MovieChat Forums > Born Innocent (1974) Discussion > SICK, TWISTED and BIZARRE

SICK, TWISTED and BIZARRE


I cannot imagine what sort of mind came up with this absolutely twisted film. It is so incredibly dire, pathetic and revolting from the opening credits, to the casting, to the script,the music, the performances, etc. I am a big 70s camp film buff, but this film is just so warped, i cannot for the life of me figure out why and how this was ever made. 1974 was a trippy time, but this pic is beyond any and all comprehension....would love to hear other opinions on this whacked picture.

reply

I agree. It was a very intense film.
But i still was interested by it, i just don't understand the point!
Linda blair is so great though!

reply

How can you all not get the point to this film? I guess you really do have to spell things out for some people. "You turn good kids into bad kids by throwing them in together in state institutions." Like if you have a runaway or slightly wayward kid and you throw him or her into Juvie. . . trust me they will be worse after the fact. . . Get it??? Jesus Christ we have some dumb folks out there. I think it is an excellent film because it never preaches this and just lets the events unfold. It is a very moving and sad film. The music score by Fred Karlin is awesome. He is also a really cool person and so is Linda Blair. This was such and infamous TV movie at the time, it would be interesting to hear interviews with the lesser known young actresses in this film.

reply

I saw this film back in the early 80's on tv and it scared me back then. The seventies tv movies are different from tv todaybecause of censors and watchdog groups.

reply

[deleted]

"Jesus Christ we have some dumb folks out there."

They must all be from Tennessee!

reply

[deleted]

but good!



When there's no more room in hell, The dead will walk the earth...

reply

To be balanced, it was ok. Seeing it in the context of it's time, I think that it is at best an "average" bit of teleplay, and at worst, exploitation thinly disguised as an important "exposé" or scared straight message.

It supposedly shows us a cautionary tale of what happens to bad kids (those unsavoury ne'er do wells who defy their parents, runaway, smoke, drink, try drugs, hang out in pinball arcades, ride motorcycles, dress provocatively, go parking at lover's lane, rumble with gangs, shoplift, get in the car with strangers, etc) as a lesson, but it appears more like a way to tactically relax the censors and sell some more ad time with prurient, suggestive content. Linda Blair was still popular from her Exorcist role in 1973, and she was probably cast for the same reason, that she had that baby-face look and despite her age was willing to work with adult themes.

The producers were possibly influenced by Corman-esque sexploitation films, like Women in Cages (from 1971) or other film makers who were pushing the boundaries of what was permissible in edgy cinema at the time without earning the dreaded X rating (today X is immediately associated with porn, but it simply meant "for adult audiences only"), like Beyond the Valley of the Dolls or the Best Picture winning Midnight Cowboy (both from 1970).

"Sick, twisted and bizarre"? I don't think so. But many films of this genre have certainly been done better.

reply