As an avid lover of 70s Exploitation cinema I was quite excited to finally see "Thriller - en grym film" (aka. "Thriller: A Cruel Picture"/"They Call Her One-Eye") of 1974, as it is a film that enjoys a certain cult-status among many exploitation lovers. Not in my book, however, as "Thriller" turned out to be one of the biggest disappointments of recent months. I am an enthusiastic fan of ultra-violent and sleazy exploitation, so I'm not criticizing the film for being 'sick' of anything. On the contrary. the film isn't nearly as shocking or disturbing as it's hyped to be, but what really makes it disappointing is the fact that it lacks the slightest logic.
Frigga (Christina Lindberg) is a young girl living on a farm with her parents. After she was raped by an old man as a little girl, Frigga has ceased to talk and become a mute. In spite of the traumatic events in her childhood, she blindly trusts a sleazy guy named Tony, who offers to give her a ride into town, and henceforth forces her into prostitution. Tony writes letters to Friggas parents in her name, explaining that she doesn't love them any more. And her parents immediately believe the lies, and subsequently kill themselves - now that makes a lot of sense. But that's not all: Tony makes Frigga a heroin addict (in this film, heroin addicts die when they don't get a shot), he forces her into prostitution and even stabs one of her eyes out when she refuses to have sex with a customer. Yet, he never rapes her himself, he gives her a percentage of the money she earns him, and he even gives her a day off a week, on which she can do what she wants - and the day off as well as the money give her the opportunity to do karate- and shooting classes in order to plan her revenge...
I admit that the film has some strong points, but the storyline is about as illogical as it gets. Christina Lindberg became a minor sex-star in Exploitation cinema, but I'm not one of her fans. While some people find her hot, I think she just looks like a 15-year-old girl (which is too young for my tastes at least). This makes her quite predestined for her role here, however, as what makes this film interesting is Frigga's conversion from an innocent child-like young woman into a merciless, blood-thirsty avenger. Also, the idea with the eye-patch was pretty cool. So the film has its qualities, but it has at least as many faults. The supposed shock moments are in no way spectacular, and the (extremely) slow motion in any action sequence is more than tiresome. The (crappy) hardcore porn sequences, which were obviously done with other people, seem superfluous and terribly out of place. I have no problem whatsoever with porn sequences in non-porn films, and I do not find such sequences offensive or anything, but they simply don't fit in here, and they furthermore give the impression that director Bo Arne Vibenius saw no difference in making exploitation cinema or plain pornography. The 70s spawned quite a number of rape and revenge flicks, and while this is one of the most overrated ones it is also one of the dullest. The film has many similarities to Meir Zarchi's "I Spit On Your Grave" (aka. "Day Of The Woman", 1978), which is often bashed, but a deeply disturbing and great film that is a lot more recommendable than this one. It is also sometimes compared to Wes Craven'S 1972 revenge classic "The Last House On The Left", but these comparisons are not really justified, since it's the parents, not the victims, who take revenge there.
Overall, "Thiller" has its qualities, and it may be worth checking out for my fellow exploitation fans, but I advise to keep your expectations low, since the chances for being disappointed are high. I sure was.
Frigga (Christina Lindberg) is a young girl living on a farm with her parents. After she was raped by an old man as a little girl, Frigga has ceased to talk and become a mute. In spite of the traumatic events in her childhood, she blindly trusts a sleazy guy named Tony, who offers to give her a ride into town, and henceforth forces her into prostitution. Tony writes letters to Friggas parents in her name, explaining that she doesn't love them any more. And her parents immediately believe the lies, and subsequently kill themselves - now that makes a lot of sense. But that's not all: Tony makes Frigga a heroin addict (in this film, heroin addicts die when they don't get a shot), he forces her into prostitution and even stabs one of her eyes out when she refuses to have sex with a customer. Yet, he never rapes her himself, he gives her a percentage of the money she earns him, and he even gives her a day off a week, on which she can do what she wants - and the day off as well as the money give her the opportunity to do karate- and shooting classes in order to plan her revenge...
I admit that the film has some strong points, but the storyline is about as illogical as it gets. Christina Lindberg became a minor sex-star in Exploitation cinema, but I'm not one of her fans. While some people find her hot, I think she just looks like a 15-year-old girl (which is too young for my tastes at least). This makes her quite predestined for her role here, however, as what makes this film interesting is Frigga's conversion from an innocent child-like young woman into a merciless, blood-thirsty avenger. Also, the idea with the eye-patch was pretty cool. So the film has its qualities, but it has at least as many faults. The supposed shock moments are in no way spectacular, and the (extremely) slow motion in any action sequence is more than tiresome. The (crappy) hardcore porn sequences, which were obviously done with other people, seem superfluous and terribly out of place. I have no problem whatsoever with porn sequences in non-porn films, and I do not find such sequences offensive or anything, but they simply don't fit in here, and they furthermore give the impression that director Bo Arne Vibenius saw no difference in making exploitation cinema or plain pornography. The 70s spawned quite a number of rape and revenge flicks, and while this is one of the most overrated ones it is also one of the dullest. The film has many similarities to Meir Zarchi's "I Spit On Your Grave" (aka. "Day Of The Woman", 1978), which is often bashed, but a deeply disturbing and great film that is a lot more recommendable than this one. It is also sometimes compared to Wes Craven'S 1972 revenge classic "The Last House On The Left", but these comparisons are not really justified, since it's the parents, not the victims, who take revenge there.
Overall, "Thiller" has its qualities, and it may be worth checking out for my fellow exploitation fans, but I advise to keep your expectations low, since the chances for being disappointed are high. I sure was.