Blu-ray Review – Streets of Death

In 1986, writer/director Jeff Hathcock endeavored to make a crime story with "Night Ripper," exploring the developing nightmare of a madman targeting female victims, with the serial killer causing panic in the big city, putting cops and average citizens on the hunt to prevent additional loss of life. To deal with a limited budget and interest in a traditional Hollywood approach, Hathcock elected to make the movie a shot-on-video production, which doesn't pair well with noir-ish touches and suspenseful intent. Registering the experience as a win, Hathcock returns with 1988's "Streets of Death," which is also about a serial killer (two of them this time) targeting female victims, causing panic in the big city, putting cops and average citizens on the hunt to prevent additional loss of life. The helmer isn't afraid to repeat himself with the effort, which is also an SOV offering of stiff acting and iffy creative achievements. Hathcock strives to construct a puzzle of characters and motivations, dealing openly with exploitation interests, but "Streets of Death" isn't a stunning tale of procedure and torture, as the amateurishness of it all tends to wear down potential audience involvement. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com