SLASHER MONTH: The Centerfold Girls (1974)

Directed by John Peyser, who mostly worked in TV, and written by Bob Peete (who wrote for Good TimesWhat’s Happening Now and Amen) and Arthur Marks (Bonnie’s KidsFriday Foster), this is the story of Clement Dunne (Andrew Prine), a man who hates nude women in magazine, cutting off their heads in print and then in real life.

This is broken up into three stories. In the first, Jackie (Jaime Lyn Bauer, who was on 1,556 episodes of The Young and the Restless and 523 of Days of Our Lives) is menaced by nearly everyone she meets, like the hippies who break into her house, cover her in makeup and try to assault her. She runs to a motel where she has to deal with the strange owners (Aldo Ray and Paula Shaw) before finding her way into the not so loving embrace of Dunne.

Next, Melissa (Francine York, who was Marilyn Monroe in the Night Train to Terror spinoff Marilyn Alive and Behind Bars) is in the midst of a photo shoot at a seaside hotel when Dunne arrives. Ruthy Ross, who plays Glory in this scene, was actually the June 1973 Playboy Playmate of the Month. The caretaker in this is Mike Mazurki, who came to America from the Ukraine, graduated from college to be an attorney and ended up being a pro wrestler, Mae West’s bodyguard and a tough guy in plenty of movies; he’s the bodyguard who knocks out Rod Stewart when he stalks Kay Lenz in the “Infatuation” video).

In the last story, Vera (Tiffany Bolling, Wicked, Wicked) is stalked by Dunne over the phone and he kills her roommate thinking it’s her. She goes on the run and gets assaulted by two sailors before finding herself as the final girl all alone in a burned out forest facing off against the black suit-wearing Dunne.

Prine had the idea to have his character dress in all black and live in an all white house, essentially seeing things only as black and white. He’s creepy beyond belief, sitting there listening to old 78 records and collecting the shows of the women he’s cleansed from this existence. Then, he starts phone stalking his next target.

This movie is scummy, but I think if you made it this far, you’re probably going to watch it.

You can watch this on Tubi.

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