3/5 Interesting, overlooked indie slasher.
  by Robert P. Beveridge (Cleveland, OH)
Sweet Sixteen (Jim Sotos, 1982)

Jim Sotos--a nom de plume for music video and TV commercial mogul Dimitri Sotirakis--directed only four movies in his long and distinguished career, but all four of them are well-respected by a small, but steadily growing, number of critics and fans. Interestingly, Sotirakis' four movies are all in different genres. Forced Entry was a straight thriller. Hot Moves was a cheap exploitation film. Beverly Hills Brats was a family comedy. And then there is Sweet Sixteen, his entry into the horror genre. It's a pretty basic slasher film with supernatural elements, but Sotirakis' ability to convince pretty big names to appear in his movies, as well as his distinctive directorial style, put Sweet Sixteen above the average level of film coming out during the great slasher film glut of the early eighties.

Melissa (Aleisa Shirley from Spacehunter: Adventures in the Forbidden Zone) and her family have just moved to a small desert town (and we get the feeling this isn't the first time they've moved house in the recent past) that seems quiet on the surface, but has a lingering, nasty racism brewing just beneath the surface. Melissa, being the naïve new kid, stumbles into the middle of a confrontation between a Native American man and a high school classmate (which has nothing to do with my plot synopsis, but sets up a lot of stuff later, so pay attention to it) before she and a prospective new boyfriend head off for some alone time. Everything's all well and good until he turns up dead the next morning. This starts a trend, unfortunately, and suspicion falls equally on Melissa and Jason Longshadow (Don Shanks of Halloween 5), the Native American guy I mentioned before. Melissa's father, archaeologist John Morgan (The Avengers' Patrick Macnee), being more civilized than the natives, doesn't believe the red Injun is responsible (since everyone else thinks he is because he's a red Injun) and can't believe his daughter capable of the murders, so he sets out to figure out what's going on before one of them gets lynched.

One of the things that distinguishes Sweet Sixteen from its contemporaries is its examination of racism. Sure, by 1982, film had explored racism before. But in slasher films? Not your typical content. As well, when was the last time you saw Patrick Macnee in a slasher flick? (You never did again, either.) As well, the cast also includes Susan Strasberg (as Melissa's beleaguered mom) and Don Stroud; a pretty heavy cast indeed for an early-eighties movie of any sort not produced by Irwin Allen. While the script (the first--and last--feature-length script by Erwin Goldman) doesn't give the cast a great deal to work with, they do what they can, and make the material seem a bit better tan it actually is. Not too many surprises to be had here, but it's a good, solid slasher flick from the heyday of slasher flicks, and it's been unjustly overlooked in recent years. Rediscover it if you're a fan of the genre; it's worth your while. ***


4/5 HIGH CAMP IN THE 80'S
  by Doc Livingston (Las Vegas, NV)
Look at the cast for this little movie! Not the most brilliant screenplay, but a very camp murder mystery. Worth having for your collection.

3/5 everyone is DYING to meet her
  by Bartok Kinski (Prague)
The film revolves around Melissa, a girl turning sixteen. The boys adore her...but they can't seem to be around her for an extended time. As the tag line declares, "everyone is DYING to meet her". Every boy around Melissa dies soon after encountering her. Sweet Sixteen is a cryptic film that is often enjoyable. Not often is the horror genre mixed with mystification, but in the case of Sweet Sixteen it is. Southern Sheriff Bo Hopkins is once again a crumb to watch, as he plays the role for the hundredth time. The film isn't as obvious as you might think, and it holds your interest until the finale. Few flaws in the film makes it a pleasurable viewing. You'll enjoy the film and its astounding climax. The acting is standard, and the film is as well.