Tony Awful acting, terrible dialogue. Uses a shocking story to just show tits and bums, juvenile in the extreme. This pretends to portray a very horrific story, but uses it for it's own puerile needs.Far better has been done before, this belongs to the sexploitation genre.

Lechuguilla Except for victim names, this true-life story of the infamous serial killings in Los Angeles in the late 1970s is mostly factual, and is told from the POV of the two killers: Kenneth Bianchi (C. Thomas Howell) and Angelo Buono (Nicholas Turturro). As such, the film functions largely as a character study of these two criminals. The script is structured as a series of events, in chronological order, beginning with Bianchi's life in upstate New York, where he started out as a petty thief.Although he apparently tried to live a reasonably normal life, Bianchi felt constantly rejected, especially in his repeated, unsuccessful efforts to join the police force. He tells his mom: "Whatever I do, nothing ever turns out right; sometimes I just want to find some tall building and take a big fall".His hook-up with Angelo Buono in Los Angeles proves fatal. Buono, a domineering, unctuous brute who haunts the tawdry, seedy areas of LA, persuades Bianchi to go into the hooker business. But that effort backfires as a result of one particular prostitute and as a result, the two men lose their "business". Seeking "payback", they lure into their presence, and then kill, a whole series of women, mostly street hookers, as a way to "settle the score".Their murder partnership calls to mind the symbiotic relationship between Perry Smith and Dick Hickock, in the film "In Cold Blood" (1967). It was the liaison, the merger of mindsets that ultimately led to the killings.Some of the scenes in "The Hillside Strangler" are quite graphic. They are hard to watch because the victims are portrayed as real people who happened to be at the wrong place at the wrong time. I think the Director could have spent less time showing us the nude bodies of the victims, which strikes me as gratuitous and unnecessary.Both C. Thomas Howell and Nicholas Turturro give performances that are credible. Allison Lange, as Bianchi's girlfriend in LA, provides about the only semblance of humanity in this dark story. Toward the film's end, an effort to enact a copycat killing renders an interestingly strange plot twist that presumably really happened.The entire story is very depressing and disturbing. However, visual shock value notwithstanding, the film's presentation of that story is realistic and credible. It's not for the faint of heart. And the film's story has greater breadth than depth. But as a general overview of events and of the mindset of the two criminals, "The Hillside Strangler" is certainly worth watching.

Tammy08 I watched this film with a mix of dread and anguish. At more than one point I was shouting at the screen; 'No, no! Oh Lord! Don't kill her! Oh let her go!'And other pointless instructions. The victims were tragic specially victim number two, the addle brained young hooker who, on being fooled into believing she was being arrested was taken to the cousins home and started to realise something was wrong, quietly begged Kenneth Bianchi 'you aren't gonna hurt me, are you, Mister?'While Angelo Buono was in the bedroom preparing her death bed. According to the sleeve notes in the UK DVD version, the genius level producer Mr Hamish McAlpine wanted to make clear that these two men were not role models, after being accused of making Ted Bundy and Ed Gein, the other two serial killer subjects of his films too sympathetic. Well, he succeeded! Evil swines, both of them. Mr Buono died of a heart attack a bit back but Mr Bianchi is still in prison, lying and fooling those around him that he is a changed man! My favourite scene was when that black pimp and his gang threatened the twosome with guns and Ken was begging for his life, even though sparky little Angelo stood up to them. One slight niggling complaint; Mr Nicholas Turturro who portrayed Mr Buono was far too handsome and clever in a cocky posturing macho way. The real Mr Buono was an ugly slow witted low life who didn't kill before or after Mr Bianchi came into his life. Also, I think there should have been some kind of sequel made, where Mr Bianchi took on the whole forensic psychological profession with his faked tale of Multiple Personality Disorder and held them to a draw for a good while, till he was seen through. THAT would make a whole film in itself. All the same - whenever two men come to repair anything in my home, I always make sure neither of them can get behind me with a rope, just in case!

le_harpo This movie was great that filmmakers really got the vibe of the 2 psychos who did the crimes and i learned a lot. The murder scenes are hard to watch but necessary for the movie. Watch it if you can handle it! The film starts slow with a good character build up and it also is telling me the psychological factors involved with what they did. It This movie has the same vibe as BUNDY with a deep delving into the psychosis of the murders. This movie did a lot of good to me as i am studying modern true crime and i used this movie for my reference. It made me feel sorry for the c Thomas Howell character because i fell he would have been nicer.