Unholy Rollers

Claudia Jennings plays Karen Walker, a tough bitch with an attitude working in a cat food company. After watching a sporting event named ‘roller derby’, she decides to tell her boss to ‘fuck off’ and becomes a roller derby girl. Soon, she goes from young upstart to superstar, but faces many enemies on the way, from competition from other teams, to girls in her own team who want to become the stars as well. Soon, her mind might not be able to take it all.

Last update, I reviewed a documentary about roller derby events in the new millennium. This film was done in the early 70’s, produced by Roger Corman, who wanted to cash in on the upcoming picture with Raquel Welch, Kansas City Bombers. Both movies, along with the sport of roller derby, were soon forgotten, but this kind of exploitation genre is definitely one of the most interesting. The movie’s lead character is curious to say the least, as she’s not really sympathetic. Instead she’s a very driven, full-of-attitude woman who will do anything, from sex to violence, to get to the top. The movie is full of action but not much humor, which definitely hurts it. Still, it’s much better than the fluffy, Hollywood Kansas City Bomber. The casting of Playboy playmate Claudia Jennings definitely helps, she being a tall and beautiful woman who would also appear in other exploitation films such as The Stepmother, Gator Bait and Nicolas Roeg/David Bowie film The Man Who Fell To Earth, before her death in 1979 of a car crash at the age of 29. Also here is Roberta Collins, who appeared in The Big Doll House, Death Race 2000 (as Matilda The Hun) and The Witch Who Came In From The Sea. In the end, this is a great exploitation film, flawed, but very entertaining.