Running Time: 88 Minutes
Starring: Christopher Augustine, Gayle Davis, Jeannette Dilger, Dick Glass
The only feature directed by Christina Hornisher, Hollywood 90028 had a tough journey. After the writer/director received critical accolades for her UCLA film school shorts, Hornisher's feature was originally released in 1973 to little fanfare. Five-years later, the film was rereleased at drive-ins under the titles The Hollywood Hillside Strangler and Twisted Throats. The same tactic was used in 1983, when the film was released on VHS as Insanity. These retitling attempts did not help preserve the work, as the film became unavailable for decades and was largely forgotten. That has all changed with this 4K restoration, which brings newfound life to this rarely seen cult classic.
On the streets of 1970s Los Angeles, lonely cameraman Mark (Christopher Augustine) is introduced making his way to spend time with a woman. As he promises that she will not be lonely, they return to her place to relax via smoking and increasing nudity. The laid-back evening takes a chilling turn as Mark strangles his companion to death, a compulsive act which leaves him devastated.
Detached and alone, Mark finds himself unable to control his desires to kill the things he loves the most. Working as a cameraman on a seedy pornographic film, he finds happiness as he meets Michele (Gayle Davis), an adult film actress, but will his desires get in the way of his happiness?
Living in the city may have seemed like an aspirational idea for Mark and Michele, but the reality has instead left them feeling trapped. To survive in Los Angeles, they feel cornered into taking work that they do not wish to do, and fear how it will further impact them. While Mark's passion is photography, the one thing that calms his inner troubles, he has worries that his adult-film career will hinder his advancement in his desired field. There is a shared sense that both of them are in too deep, unable to return to where they originate from, and are subsequently lonely as a result. They have left behind all that they knew to form connections that will aid their progression, yet feel without friends in this unfamiliar place.
Bringing alive the story is a visually striking style courtesy of cameraman Jean-Pierre Geuens. From the opening that utilizes photographs to tell a tragic tale, to the camera regularly lingering on scenery, there is a dreamlike feeling to this tale that gives it a unique identity among serial killer works. While this all works in theory, the execution can feel difficult to get through courtesy of the measured pacing. There is also truth to the words shared in the dialogue, although this is hindered by how stiff and alienating it can feel.
With its mind on the topics of pornography, voyeurism, loneliness, and alienation, Hornisher's sole feature feels like the intersection of Peeping Tom and Taxi Driver. Hollywood 90028 is a serial killer film parading around in the skin of an arthouse film, capturing a snapshot of 1970s Los Angeles through a murderer's gaze. Thank goodness this art has been rediscovered, so audiences can experience the final shot that is stunning in theory and on-screen.
Hollywood 90028 made its Canadian Premiere at Fantastia Festival 2024
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