Wednesday, January 15, 2014

Judy / The Night Hustlers Drive-In Collection (DVD Review) - Vinegar Syndrome



USA/1968, 1969
Directed By: David W. Hanson, Bobby O’Donald
Written by: , Bobby O’Donald
Starring: Andrea Barr, Margo Billings,
Color/132 Minutes/Not Rated
Region FREE

The Films
JUDY is a sexed up thriller where the plot is more of a way to show off the bodies of some beautiful women than anything that will really pull you in. Detective Sloane is hired for a private case when a wealthy family’s daughter is sexually assaulted in a park. Of course while Sloane is working the case several other women are sexually assaulted in a similar manner. Each assault is shown, mainly from the naked torso up on the female. Occasionally the girls bare it all for the viewing pleasure of the audience. The attacks are rarely graphically violent, leaving their disturbing nature to be enough to get under the audience’s skin. The police force that Sloane was kicked off of is also on his back as they don’t like his tactics in handling his own case and interfering with theirs. It is a case of private detective vs.. dirty cops in a bare all nudey romp around the city.


1968’s THE NIGHT HUSTLERS is about a rich womanizing writer as he talks to a pair of police officers to get details from their juiciest cases and busts to use in his new book. From a female cop going undercover in a drug den, to a live stage show of sex, we get to see these events play out and since that isn’t enough we get to see the writer’s admirers try to seduce him for the night in all of their naked glory. This is a simple sexploitation skin flick and that is all it was ever meant to be.

The Audio & Video
Vinegar Syndrome presents JUDY in a full frame 4:3 aspect ratio. The overall picture quality is good, and the 2K scan seems to be taken from a source that has been kept in good condition. The audio track has a bit of background noise, mostly crackling, at times. There are also some pops and hissing but it is very minor and won’t pose any issue to your enjoy of the film.


THE NIGHT HUSTLERS is presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.85:1 with an anamorphic widescreen transfer taken from a 35mm blow up negative. The picture quality is decent, with scratches and speckling throughout which adds to the charm of these films. Colors and detail are decent overall. The audio is okay, sometimes a bit muffled when the writer is talking, though that is partially due to his odd accent. There’s very little annoying background noise to deal with so it isn’t at all a bad track with all things considered.


The Extras
Bare bones.


The Bottom Line
Vinegar Syndrome brings us a pair of regional US skin flicks for its next entry into the Drive-In Collection set of double features and it is worthy of a spot right alongside the rest of the titles that range from horror to hardcore. This double feature would make a great warm-up for some of Vinegar Syndrome’s harder releases but is also completely enjoyable as a stand alone disc.


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