DAY 22. Revenge!

The 1970s New York film scene was a magical, grimy sandbox. If you ever needed proof that the line between high art, avant-garde theater, and pure exploitation was completely non-existent back then, look no further than Theodore Gershuny’s Sugar Cookies (also known by the arguably sleazier title, Love Me My Way).

Just look at the credits on this thing! It’s a mind-melting collision of future Hollywood prestige, future exploitation royalty and Warhol superstars. It was co-written by Lloyd Kaufman, produced by Oliver Stone and stars Mary Woronov and Lynn Lowry.

The movie centers around Max Pavell (George Shannon), a pornographer and drug dealer. Max treats people like disposable tissues, a point proven when he psychologically warfares his attractive model girlfriend, Alta (Lynn Lowry), into committing suicide while his cameras are rolling. He figures it’s just another day in the office and a great way to sell some snuff-adjacent photos.

Enter Camilla (Mary Woronov), Alta’s deeply intense lesbian partner. Camilla isn’t going to let Max get away with it, but instead of just shooting him, she cooks up a complex, psychological revenge plot. She crosses paths with Julie (also played by Lynn Lowry), an aspiring actress who looks exactly like the late Alta.

Camilla takes Julie under her wing, molds her, trains her to mimic Alta’s every mannerism and unleashes this doppelgänger right into Max’s psychological blind spot. What follows is a bizarre, erotic and tense game of cat-and-mouse that feels like a Euro-sleaze thriller dropped directly into a trashy New York loft.

Lowry is an absolute goddess of 70s independent horror and cult cinema (The Crazies, Shivers). Here, she gets to flex her acting muscles playing two entirely different personalities. She brings that ethereal, slightly unhinged, yet deeply fragile vibe that only she can deliver. And of course, Woronov is the ultimate screen presence. Whether she’s dominating the screen for Andy Warhol, ruling Rock ‘n’ Roll High School or being hilarious in Eating Raoul, she commands attention. Her chemistry with Lowry is electric, cold and captivating.

Keep your eyes peeled for Warhol superstar Ondine as Roderick, legendary adult film icon Jennifer Welles as Max’s secretary, and Monique van Vooren (Flesh for Frankenstein).

Director Theodore Gershuny (who was married to Woronov at the time) shoots this with a cold, stylistic eye that elevates it above its exploitation roots. It oscillates between an arthouse psychodrama and a total sleazefest, never quite settling on either, which is exactly why it works so well.