Saturday, September 28, 2024

Olivia, A Babe, a Knife, and a Toothbrush

She is hot!  You know what that means.  Yep, she's also a complete psycho.  You divorced guys have told me this wisdom. Well, psycho or not, we do like the antagonist in this film as she is really good looking and her victims...well...their brutes (dumb hunks) who had it coming.  Today we look at a 1980s horror film, 1983's "Olivia," directed by Ulli Lommel.

The 20-year old Olivia (Suzanna Love) married the brute Richard (Jeff Winchester) when she was 16. We can't blame her for choosing the wrong mate. He'll abuse, rape, and enslave her.  Richard probably did not know Olivia is a complete nutcase.  Nope. How would he?  When she was five she witnessed her prostitute mother (Bibbe Hansen) beaten to death by a U.S. soldier.  This film takes place in London, by the way. Now grown up, Olivia is imprisoned in a bad and abusive marriage.  Richard demands she stay at home, not have a job, no friends, and give him sex whenever he wants.  We see a problem developing.  Olivia has conversations with her dead mother.  Yep, the dead mom hates men.  Olivia loves her mom and decides to emulate her.  She puts on a short skirt, go-go boots, loud make-up, and leather accessories. Now she walks under the London bridge looking for lonely men.  She finds them, goes home with them, and murders them while in the throes of passion.

Enter Mike (Robert Walker, Jr.). he's an American in London to consult on repairing the London Bridge. Guess who he meets while photographing the bridge. Yep, and the two are enthralled with each other. They'll begin a love affair and Richard finds out.  There will be a struggle and Richard will end up in the river. Olivia runs away and Mike is sent back to the States. You guessed it...serious cultural appropriation occurs. The firm steals London Bridge, puts it in Arizona, and sells luxury condos around it. Mike moves there because of fond memories of deviant and passionate sex. Typical American. Then guess who else shows up!  Yep, but not as Olivia, but as Jenny a sales girl working for the development firm. But wait, she claims she is not Olivia and does not know Mike. Mike is sure its her. Maybe the dead bodies of men showing up under the bridge will be a clue as to whether she is Olivia, or not.

Is Jenny in fact Olivia?  What happened to Richard and what is likely going to happen to Mike?  Are the bodies of men underneath the bridge in Arizona clients who would not pay for the upgrades in their luxury condos?  This is an erotic and bloody one.  Don't figure on knowing what will happen next. Ms. Love turns in a sensual performance, sometimes completely nude.  Gratuitous nudity, gore, and passion are three good reasons to see "Olivia."  

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