Private Parts (1972)

As Good As It Gets

It's entirely possible that sending the audience out feeling lousy was intentional

It's the kind of movie you'll want to see a second time with someone who hasn't seen it yet, to remember what it was like to watch it for the first time.

One of the worst ways to make a cult movie is to set out to make a cult movie.

Cheryl Stratton came out to L.A. from Cleveland with Judy. The roommates have a fight and she pleads with Aunt Martha for a place to stay at her rundown downtown hotel. The hotel houses a motley group of strange personalities and a serial killer among them.This is Paul Bartel's first full length film. It has his outlandish tastes and quite frankly his amateurish style. This is an indie black comedy horror. The lead Ayn Ruymen can be stretching too hard at times to be this wide-eye innocent. She's not the best actress. Lucille Benson who plays Martha is the best of the lot. The characters are weird but jokes are not widespread. There is a quirky indie charm about the whole enterprise. It's quirky weirdness with a water doll, Psycho peeping, and serial killings. Like many first times, it's a bit messy. It's awkward at times. Not everything works but some of this is unforgettable.

This bizarre and entertaining cult film was Paul Bartel's first feature, and it's probably his most interesting film. Good use of seedy LA locations and an effective score by Hugo Friedhofer create a genuinely creepy atmosphere. Well cast and acted. Lucille Benson, who could easily be Norman Bates' mother,is a standout as Aunt Martha."Too nosy for her own good", runaway Cheryl Stratton investigates the various characters and rooms in her aunt's hotel, while a resident photographer spies on her; ultimately, with her knowledge and participation. Like so many films, Private Parts owes a debt to Psycho. Though the film becomes somewhat silly with the arrival of the 2 policemen near the end, it is original and compelling, and Bartel displays admirable restraint throughout. The film ends with a good last shot:Cheryl checked-in a girl, and checks-out a vicariously experienced woman. When the film opened in New York, at the now defunct First Avenue Screening Room, The New York Times' reviewed it favorably. Happily, it has finally been released on DVD with the trailer. Definitely worth checking out. "Follow Cheryl as she leads you through the darkest corridors of your mind", you'll be glad you did.

I don't want to spoil this film for anyone so I'm just gonna state that it does everything right. From the script to the direction to the acting & especially the production design it is pretty damn perfect. A low budget gem with a wicked double twist ending that still knocks my socks off today. Be reminded there is very little nudity, bloodshed or harsh language here but you'll think it was full of it when the movie is over. That to me is the mark of a great thriller & that's what this is. It was ignored upon it's original release & is just being released this week on DVD. Do not miss this opportunity to watch a genre classic. I don't think it's gonna be available too long & those who know about it have more than likely pre-ordered it already. Don't wait!! This movie rocks....HARD!!!

A runaway bad-girl touches ground at an urban hellhole...a residence hotel owned and operated by her kindly, but captious and set-in-her-ways, Aunt Martha. The tenants of the hotel are a curious bunch, among them a senile old bat, a gay transvestite priest, and a handsome, mysterious photographer with a secret that's darker than pitch. An unidentified psychotic killer is active among them, as well...before long, Aunt Martha's hotel has several unexpected vacancies.A steady momentum of shocks and a vague, peculiar climax help to make PRIVATE PARTS something rather special. Splendidly perverse creative gusto which could only have escaped from the bizarre mind of the sorely missed Paul Bartel...this is a very unusual picture, infused with brooding atmosphere and deftly appointed in every aspect of it's poverty-line production.8/10