[SHANTY TRAMP screens Friday April 1st at 7:30pm and Saturday April 2nd at 9:30pm at the Cleveland Cinematheque.]
Review by Bob Ignizio
It's rare to find a movie as gleefully trashy as SHANTY TRAMP, let alone one so cynical and misanthropic. Emily (Lee Holland) is the tramp of the title, happy to sell her body to anyone with the cash. She's not all that picky about her lovers, either. But her lack of caution gets her into trouble when a biker decides to take what he wants without paying. A young black man with the hots for Emily intervenes and winds up framed for rape for his troubles.
This movie has just about everything you could want from a low budget exploitation movie. Incest, nudity, interracial sex, bikers, unconvincing hipster slang, moonshine runners, gore, and even an Elmer Gantry-esque tent revival preacher all figure in the action. Almost all the characters are horrible human beings, and the ones that are good and likeable are pretty much doomed. The rough black and white cinematography just adds to the overall sleaze factor.
