Rating: 2.5/5
Cult Movie Challenge 2017 | 49/52 | Godfrey Ho
Kristi Jones runs with a gang that participates in street fights to earn money for her sister Karen’s college tuition. After winning a fight, Detective Nick DiMarco rides up to stop it. He only catches Kristi. The gang goes to Karen’s college to help bail Kristi out of jail, concealing that Kristi was involved in a fight.
Anna is worried about her husband, Paul. He used to be so sweet, but he’s changed. He hurts Anna. It began when he quit being a mechanic and started competing in death matches. Her therapist thinks she should leave Paul. It isn’t until Paul SAs her that she finally leaves him.
Paul, known on the streets as Stingray, loses it, his Mommy abandonment issues going into hyperdrive, and he starts to abduct and torture women who resemble Anna. DiMarco is on the case. Things get personal for Kristi when Paul targets Karen.
Cynthia Rothrock is not a great actor, but she can fight and possesses a considerable amount of on-screen charisma. That goes for the rest of the cast, too — these folks want to make a good martial arts movie and are putting their all into it. Most of them aren’t actors but martial arts students, so yeah, of course their acting sucks.
The blend of martial arts and serial killer movies is an unusual choice, but it mostly works!
Unlike Godfrey Ho’s most popular Z-movies, this film doesn’t incorporate footage from other movies. However, he recut the movie with an additional Chinese character storyline for Asian markets, labeling it Bloody Mary Killer.
Man, this movie is so stupid. Why do I like it so much?!
** Stray Thoughts / Spoilers **
- “Maybe you’re too much of a chicken shit to pick on someone your own size,” says DiMarco. “He’s right, you shouldn’t play favorites,” says a thug to his partner.
- I need that hat that says NASTY•GIRL
- Denim vs. leather, with black suits judging. Everyone must be overheating in that hot LA sun.
- “I am not your mother. Every time you call me Mommy, you choke the life out of me.”
- Paul’s going to find Anna. But first, he’s going to hairspray the shit out of his hair.
- “How about some black coffee? And a smile.” Kick his ass, Kristi.
- Bear fights with football shoulder pads and Zoombas.
- DiMarco has no leads on the serial killer case, so he’s letting off some steam in the dojo.
- Those Chinese hook swords look so scary! They’re Cynthia Rothrock’s primary weapon, so she fucking rocks them.
- They break down which fighting technique the killer is using when he rips people’s eyes out.
- Oh my bad, it’s the neck scratches. Only 3 Americans know it!
- The neighborhood watch woman is THIRSTY for some neighborhood drama.
- “Well, most serial killers were seriously abused or neglected as children. They kill to get back at their abusers. I mean, this guy is obviously taking revenge on some woman.” Air-tight psychology.
- “What’s Stringray have eyeballs in a fish tank for?”
- “I’m sore, but the doctors tell me I’m alive, so…”
- Paul licking the blood off the blade is iconic. Hence, making it the movie’s banner.
- We know it’s serious when the two boys rip their shirts off!
- The nail in the eye!
- The hook in the other eye, which they then lift him and carry him away on! So much eye trauma!
- “Keep an eye out for you, Stingray.” “Yeah, see ya!”
- Everyone enrolled everyone in college!