Fans of classic horror and rape-revenge grindhouse flicks should seek out "The Last Victim." It's a grimy, voyeuristic, misogynistic, and intensely atmospheric, forgotten gem of the exploitation genre. Sadly, that ancient VHS tape is the only way to see it. I'm sure that tape is a collectors item among cult horror movie fans. This exploitation movie lover is happy to have this rare item, along with the equally fine and rare "Bloodrage," another gritty and super-rare title that focuses on a twisted sociopathic killer, from director Joseph Zito. The fact that both of these titles are unavailable in their uncut form is a real mystery..

This movie will no doubt offend many viewers. The story is seen through the eyes of a serial rapist. The movie is notable for early appearances by Nancy Allen and Tanya Roberts. The serial rapist is played convincingly by Ron Max who despises women and feels an urge to lash out and hurt any young attractive women. He sees them as "sluts". The viewer cannot help but feel for the young red-haired woman who has car trouble. When she sees the serial rapist pull up in his van ... Well, let's just say he puts his hands to use. He has a number of other crime conquests throughout the movie. I won't give away the ending but I would call this a gripping movie of sorts.