Private Parts (1972)

Forget Howard Stern! Leonard Maltin summed up this one best: "If Andy Warhol's Chelsea Girls had been codirected by Alfred Hitchcock and John Waters, it would come close to this directorial debut by Paul Bartel." Yep, before gaining his own cult following, Bartel directed this completely bizarre thriller about a teenage runaway (Ann Ruyman) who drops in unexpectedly on her eccentric Aunt Martha (Lucille Benson, Duel, Bosom Buddies), who owns a hotel populated by freaks and sexual deviants. Soon the girl is taken with the creepy photographer who occupies the room next door. Oh yeah, and there's a killer on the loose. And a major subplot revolving around a water-filled sex doll.

I'm not sure why this one doesn't have a bigger cult reputation. The direction is Hitchcockian, the twist is stupifying, and there's a fantastically sleazy feel to the whole movie. MGM execs were so repulsed by the film that they released it under their "Premier Films" banner, which was only used for a handful of flicks. Seeing Lucille Benson in a leading role isn't at all hard to swallow (and she plays it to the hilt!) but seeing Laurie Main -- an actor mainly known for family fare and Disney projects -- as a blatantly gay priest... well, that's one of the things that makes this movie unique! The one and only complaint I have is that during the final 5 minutes or so of the film, the tone drastically shifts from black comedy thriller to a standard, silly Paul Bartel comedy. Forgivable, but kind of annoying given the greatness that came before it. For fans of '70s sleaze, it's well worth seeking out the DVD.