Thriller: A Cruel Picture

The rape-revenge exploitation subgenre it a tough one to defend, especially in the “Me Too” era.  While its female protagonists typically punish the men responsible for their physical and emotional degradation in pleasingly painful ways, the films make us (as male viewers especially) complicit in the initial attack itself in often titillating fashion. There’s no doubt we’re supposed to feel the character’s pain, but are we being asked to enjoy it as well?  

It's an uncomfortable question.  And Thriller: A Cruel Picture (released in the U.S. as They Call Her One Eye) continues to straddle the philosophical fence, punishing its mute heroine from frame one then letting her wreak bloody vengeance for a lifetime of male (and female) oppression.   No small surprise that Tarantino found enough inspiration in this offensive cult classic to reference its character in the Kill Bill saga.

 

Madeleine (played by softcore star Christina Lindberg) has been mute ever since being raped as a child.  Now an adult, her bucolic life in the country is interrupted by a sweet-talking pimp who addicts her to heroine, takes her left eye as punishment and forces her into a life of prostitution.  Madeleine suffers in silence, but plans her revenge, sneaking in self-defense, marksmanship and stunt-driving lessons to prepare for the big day.  When the opportunity arrives, she knocks off clients and employers alike with calculated slow-motion efficiency.

 

Thriller is the sort of rough, grindhouse nastiness that seemed to grow on celluloid like mold in the ‘70s.  It feels sleazy and dangerous; modern-day releases like Ti West’s X can try to co-opt the style, but there’s something disturbingly organic about the original generation.  Sitting through Madeline’s indoctrination is far from pleasurable (especially the uncut version which ads completely unnecessary and distracting hardcore inserts), but it makes her violent third-act rampage all the more satisfying.

 

Synapse Films’ new Blu-ray includes what’s billed as the uncut and uncensored high-definition print in Swedish with English subtitles.  The transfer still has a grainy 42nd street vibe which suits the material quite well.  One imagines a cleaner version will pop up sometime in the future, but collectors might not want to take that chance.  If you’d rather not sit through the graphic sex, a standard DVD of They Call Her One Eye is included in the package as well.  Extras include still galleries, outtakes, alternate sequences, trailers and reversible cover art.

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