Posted by Tom Stockman in Featured Articles, General News, Not Available On DVD | 4 comments
NOT Available on DVD: RAPE SQUAD
The titular gang of RAPE SQUAD is not a squad of rapists but rather a group of rape victims who band together to get revenge on their attacker. Released in 1974, RAPE SQUAD is a bad taste bonanza that wants to have it both ways in terms of mixing sexploitation and feminism and the result is a queasy film that’s politically incorrect in a way only possible in the mid 1970’s. Though written by a woman (Betty Conklin), the film’s blatant misogyny is poorly concealed with the most shallow of feminist themes. Sure, the women who comprise the RAPE SQUAD talk the talk about women’s empowerment, but the filmmakers make sure they do so while topless in the hot tub! It’s an interesting look at the sexual politics of its time but RAPE SQUAD is so wrong on so many levels. It’s not an easy film to watch or even to find and it’s NOT available on DVD.
The plot of RAPE SQUAD revolves around the victims of a hockey mask-wearing rapist (Peter Brown) who forces them to sing “Jingle Bells” as he violates them. A group of these women, led by Linda (Jo Ann Harris), band together and decide that the cops, who cleverly nickname the rapist “jingle bells”, aren’t taking the crimes seriously enough and decide to start a women’s group to support and help rape victims. They learn karate from a short female martial-arts instructor named Tiny, and once trained, the Rape Squad turns into a feminist vigilante brigade. Linda goes to a singles bar and lets herself get picked up by a sleazy seducer who had beat a rape conviction. Once back at his place he puts the moves on her, she says “No”, and the rape squad comes crashing through his door in full ass-kicking mode (actually, Tiny throws all the punches while the others just trash his apartment). Along the way, Jingle Bells spies on the women, and while their trying to draw him out, he’s devising his own plan to trap the Rape Squad so he can have a final bit of fun with them all together.….
On the surface, the premise of RAPE SQUAD seems to support sisterhood, but in execution its message is a confusing mix of moral contradictions. The rape scenes themselves have nothing to do with sex and are portrayed most realistically – they are brutal, nasty and completely devoid of eroticism. But the rest of the film is loaded with hefty doses of cleavage, mini-skirts, see-through blouses, and gratuitous nudity, a strategy that undercuts any feminist agenda. All the men are either sex fiends or jerks (“Stop rape ?!?! That’s my favorite sport!” yells a construction worker) and RAPE SQUAD exploits the subject of rape while doling out tepid criticism of the behavior of men towards women. For such a serious subject, RAPE SQUAD is often just ridiculous. A 70’s-style pimp, for example, is abusing one of his girls. The rape squad piles into a VW van and races to the rescue. The pimp is beaten unconscious by Tiny while the other girls smash up his pimpmobile with sledge hammers. Then, like Batman, they’re gone as quickly as they arrived. The bright orange jumpsuit that Jingle Bells wears seems an odd wardrobe choice for someone’s whose job it is to sneak up on women. The writing is at times nonsensical. Linda’s boyfriend doesn’t like her new buddies and accuses her of “tramping around like a diesel dyke!” (I don’t know what that means!). The rape squad holds down the aforementioned lothario and pour blue ink on his offending member. “You’re a marked man now, Mister Rapist!” one squeals.
RAPE SQUAD was directed in a pedestrian TV-level style by Bob Kelljan, best known for COUNT YORGA VAMPIRE (1971) and it’s sequel THE RETURN OF COUNT YORGA (1972). Jo Ann Harris, an actress who did mostly TV work in the 70’s is good as Linda and screams her way through many hysterical scenes well. Oddly cast as Jingle Bells was Peter Brown, a square-jawed cowboy actor who had starred in the western TV shows “Lawman” and “Laredo” in the 60’s. Brown is blandly repellent and was better as a villain opposite Pam Grier in FOXY BROWN (1973). RAPE SQUAD was originally called ACT OF VENGEANCE (it had a VHS release in the mid-80’s under that title) but was retitled to cash in on the popularity of two controversial TV movies that had just aired to huge audiences and Emmy nominations; CRY RAPE (1973) starring Andreas Marcovicci and A CASE OF RAPE (1974) starring Elizabeth Montgomery. The 1973 greek giallo DEATH KISS was retitled THE RAPE KILLER for U.S. screens and it’s sad to think that the word “rape” was at one time put into movie titles to draw an audience, but the fad was thankfully short-lived and exploitation producers went back to giving “rape and revenge” movies more tasteful and subtle titles… like I SPIT ON YOUR GRAVE!
Not to mention the hockey mask years before Jason did it in Part 3. And Harris was also memorable as the teen temptress in the underrated Eastwood film THE BEGUILED.
Nice job, Tom!
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