Cheap Love Thrill Murders (Video) (Robert L. Roberts) Price

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Sex, Drugs, Murder & Troy Donahue
Perhaps the initial draw of "The Love Thrill Murders" is the novelty of seeing late-`50s teen heartthrob Troy Donahue play a Manson-like cult leader, but the movie holds up beyond this bit of stunt casting. With shoulder-length blond hair, a full beard and wearing a leather jacket, it's hard to believe is the same Troy Donahue who starred in "A Summer Place." In this New York re-telling of the "Manson family" murders of Sharon Tate and her house guests, Donahue is Moon, leader of a commune where sex, drugs and overwrought acoustic guitar songs are the order of the day (and pretty much in that order). In the movie's second act, Moon and a select few of his followers attend a party thrown by an actress who's supposed to be so famous she has to dodge tabloid reporters, yet she lives in a middle class suburban house and serves a spread that looks like church potluck. The actress' friends include a middle-aged playwright and his vapid girlfriend, a predatory lesbian and "Fritzi," a gay man so effeminate he makes RuPaul seem butch. It's here that the movie becomes a softcore sex film (the video version reportedly was trimmed slightly to get an R-rating). After snacking on cheese puffs and smoking pot, the guests pair up. Oddly, to be members of a cult that espouses freedom from hang-ups, a couple of Moon's followers sure are whiny when assigned partners of the same sex. (Then again I wouldn't want to be paired with Fritzi, either, even if we are on the same team.) While the lesbian has her way with her pet hippie (who seemingly plays dead for the experience) and Fritzi dresses up in drag (the ploy wins over his jittery stud, even if Fritzi's get-up makes him look like Betty Thomas impersonating Tammy Wynette), the incomparable Talie Cochrane does a sexy dance for Moon. Then, after a subliminal flash of some orgy action, the inevitable carnage. <
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>"The Love Thrill Murders" is a sleazy, exploitive exercise (more so when it was first released, as "Sweet Savior," a mere two years following the Manson murders), but it's a fascinating movie nonetheless. Donahue gives an effective, understated performance, and Cochrane evokes a rough-trade sexiness that enables her to easily steal scenes from her less-assured co-stars. Aside from the laughably unconvincing portrayal of upscale living, the production values are above average for this sort of film. This movie even has a fairly decent soundtrack, a cult-member's heavy-handed folk song notwithstanding. Though director Robert L. Roberts' taste is highly suspect (he later went on to direct "Patty," a hard-X retelling of the Patricia Hearst kidnapping), he proved pretty adroit at crafting entertaining sleaze. <
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Troy Donahue......and Manson
Yes, that's former '50's teen heartthrob Troy Donahue playing the Manson inspired cult leader in this roman a clef based on the Manson Family and the Sharon Tate murders.For those wanting more graphic fare than the'76 T V movie HELTER SKELTER could provide,this is for you.Troy actually turns in a decent,subdued performance as the charismatic guru.We see much dope taking and nudity,and rampantly immoral behavior is encouraged in the group,which climaxes at the bloodbath at the ''pig'' house near the end.As a note to viewers, this was first released(barely) to the drive-in/grindhouse circuit in 1971, with a different title,''SWEET SAVIOR''. The title was changed for obvious reasons by Troma when they re-released it in 1985.

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fine trash from the troma team!
As far as low-brow entertainment goes, it's hard to beat a Troma team video. This is a fictionalized account of the Manson family's murders back in the 70's of some affluent California residents (actress Sharon Tate, pregnant at the time, was one of them). Okay, not a great spoof premise, but the video is creepy and funny at the same time. Some cool nudity and nifty jabs at the establishment.