Watch Stripped to Kill For Free

Simply A Masterpiece

Great Film overall

There are better movies of two hours length. I loved the actress'performance.

This film is so real. It treats its characters with so much care and sensitivity.

What happens when you hire a competent female writer/director to make a low-budget T&A horror-thriller with a strip club setting? You get compromise, and a kind of tug-of-war effect between exploitation and realism. While this one has a more-than-generous amount of T&A and violence, it should also be given credit for delivering a gritty, credible and often unflattering look inside a strip club and the women who populate it. The dancing is explored for all its worth and from all possible angles; exploitation, entertainment, eroticism, even as art. Some of the dancers view their occupation as being a way to express themselves through dance while others think of it as just a paycheck for another night's work. A few are lesbians, some have drug problems, most have criminal records and a few even seem like reasonably well-adjusted women who find stripping unpredictable and exciting.The club itself is so atmospherically represented that you can almost smell the cigarette smoke in the hallways. The door of the girl's dressing room, the congregation place where the girls change, bitch about customers, reflect on their lives and pasts, etc., has "Women" scratched out and "Sluts" amusingly spray-painted over it. Much of the dialogue between them is laced with cynicism, no doubt based on a life's worth of problems, failures and disappointments. All of the girls are given just enough personality to be likable and what seems seedy at first eventually turns into a somewhat accommodating place for outcasts of all types once the heroine of this film gains employment as one of the dancers.The heroine is question is a reserved tomboy policewoman played by Kay Lenz, who goes undercover at the club when a serial killer begins targeting the strippers. Sure, we've seen this exact same plot many times before (at least I have), but this movie takes it a step further. Not only is Lenz trying to crack the case but her character is learning and opening up in the process. This assignment allows her an outlet from the male dominated police force and the opportunity to explore her femininity and sexuality. She also discovers an odd kinship and inner working between the women and gets a little too involved on a personal level. It's an interesting role and Lenz (a sorely overlooked actress over the years) is great in it. And yeah, she does several nude scenes and looks great doing so, but it's a thoughtful, very good performance that doesn't rely on her couple of nude scenes to be memorable. Norman Fell also has a great supporting role as the no-nonsense club owner, who's every bit as dry and world-weary as his girls.The biggest gripe I see about this film is that there are too many dance scenes and they're too long. This is no doubt just filling producer Corman's quotient of T&A for direct-to-video profit. Well fine, we get the naked girls and get the stripping. Plenty of each. What I don't see usually pointed out is that the dance scenes themselves are entertaining. They usually incorporate some interesting props (motorcycles, fire, a giant spider web...) or have a specific theme and with the lighting mixed in, it does come off as performance art at times. In addition, you can tell the women hired in these roles are actually either professionally trained dancers or actual strippers (or ex-strippers) because their stage performances incorporate flips, splits and a flexibility that requires dance training. The soundtrack is full of dated 80s-style rock, usually with a female vocalist, but it's tolerable. The biggest gripe I had with the film is that the slasher movie plot seems almost an unnecessary afterthought. I was far more interested in the everything else that was going on that I almost lost complete interest in who was actually killing the strippers.Without question, Katt Shea Ruben is one of the most talented writer-directors Roger Corman employed in the 80s and 90s. She was one of the few with the ability to transcend the formulaic material and anemic budgets to create films that are distinctive, thoughtful, personal and interesting. And like many other notable cult/underground directors, she has never, and may never, receive much recognition or attention, and that's a true shame. I especially recommend her films DANCE OF THE DAMNED (1988; an intriguing and original vampire film which has sadly slipped into obscurity over the years) and STREETS (1990; a grim drama/thriller starring Christina Applegate). While STRIPPED TO KILL might not be as impressive as the aforementioned films, and a bit more weighted down and padded out, it's still a bright starting point for the director and well worth checking out.

WHen I first saw this film, I must say I wasn't too impressed with it. Poorly lighted in some spots, shoddy acting from some of the girls, a lame twist ending, etc. A few rays of light shines on in this film. The late Norman Fell was one, the gorgeous dancers were too. But I really loved the soundtrack. I think the soundtrack saved this film from being a complete bore.All the girls were excellent dancers,except for Kay Lenz, who despite having a decent body, can't dance to save her life!Greg Evigan was here as the hero, but he was boring too.This is the kind of film one might see on a late night cable program. Something that SHOWTIME or HBO might run at around 2:00 am.

well,one of us is confused. With the right attitude,this is a terrfic movie starring the lovely Kay Lenz. If you liked her in "Breezy", you'll like her as much in this campy romp.A maniac is killing strippers at a club..and the strippers won't talk to the cops. There is only one answer. The beauteous Detective Cody has to go undercover.Her partner talks her into entering an amateur contest.The winner ,as measured by an applause meter, get a full-time job .She does so,and then says to her partner, "But what if I don't win the applause meter?" "Sure you will " says her partner."All the guys will be there!"The audience packed with hooting cops, Detective Cody is hesitant at first,but loosens and bring it all home.The problem is that she is a gorgeous woman, but not a great stripper. But she works hard, watches others, practices, and learns from the other girls. Soon she is a star, and liking it more and more. She is..liberated! (hey,it could happen. right?)At one point, the cops think they've nailed the guy and she is pulled off the case..but she refuses to quit! Dedication to justice is a praiseworthy quality. When to see her final show,you will agree!This is a movie with good music,lots of stripping, some humor, a plot, and Kay Lenz (and friends)with no clothes on frequently. I'm ready for a sequel! Recommended...

I watched the two "Stripped to Kill" films back-to-back, and here are a few thoughts on them in case anyone (?) is interested:1. The original is a piece of almost unbelievably sleazy gutter trash. There is no other way to describe it. If this description attracts you, see it, otherwise, AVOID IT. To be fair, though, the revelation of the killer's identity IS a surprise, and Kay Lenz is pretty good under the circumstances.2. The second film is a slightly more polished production (though it still seems rushed), and has a few less strip numbers (though still too many). Again, the finale is kind of unexpected, but other aspects (like dialogue and sets) are very bad.Conclusion: Rent these two films only if you need a voyeuristic fix. "Stripped" is the key word here.