Category Archives: Darcy DeMoss

#175 Favorite Film, 1986 Films, Camp, Comedy, Darcy DeMoss, Dark Comedy, Linda Carol, Pat Ast, Sexploitation, Sherri Stoner, Sybil Danning, Tiffany Helm, Tom DeSimone, Top 250 Films, Wendy O. Williams

Reform School Girls-1986

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Reform School Girls-1986

Director Tom DeSimone

Starring Linda Carol, Wendy O. Williams, Pat Ast

Top 250 Films #175

Scott’s Review #348

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Reviewed January 9, 2016

Grade: A

Let’s be honest here- Reform School Girls (1986) is neither a work of cinematic art nor a particularly well-acted film.

From a critic’s perspective, it is riddled with stereotypes and objectifies women.

Still, it’s one of my favorite guilty pleasures, with an offbeat charm that makes me want to watch the film over and over again. I never tire of it. I also don’t think it should be reviled, but rather, revered.

There is a perverse magnificence to the film and some similarities to another cult gem- Russ Myers’s Faster Pussycat, Kill!… Kill! (1965)

Critics be damned- not every film needs to be high art!

One of my absolute favorite cult actresses, Pat Ast, famous for another cult gem, 1972’s Heat, stars in Reform School Girls as a vicious correctional officer.

Alongside punk rocker-turned-actress Wendy O. Williams, they make the film a guilty masterpiece, as both women bring their share of odd energy and humor to the flick.

Sybil Danning co-stars as the corrupt Warden Sutter.

The plot of the film is pretty straightforward, and it screams late-night fun.

A virginal teenage girl named Jenny is sent to a reform school run by the sinister warden and her sadistic and abusive henchwoman, Edna (Ast).

While there, Jenny is intimidated by Charlie (Williams), who rules the roost via bullying and threats. Jenny is accompanied by several other terrified girls, who are stripped and degraded by Edna.

This leads to an attempted escape and protest scene by the girls and others as they try to remove themselves from their tormentors.

Reform School Girls is simply great fun.

The poor acting is actually a strength of the film, as one scantily clad female after another prances around the reform school.

Wendy O. Williams regularly wears skimpy panties, a bra, and heels, and is laughable playing a teenager since the actress was pushing forty years old.

The film’s climax is fantastic, as a chase culminates at an enormous tower on the prison grounds, resulting in the dramatic deaths of Charlie and Edna.

Edna’s charred remains are met by an uproar of cheers by the inmates- I half expected them to burst into a chorus of “Ding Dong the Witch Is Dead”.

Reform School Girls (1986) is a perfect cult classic for a late Saturday night.

1984 Films, Barbara Crampton, Brian De Palma, Craig Wasson, Darcy DeMoss, David Haskell, Deborah Shelton, Dennis Franz, Dick Warlock, Frankie Goes to Hollywood, Gregg Henry, Guy Boyd, Helen Shaver, Lane Davies, Melanie Griffith, Satire, Steven Bauer, Thriller

Body Double-1984

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Body Double-1984

Director Brian De Palma

Starring Craig Wasson, Gregg Henry, Melanie Griffith

Scott’s Review #1,475

Reviewed April 5, 2025

Grade: A-

Brian De Palma is one of my favorite directors.

His stylistic body of work in the psychological thriller/horror genre is masterful, with treats such as Carrie (1976) and Dressed to Kill (1980) as my favorite films.

Body Double (1984) allowed De Palma much creative freedom, given the success of these films and the underwhelming yet successful Scarface (1983).

It is a fly-under-the-radar film that pays direct homage to Alfred Hitchcock’s 1950s films, most notably Vertigo (1958) and Rear Window (1954).

I get triple pleasure from watching Body Double. I compare scenes to the above-mentioned Hitchcock films and scenes to De Palma’s own films, especially Dressed to Kill. Plus, it stars Melanie Griffith, the daughter of Hitchcock star Tippi Hedren.

The setting is Los Angeles, with B-movie film sets, posh Hollywood mansions, and hilly views of the vast City of Angels landscape. I am fascinated by the city and its mixture of glitzy glamour and dark subtext, which makes for a perfect setting for watching this film.

While not De Palma’s very best work, it is pretty damned good and somehow isn’t as revered as other films.

Craig Wasson plays Jake Scully, a struggling actor who loses his acting role and his girlfriend, Carol (Barbara Crampton), on the same day. While taking a method-acting class, his friend Sam (Gregg Henry) offers him a gig: house-sitting an ultra-modern home that overlooks mansions.

While peering through the beautiful home’s telescope one night, he spies a gorgeous blonde, Gloria (Deborah Shelton), dancing in her window. Becoming obsessed with her, it leads to a vicious crime and into the world of adult entertainment along with porn star Holly Body (Melanie Griffith).

Fans of De Palma will undoubtedly love Body Double because it feels like a De Palma film. At other times, he veered too far away from his brand for my tastes, but the sultry and glossy voyeurism is fully displayed.

Who won’t instantly think of the museum scene in Dressed to Kill during the mall scene in Body Double?

It’s a titillating cat-and-mouse chase scene with Jake following Gloria through a parking garage, a Fredericks of Hollywood-type store, and ultimately watching her try on panties, which he steals.

The panties serve as a version of the glove in Dressed to Kill, while the final shower scene in Body Double made me think of the steamy shower scene in Dressed to Kill.

I often thought of Rear Window and Vertigo, but De Palma honors them rather than stealing from their treasures. Jake is obsessed with Gloria yet knows nothing of her. Is she who she appears to be? Is she in danger? Is Jake being set up like Scottie was in Vertigo?

The telescope that Jake peers through is a modern version of the one from Rear Window. In both films, a murder is attempted while the protagonist helplessly watches from afar.

Anyone who enjoys acting will be satisfied with a dose of a method acting class being showcased, as well as nifty low-budget sets and set pieces reminiscent of a Hammer Horror set.

Finally, the overarching theme of a ‘body double’ frequently used in films when the ‘star’ is replaced by a stand-in, usually for nude scenes, is cleverly referenced in the final scene when a girl with perfect breasts is used while filming a shower scene.

The trickery of filmmaking is celebrated.

The camera work and musical score are a large part of the appeal. The eroticism smolders while Jake and the audience watch Gloria and Holly dance amid moody, electronic 1980s dance beats. The camera captures the moment perfectly.

The glossy, sensual elements forever link De Palma with Hitchcock, 1980s style.

1980s films are often dismissed as cheesy or mainstream, but Body Double’s look is 1980s in the best possible way.

The expensive cars, the big hair, the cocaine, and the L.A. porn world all mesh together fabulously. Incorporating the monster hit, ‘Relax’, and the band Frankie Goes to Hollywood is a significant win.

With Body Double (1984), De Palma provides slick entertainment and thrilling sensuality, helping launch the career of Melanie Griffith, a star of the 1980s and 1990s.

1986 Films, C. J. Graham, Darcy DeMoss, David Kagen, Horror, Jason Voorhees, Jennifer Cooke, Kerry Noonan, Renée Jones, Slasher, Thom Mathews, Tom McLoughlin, Tony Goldwyn

Friday the 13th Part VI: Jason Lives-1986

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Friday the 13th Part VI: Jason Lives-1986

Director Tom McLoughlin

Starring Thom Mathews, Jennifer Cooke

Scott’s Review #1,074

Reviewed October 26, 2020

Grade: B-

Due to the fan outrage surrounding Friday the 13th: A New Beginning (1985), a film I thought was decent, the powers that be decided a return to form was in order, quickly resurrecting Jason in the corniest way.

Re-discovering the “real Jason” is not the worst idea in the world, but the execution is lacking, and I’m not crazy about introducing a “superhuman” Jason.

How is anyone supposed ever to kill him?

Adding comedy and children is okay with me, but both ideas largely fall flat when paired with poor acting and gimmicky sitcom situations that offer no character development.

No time is invested in getting to know any of the characters.

The heavy metal soundtrack, featuring Alice Cooper, is the best part.

A slicker 1980s visual look doesn’t help the film, though this does come with better production values. The result is not the greatest of all the Fridays.

The chapter gets off to a compelling start when Tommy (Thom Mathews) and his friend Allen Hawes (Ron Palillo- yes, Horshack from the Welcome Back Kotter television series) trudge through the rain and mud back to Camp Crystal Lake to finally bury Tommy’s demons.

Fans of the series will recall that Tommy did a stint in Pinehurst Halfway House, and a pretend Jason went on a killing spree to avenge his son’s death.

The friends dig up Jason’s grave. The murderer is struck by lightning and magically comes back to life, killing Allen. Tommy spends the rest of the film trying to warn the town that Jason is alive, well, and back on a deadly rampage.

The camp has been renamed to the more pleasant-sounding Forest Green to make people forget that numerous killings have ever taken place. This seems to have worked as a busload of kids flocked to the camp for a summer of fun, along with the usual batch of camp counselors in tow.

To the film’s credit, like with its predecessor, there is a black character, this time a counselor named Sissy Baker (Renee Jones), and some of the child characters offer different ethnicities.

The diversity and inclusiveness are to be admired, but unfortunately for Sissy, she is dragged through a window and savagely beheaded.

Jason kindly spares the kids.

I like how there is consistency in keeping the main character, Tommy Jarvis, albeit with a different actor. We’ll probably never know why it was decided to recast John Shepherd with Thom Mathews, but the actors look enough alike to avoid too much confusion.

Like Shepherd, Mathews possesses a wounded look, which makes the casting adequate.

There is a rooting quality to Tommy, especially as he faces adversity with the police department. Sheriff Garris and Deputy Rick are played purely as foils and are a roadblock to capturing Jason.

Any attempt at romantic chemistry between Tommy and Megan (Jennifer Cooke) falls flat because there isn’t any between the actors, try as they might.

Neither are they the best actors in the world (not a requirement for the horror genre), but they do have the right, fresh-faced look warranted for the role.

Megan is the only person who believes Tommy as they race to the camp to stop and kill Jason.

The rest of the film is more of the same and offers no surprises except for more humor. A coked-up pair having sex in a motorhome and a group of corporate types on a paintball outing are examples of this.

The four “suits” beheaded by a machete are the best part of the otherwise campy and obnoxious sequence.

The rest of the characters are systematically killed off, with nothing especially interesting to add to the film.

Writer and director Tom McLoughlin attempts to revitalize the aging series and genre with more special effects and techniques, and does little else to freshen his characters. It would have been nice to get to know some of them better.

By 1986, the slasher film needed rest, and Friday the 13th Part VI: Jason Lives is a dull entry in the series catalog.

There is nothing terrible about the film, nor is there anything memorable either.