Slightly more than a decade after she depicted the legendary possessed teenager Regan, who spun her head 360 degrees and vomited green pea soup in one of the horror genre's greatest historical classics, Linda Blair didn't star in elite and sophisticated movies like "The Exorcist" at all anymore! But that isn't necessarily bad news for the avid cult/exploitation fanatics, because lovely Linda grew out to become one most popular and desirable cult wenches on earth! The unwritten rule states: if you like horror, you love Linda Blair. Nah, just kidding, personally I love Linda because she's an unpretentious and not-at-all-prudish natural babe who stars in some of the silliest and trashiest, but simultaneously most entertaining B-movies of the eighties! After the unsurpassable "Chained Heat" – as far as I'm concerned still the Holy Grail of exploitation cinema – this "Savage Streets" is definitely her finest show piece. This vile and nasty hybrid between vigilante thriller and high-school punk gang literally oozes with unmistakable early 80s trademarks, like raw atmosphere, awful music and even worse clothing styles, misogynic violence, gratuitous nudity and loads of uncompromising violence! Set in less glamorous streets of Hollywood, Blair portrays Brenda, the leader of an all-girl high school gang. Brenda is tough and relentless about pretty much everything except for her vulnerable deaf-mute younger sister Heather, whom she protects and defends with her life. Her gang runs into conflict with The Scars, a violent male gang led by the dangerously disturbed Jake. While Brenda is cat-fighting in the shower and receiving morality speeches in the principal's office, the Scars rape her little sister Heather and kill her pregnant friend Francine. So what's a girl to do? She takes a long bath, dresses up in a tight leather outfit and goes out to extract her vengeance! I could probably write two entire pages filled with the flaws and illogicalities that feature in "Savage Streets", but where's the fun in that? Instead, I'll just shamelessly admit that the film provides non-stop trashy entertainment (well, except maybe during the long & unpleasant gang- rape) and glorious sleaze. The overload of nudity mostly comes from nameless extras; you know the type of girls that are extendedly filmed in the shower before the camera pans to the actual dressing room where the main actresses are having a conversation. But don't worry, as Linda goes topless as well, and so does the beautiful Rebecca Perle whose top is ripped off during a wrestling game in class! Blair and Perle have perhaps the nicest pairs of boobs of the entire decade. But in all honesty, "Savage Streets" also contains a handful of notably tense sequences and truly scary and badass male villains. Particularly Robert Dryer (as Jake) and Sal Landi (as Fargo) are terrifically menacing thugs. The climax is a fantastic – but sadly too short – piece of vigilante action that would even make Charles Bronson proud! The forever underrated John Vernon appears as school principal, but his role is fairly insignificant this time.

As part of my "revenge-movie-catch-up," I knew that I HAD to see SAVAGE STREETS. Not only did this have glowing reviews from exploitation fans, but it looked totally amazing as well! Brenda is the toughest girl in her high school who usually goes out with her posse and her sweet, deaf younger sister for some fun. One night, they decide to get back at a gang called the Scars (whom have been hassling them) by jacking their car and then filling it with garbage. The Scars respond by gang-raping Brenda's sister and throwing her pregnant and bride-to-be best friend off a bridge. Brenda decides it's time to adopt the principle of "an eye for an eye," loads up her crossbow, and goes out for some payback.SAVAGE STREETS is classic exploitation at its finest. It has the standard formula (first hour is building on characters, last half hour is payback) and does it very well. This was during Linda Blair's "exploitation days," where it seemed this Oscar-nominated actress would take just about any role as long as the pay was good. I think she did a great job with the role, which surprised me because of how innocent she usually looks (one of my complaints about HELL NIGHT (1981) was that she looked "too Cherubian"). John Vernon makes an appearance as the tough as nails and completely AWESOME principal and spews the classic line about what the gang should do with an iceberg. The actors who play the gang are all over-the-top, but they do come across as despicable people and that's really all that matters.However, my problem here is my problem with most revenge movies: they just wait too long to get to the payback (and awesome) part. But trust me; considering how great that last half hour was, the wait was worth it. A lot of people complain about how a lot of that hour is high school drama where the boyfriend of the head cheerleader keeps hitting on Brenda, but I thought that was all really entertaining (the head cheerleader is just as despicable as the gang members, in my opinion).It's no surprise this was directed by Danny Steinmann, a porn director, because of the abundance of female nudity in it. It was completely unnecessary, yet thankfully, it doesn't really make the film drag like in other movies (THE INVISIBLE MANIAC). The film also features Marcia Karr in a role before she played Rhonda in the phenomenal KILLER WORKOUT (1987) as one of Brenda's friends, as well as everyone's favorite eighties scream queen, Linnea Quigley, as Heather.Even the soundtrack to this movie kicks all sorts of butt, with loads of classic eighties tunes, including the unforgettable "Justice for One." The protagonists are all likable and I really didn't want any of them to die, and as previously stated, the antagonists were all very unlikable and just itching to get an arrow through the throat.SAVAGE STREETS isn't perfect (it skims the surface of being that, though), but there's no arguing that this is a great exploitation movie. Loaded with over-the-top violence, gratuitous nudity, entertaining characters (John Vernon, baby!), likable characters, good suspense, a fast pace, and a great soundtrack. Yes sir, they just don't make 'em like they used to.Essential viewing for everyone.

I saw this movie on the Horror channel in UK.I was never real going to watch but when I was reading the plot, sound good and it really intrigued me. so I gave it go!A teenage vigilante seeks revenge on a group of violent thugs, who raped her handicapped sister and killed her best friend.I was really shocked, that I enjoyed this, it had some descent plot.With some cheesiness adding as well, which worked really well with the rest of the movie.As I really enjoy it , good cheesy movie.There was some shocking moments as well well.The dose feel a little out dated now, who knows there could a remake of this movie just around the comer .(Don't get any idea Hollywood :)).This was really well and never got boring, there still thing they could have done better.I going to give this 5 out of 10

This is a rather late vengeance exploitation-flick, that is almost a good movie.This is really a movie in the vain of violence filled '70's flicks, in which the main character goes on a killing spree, once a loved one gets hurt, raped, or murdered. Charles Bronson his Death Wish movies are of course the best and also best known example of these type of movies. "Savage Streets" is a movie that features such a main premise in it but I can't really say that it handled it very well.First of all, it takes far too long for the 'action' to finally kick in. the movie feels stretched out and could had gotten to its point way earlier on. And when the Linda Blair suddenly goes on her revenge tour, it sort of comes out of the blue. She wasn't the tough, cold and well calculated young woman before that point, who would have no difficulties with taking somebody else his life. And where on Earth did she get that crossbow from so suddenly? Was it lying under her bed for protection all that time? No, it really isn't the most convincing or solidly written movie within its genre but it at least has plenty of redeeming qualities in it still.One is that no matter how stretched out the movie feels at times, it never becomes a boring one to watch. Pointless yes but boring no. Lots of stuff and characters really weren't needed in this movie but they at least keep things going at all time.I really don't think that the lovers of trashy and simplistic cinema would mind watching this movie. The movie is simple, mostly straightforward (good is really good and evil is really evil) and features plenty of nudity and violence, though that last is nothing too impressive or gory to see (and yes, I watched the uncut version). They will take this movie for what it is and also enjoy it for that, though even they will see that that this is not a great movie in any way.Also can't really say that Linda Blair impressed me. She wasn't always very convincing in her role but what was worse; her acting really wasn't that good! Especially when she had to play the tough girl her acting fell through.Not an horrible movie, as far as the genre goes but also not exactly a very impressive one.5/10 http://bobafett1138.blogspot.com/