A depraved religious fanatic sets out to punish all the "immoral" women who have posed for the center-fold of a men's magazine.

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Justin Stokes from Cleburne, TX
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Andrew Prine is Clement Dunne, a fanatic out to "help" the women who posed for some magazine's annual skin calendar. The problem? His brand of help involves stalking and slit throats. Sporting a skinny build, glasses, a bland suit and hideous shoes that don't match the rest of his attire, Dunne doesn't fit the look of your typical psychopath. However, what he lacks as far as physical menace goes, he more than makes up for in dogged determination.

The Centerfold Girls is the very definition of a grindhouse film. It is a gritty, mean-spirited romp with a bleak world view and a narrow plot. Most of the men in the film are rapists, sleaze balls or exploiters. Then there is Dunne himself, who seems to flip-flop in his motivation. One minute he is wanting to "help" his victims, and the next he is telling them how they have to be punished for the smut they implant in the minds of those who view their calendar. Perhaps the most interesting aspect of the film is the way in which it is structured. We follow Dunne as he hunts down three girls in particular, one segment of the film for each girl. Reminiscent of an anthology, but with the same basic storyline and key character throughout. Only the victims and settings change.

The first act deals with Ms. March and her 24 hours of hell. She leaves her hospital job in L.A. to go see a doctor in a small town for a job interview. On the way there, she picks up a hippie girl who lies her way into getting a ride. Eventually, the former centerfold has to deal with the hippie's raucous friends, a rapist motel owner and naturally, the ever watchful Clement Dunne. This is without doubt the sleaziest of the film's three segments. The girl is toyed with and nearly raped twice, and it only gets worse from there. Aldo Ray plays the motel owner who has a thing for her, but only if she doesn't make things too easy for him.

The second story has Dunne stalking the young Ms. May. She and a few other models are going to an island photo shoot. Dunne follows them and gets to delve out more help than he originally bargained for. This is the weakest part of the film. It follows a typical slasher film structure, but the characters are uninteresting and some of the action is choppy. There are also some really poorly done day-for-night shots. Despite the flaws, it is enjoyable... just underwhelming compared to the opening and close of the picture.

The third and final segment finds Dunne gunning for Vera (the lovely Tiffany Bolling). When she's out one night, a blonde friend uses her bathroom only to fall victim to Dunne in a case of mistaken identity. Vera takes the hint and decides to get out of town. Unfortunately for her, the friend she asks to house-sit is a total moron who gives Dunne the info he needs to track her down. This is the best act of the film, thanks in large part to the strong screen presence of Bolling. I like her quite a bit, and she makes for a worthy adversary to the persistent Dunne. We also get a bit of interaction between the two sans telephone before the attempted murder, something that doesn't happens with the other victims. The final showdown in a patch of leafless trees makes for a strong close to the proceedings.

I have to say, as far as exploitation cinema goes, they don't come much better than this. If it were better known, it would likely be a classic of the genre. I have the Media VHS, and the print really compliments the mood of the picture. For exploitation/grindhouse fans, it gets my highest recommendation.

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tristanb-1 from kansas City
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Superb exploitation nasty. I loved this one. Real dirty and gritty and fast moving. Well-directed with some nice performances.

Andrew Prine is perfectly cast as a saddle-shoe-wearing nerd who is out to "save" all the calender/pin-up girls he can ("save" as in split their head open with a razor). And he really goes about his business. With his ultra-skinny physique and creepy/quirky demeanor he projects kind of a low-rent Norman Bates quality.

Film has three (or is it four?) different stories, each following a girl that Prine is tracking down. The killing is ruthless and quick and somewhat unsettling. Also unsettling is that the girls bounce from one horrific situation to the other like pinballs (ALL the men in this movie are creeps - and most of the women, too!!!).

If you get a chance, and if exploitation with a sharp-edge is your bag check this one out, you might like it.

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adrian_tripod from London, England
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This is the sort of film that has you wishing you could time-travel back to the heyday of the drive-ins to catch it in its ideal environment. Scary, tight lipped Andrew Prine plays a murderous psychopath working his way through a bunch of pretty girls, whose only 'sin' is to have modelled for a sexy calendar. Well-shot, well-acted, but it's the doom-laden mood and oddball structure that makes Centerfold Girls stand out - three stories about three girls linked only through their encounters with the killer, sort of like Pulp Fiction without the self-congratulation. Should be sought after by anyone who likes the darker, stranger drive-in fare of the 70s.

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PeterMitchell-506-564364 from Australia
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I love these seventies movies that are so well made. The Killing Kind and Double Exposure are two that spring to mind here. Why does this film work so well? The fine performance of this excellent actor lead. He is so chilling and it's not just his looks. It's his tone of voice to character too, somewhat like a mislead child in one sense. I guess there's not many people familiar with Prines's work, e.g. Simon King Of The Witches, They're Playing With Fire, but he's an actor who f...in' acts. He's anti pornographic, killing off nude centrefold models of every month, chronologically of course. Cause he's a religious nut, he totally finds this immoral and he's out to punish them. It starts off where he's dumping a body, his trademark after murdering these lovelies, is he plays this creepily ill fitting tune, totally unnerving to the listening viewer I thought. The tune sounds like something out Beyond The Valley Of The Dolls. What's different about this movie and it will come as a bit of annoyance to some people, who might just easily shut it off, is we spend a bit of time with each girl before their demise so we get to know em' a bit. I liked the aspect of that, cause even we may not care much about these girls, you still gotta remember they're human beings. With their screen time, we do tend to care a bit more about em' and in the climax we cheer on the lucky centrefold who outwits this psycho and gives Prine what he truly deserves, and what we've hungrily anticipated.

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(cfc_can@yahoo.com) from Toronto, Ontario
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The Centerfold Girls is a low budget thriller about a serial killer who hunts down women. Not exactly an original idea but the lead performance of Andrew Prine gives the film a bit more merit. In fact, the cast is full of B and Z rated actors (like Aldo Ray who plays an incredibly nasty character) which make things a bit more interesting. What's unusual about the filmn is it's harsh tone. Some of the things that take place on screen are pretty brutal even by today's standards. One wonders what audiences thought of the movie back in 1974. This is one film that women's groups have a right to protest about.

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Woodyanders (Woodyanders@aol.com) from The Last New Jersey Drive-In on the Left
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If anyone was to ask me who's my all-time favorite delightfully dweebish 70's B-horror flick actor, my answer would have to be the ineffably gauche, yet still bizarrely riveting Andrew Prine. With his tall, lanky, ungainly build, gaunt hangdog face, quivering voice, and often antsy, uneasy disposition, Andy was basically a poor man's Anthony Perkins for the Me Decade. Prine established himself as the early 70's twitchy psycho pic performer par excellence with his spot-on spaced-out portrayals of an evil, world-weary warlock in the trippy "Simon, King of the Witches" and a disgusting, desert-dwelling, mother-hating bargain basement misogynist Norman Bates-like oedipal wreck lunatic in the sublimely skanky "Barn of the Naked Dead."

"The Centerfold Girls" finds our boy Andy in first-rate fidgety, fumbling, *beep*ed-in-the-head freakazoid form as Clement Dunne, an awkward, bespectacled, sexually repressed and thoroughly nerdy nutjob sporting a ghastly Beatles shag haircut, equally ugly rumpled leisure suits and unsightly two-tone Buster Brown shoes. The only thing worse than Dunne's hideous coiffure and horrendous wardrobe is his nasty murderous propensity for brutally carving up the assorted sinful scarlet harlots who've posed in the buff for the sleazy skin mag "Bachelor." Dunne's luscious lady victims are a veritable distaff who's who of 70's grindhouse cinema: the gorgeous Tiffany Bolling of "The Candy Snatchers" fame, "Bummer" 's Connie Strickland, Jennifer Ashley (who was previously terrorized by Prine in "Barn of the Naked Dead"), future "The Young and the Restless" daytime TV soap opera series regular Jaime Lyn Bauer, busty brunette Janet ("The G.I. Executioner," "Angels Hard As They Come") Wood, Talie ("The Love-Thrill Murders," "I Spit on Your Corpse") Cochrane, onetime "Penthouse" Pet Anneka di Lorenzo, and no-name lovelies Kitty Carl and Ruth Ross, most of whom do gratuitous nude scenes before Andy bags 'em. The male supporting cast coughs up a similar roll call of down and out exploitation hack perennials: the ubiquitous Aldo Ray as a repulsive would-be rapist, Jeremy Slate as a crusty homicide detective, Ray Danton as a droll adult magazine publisher, huge, hulking, granite-faced veteran tough guy Mike Mazurki as a grouchy mansion grounds keeper, and fat guy character actor Dan Seymour as a motel manager.

John Peyser's tight direction, the almost constant avalanche of bared female flesh, and the harsh, bloody violence add immensely to the deliciously deviant junky fun, while the minimal music, crude cinematography and grainy film stock give this trashy treat the irresistibly seedy aura of a scuzzy no-budget porno feature. Perhaps the film's oddest , most startling and notable aspect is its shockingly blunt, in-your-face vile, sneering and hostile misanthropy and mean-spiritedness: Practically every last character, especially the largely creepy and unpleasant guys, comes across as really hateful, antisocial and unsympathetic a**holes; even Bolling's much-abused stewardess heroine is a snippy, stuck-up bitch. As a result, Prine's wonderfully warped wacko inadvertently seems like more of a semi-justified anti-hero instead of a full-fledged villain. It's this latter alarmingly off-kilter element which truly makes this depraved drive-in dreck one to relish.

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lazarillo from Denver, Colorado and Santiago, Chile
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A moralistic serial killer with a straight razor is carving up girls who have posed nude for a men's magazine. If this seems like pretty weak motivation for a killing spree, it also makes for a pretty weak plot for a movie. This one is all over the place. The first part focuses on a nurse staying at an isolated motel in the mountains (shades of "Psycho")who is abused both by the sleazy hotel owner and a Mansonesque group of hippies, and this is before she runs into the killer. In the second, and most preposterous, part the killer somehow follows a whole group of nude models and photographers to a deserted island where he kills the whole lot of them. In the third part the killer stalks a stewardess from her swinging singles apartment to northern California where her car breaks down and (after she gets picked up and raped by two sailors)the final showdown takes place.

This movie is VERY sleazy. All the girls are brainless sluts who don't even seem to get too upset about being drugged and gang-raped. Every single guy meanwhile is only interesting in assaulting, molesting, or otherwise taking sexual advantage of said women. Incredibly, the deranged killer is the most well-developed and likable character in the whole film. There are only two reasons to recommend this movie. One is Andrew Prine playing one his memorable psychos (he doesn't so much chew the scenery as just gulp it down whole). The other is the truly jaw-dropping collection of early 70's drive-in actresses on display including Tiffany "The Candy Snatchers" Bolling, Jennifer "Tinotera" Ashley, Connie "Black Sampson" Strickland, Janet "Slumber Party '57" Wood, perennial 70's TV actress Jamie Lynn Bauer, and Penthouse Pet of the Year/mafia moll Aneka De Lorenzo. (The only ones missing here are Candice Rialson and Claudia Jennings). Of course, all of these actresses appear au naturel at some point, and in these pre-silicone days they were, of course, all au naturel. So I guess if you REALLY like Andrew Prine or you REALLY want to see a lot of naturally impressive breasts, this movie might be worth watching--otherwise avoid.

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udar55 from Williamsburg, VA
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It ain't easy being sleazy but this film tries its hardest and succeeds. Andrew Prine stars as a repressed young man who decides to "help" centerfold models by killing them. That is the entire plot! The film does do something interesting in that it is an anthology with three separate stalking stories. At the same time, this could easily be the poster child for anyone who belittles horror films and believes they are nothing more than young naked women being stalked and killed. Prine is the film's biggest asset, reminding me of a cross between Val Kilmer and Michael Palin. Also, the final showdown in a burned out patch of forest is quite impressive and surreal looking.

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morrison-dylan-fan from United Kingdom
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After my viewing of the terrible Mary Millington Giallo-Lite British (s)explotation film The Playbirds,which was an "unofficial riff" remake of the proto-Giallo Noirish British film Cover-Girl Killer.So when I heard about this film,my first feeling was one of dread that this would be another disappointing "riff" on the film.When I viewed the film,I instead found an extremely entertaining movie,that does an amazing job at juggling genres.

The plots- (note:due to the film being an anthology movie,I am going to write each "story" of the movie separately.

Serial killer Clemment Dunne decides that he is going to kill every girl who has featured in a "best of the year centrefolds" adult magazine,due to none of the girls now being "pure" and "innercent"

Story 1:

A nurse (Jackie) starts to get very threatening phone calls,from a man who is stalking her,who says that he wants to help "clean her of all her sins" by murdering her.After hearing this,Jackie feels that it is best that she gets as far away from the stalker as possible,by going for a new job that is very far away from her current working place.

As shes fuels up Jackie,meets a free-spirited hitchhiker (Linda Williams),who says that she is completely on her own.Feeling sorry for her Jackie decides to invite Linda to come along with her.

When they at last reach the new place that Jackie hopes to be working at,she is told that the doctor that she was meant to have an interview with for the job is off today.Luckaly Jackies aunt has a villa near by that is currently empty,which she can stay at with Linda for the night.Later in the night,some of Lindas friends decide to pay her and Jackie a visit,which gets Jackie to start thinking that a killer stalker may not be the only thing that she has to fear tonight..

Story 2:

A group of models,who are hoping to get a big "break" into being major stars for adult magazines,go to a remote island for a photo shoot by a man who claims to have all of the connections that they each need to make it big in the business. (Although they each must do him "favors" if they want him to help them break into the business)

When they arrive on the island,they discover that no one else is living on the island,and that the electricity is down.Although,with one of the models (Charlene) having recently been getting some very nasty phone calls from a man (Dunne),they may not actually be the only people that are on the island.

Story 3:

With having had a constant stream of threatening phone calls,and "funeral" flowers from Clemment Dunne,Air Steward-turned pin-up Vera Porter decides to go into hiding,so that there is no chance of Dunne finding her.Just before she leaves,Porter tells one of her best friends where she will be staying,and that her friend should not tell anyone where she is hiding,unless it is for a family emergency.

Inadvetantly,her friend gives Dunne all the details about where Porter is staying,due to him pretending to be her mums doctor.When Clemment finally catches up with Vera,he is astonished to discover that there are other people that are wanting to destroy Porter..

View on the film:

For the three stories in the film,which are all slightly interlocking,screenwriters Arthur Marks and Bob Peete have impressively been able to make each section of the film tackle different genres very successfully.For the first story in the film Marks and Peetes do an extremely enjoyable mini-Giallo! (with the killer wearing gloves during the murderers)

whilst the plot has a similar feel to Umberto Lenzis interesting (though pretty flawed) Giallo Oasis Of Fear,although in this version (which thankfully has made some of the uncountable Manson over tones in Lenzis film,a bit more subtle)the story progresses in a very well paced way,with Jackie warming to Linda,before realising that she may have let her guard down over Linda and her "friends" a bit too soon.

One of the main things that really made this part of the film stand out to me,was director John Peysers very artistic final death scene,which is very cleverly done,and is a scene that would put smiles on Lenzi and Dario Argentos faces!.

Peysers also chucks the viewer straight into a great slasher movie,which along with an excellent location that really sets the mood for the story,is also helped by a mesmerising performance of Andrew Prine as Clemment Dunne,who really shows the characters calculating and ruthless side,in this section of the film.

whilst the last story in the film,is a sadly less gripping road/chase story,it is still a huge amount of fun,with Marks and Peetes letting Dunne see a bit of a different side to one of the girls,and the final chase/battle scene seeming to take place on a stunning forgotten burnt-out planet!.

Final view on the film:

A cleverly written and directed (and very different) anthology film,that any fans of Giallos or Slashers will really enjoy.

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Wizard-8 from Victoria, BC
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I really enjoyed Arthur Marks' drive-in movie "Bonnie's Kids", so I decided to take a look at the movie he did right after it, "The Centerfold Girls". While I would not label the movie a drive-in classic like "Bonnie's Kids", I have to admit that the movie does deliver a lot of nice sleaze. The women in the movie are always taking off their clothes, and there are a number of sexual situations. The movie does have some additional interest. Andrew Prine does well as the serial killer, coming across as believably deranged and awkward like I think many crazy people are in real life. Also interesting is that the movie isn't one story, but three stories connected by Prine's character. This was a wise choice I think, because I think if any of the stories been feature length there would have been some dull spots. As they are, they all feel at an appropriate length. Well worth a look if you are interested in 1970s sleazy drive-in cinema.

exploitation|nude woman murdered|drugged drink|shower|nude model|female nudity|female frontal nudity|model|serial killer|chase|nurse|murder|automobile|slasher|psychopath|centerfold|rampage|independent film|

AKAs Titles:


Certifications:
Australia:MA15+ (2015) (re-rating) / Australia:R (1981) / Iceland:(Banned) / Norway:18 (video premiere) / USA:R / West Germany:18