Sweet Sixteen (1983) - Bo Hopkins in Memoriam

I watched this in memory of Bo Hopkins, playing the chill easygoing sheriff in a California town (shot in Piru) dealing with a series of teen murders surrounding a fifteen year old named Mellissa, whose father is an archeologist (Patrick Macnee) and mother a former resident (Susan Strasberg).

Dana Kimmel (Friday the 13th Part III) and Steve Antin (The Goonies) are Hopkins' teen kids. Kimmel considers herself quite the amateur detective while Antin thinks Shirley's Mellissa is trouble.

Lots of fun faces in this lesser distinguished slasher such as Sharon Farrell as a state employee sweet on Hopkins, Shanks (Michael Myers in Halloween 5) as Jason Longshadow, a take-no-shit local dealing with racism thanks to the always-loud and troublesome Don Stroud (when isn't he a handful?) and his buddy, and the aforementioned Strasberg and Macnee. Farrell pressing gum-chewing windower Hopkins up against a shelf wanting to go to dinner and her place cracks me up.

Hopkins does get stern with his kids when they don't listen to him and tears into the locals causing him grief for their racism towards Greyfeather, which are all understandable considering the circumstances.

The sexualization of Mellissa since she's established as nearly sixteen in the film was always just yikes. Jason doesn't do himself any favors beating up the deputy but any slasher fan can tell he is a diversion from the real killer.

I liked that when the killings started coinciding with Mellissa's family's arrival the twist isn't so obvious. I think you've seen better and worse than this. The cast is the big reason I like it, especially since Bo is in the lead. Mellissa is very adult for a teenage girl, smoking a cigarette, going skinny-dipping, cussing like a sailor, and casually flirting with boys at the local bar.

Pataki has connections to Strasberg, some sexual tension and brewing animosity...Pataki had been in more horror than I realized.