Review by Kelly
"A teenage vigilante seeks revenge on a group of violent thugs who raped her handicapped sister."
This rape/revenge tale released in 1984 stars the incredible Linda Blair along with a sweet and young Linnea Quigley. This movie is a cult hit among a lot of people within the horror community and I sadly hadn’t ever seen it. I actually had only ever seen Linda Blair in The Exorcist 1, 2 and the ridiculous 1990 spoof called Repossessed with Leslie Neilson.
Linda Blair plays Brenda, a tough ass chick whose sister is Heather played by Linnea Quigley. Heather is deaf, mute and has very close relationship with Brenda. While waiting for Brenda after school one day, Heather is raped and beaten by a gang of vile teenage miscreants. These men have zero regard for human life and absolutely no respect for women. Throughout the film, they assault and harass a variety of women.Thankfully, one guy who was involved with the incident becomes incredibly remorseful and apologizes. He, like many men within the rape/revenge subgenre, was coerced into the rape due to toxic masculinity. Afraid of being different or expressing their distaste for rape and therefore being seen as weak, these men go along with it. He is spared from the wrath of Brenda. Later in the movie this band of trash men perform another tragic act which furthers the fury behind Brenda’s revenge.
Savage Streets is wonderfully 80s, from the music to the clothing, and full of crass language. When Brenda starts her vengeful journey, the theme song called "Justice for One" is played. It was sung by John Farnham and apparently was never officially released to the public but may be found on rare promos of the movie. Linda Blair is fantastic, tough and beautiful. Her mullet is spectacular. The acting was great including all the terrible characters. My favorite part of this entire movie, besides the cheesy 80s theme song, was the fact that the weapon used for the attack on the rapists was a goddamn crossbow. A CROSSBOW.
If you like movies based on revenge, Linda Blair, or anything from the 80s, check this one out. You will be grooving to “Justice for One” all night!
