Switchblade Sisters (1975)

"We're Jezebels, cop. Remember that name!"

You know I was thinking about putting together a list of films with my favorite final girls or "slasher survivors" if the former term for the young ladies who survive to the end is outmoded, and watching Jack Hill's Switchblade Sisters, instead I'm thinking of my favorite films involving badass women. I want to say back in the mid aughts on the IMDb Horror message board what our favorite exploitation films often came up as a topic. I'm thinking this film, Ms. 45, and Thriller - They Call Her One Eye all three led the pack. But Hill, now that I think of it, is one of my favorite directors. High school gangs, Silver Daggers and the Crabs and the Dirty Debs, the faculty terrified, the police seemingly powerless, the prison guards handcuffed due their own corruption, Patch jealous of Maggie's sudden emergence as a Dirty Deb while Dagger leader Dom desires Maggie, and gang wars...Hill just captures all that nastiness and hostility, fighting and attitude, crime and street action in the exploitation 70s graffitied city. It's so exaggerated and over the top. I love it. QT turned me on to this back during his rise after Pulp Fiction.

I realized I didn't have this in my physical media library while watching it on Shudder...I'm rectifying that after purchasing the Arrow Blu.

Most horrifying moment...

Silver Daggers shootout with The Crabs resulting in others casualties including Dom and Lace suffering a miscarriage when the Crabs after setting up her own gangs in the hopes of Maggie being killed! Civilians were just skating at a roller rink without a care in the world.

Bad ass moment:

the Silver Daggers are down members and refuse to listen to Maggie who wants revenge against the Crabs with the newly minted Jezebels kicking those boys to the curb.

Robbie Lee's performance is legendary as Lace...she puts emphasis on words, a lot of punch on the dialogue while Monica Gayle as Patch gets in her head about taking out Maggie. Maggie joining forces with Muff and her Maoist revolutionaries certainly comes out of left field, but they kick The Crabs' ass in epic style. The streets become quite a warzone! 5/5