Extremely awkward in its execution, Headless Body in Topless Bar is a film that shouldn't work. With such a small cast and sets that are limited to a few tables in a tiny bar, why did I find this film so compelling? Well, the answers aren't so easy, but I can tell you that for some reason it just clicked. I'm sure many of you haven't heard of this film (I sure hadn't until now) so perhaps it's time you took a look.

It's late in the evening at a seedy go-go bar in the "bad" part of town. A group of would be patrons are on their way to said bar, each from different locations. A businessman (David Selby), two obnoxious street thugs (Rustam Branaman and Taylor Nichols) and a wheelchair bound fella played by Paul Williams (Phantom of the Paradise) are all on their way to have a few drinks and "relax". In the mean time, the bartender (Biff Yeager) and closing stripper Candy played by Jennifer MacDonald are working hard for their money. Once the patrons have arrived, another fella sitting at the bar played by Raymond J. Barry attempts to quietly rob the joint. The bartender resists and in a nervous fit is shot to death. Our ex-con assailant is now forced to rethink his motives, clean up the crime scene, and leave without any witnesses to squeal. He guides the group through multiple exercises of realization and humiliation as he tries to sort out the mess in his twisted little mind.

Based on a real headline in the NY Post circa '83, Headless Body in Topless Bar is a film that ironically is able to beat the odds and somehow make it all work. With a well written script and sympathetic characters, I was drawn in pretty much from the start. The character introductions are handled quite well, and aside from a brief bit at the end, is our only relief from the confinement of the club. Refreshingly different and about as sleazy as they come, this film came as a total surprise to me. Kudos goes out to the incredible cast including Jennifer MacDonald as Candy who spends nearly the first hour of the film topless and in a g-string (she's very brave). The lone location of the bar gives the production a very claustrophobic feel and the harsh yet colorful lighting scheme serves the story well. As a character study it's well paced and executed and the film itself manages to never be boring. This isn't to say that the film is perfect, because it is not. However, flaws and all, I found the film to be a wholly satisfying experience as it's quite different from anything I'd ever seen.

Presented full frame the film itself looks just fine. Colors are fairly sharp and black levels are fairly solid. There is really no evidence of artifacting and print damage is minimal. The transfer itself is a bit soft, but this could be a problem inherent in the original source material. Obviously shot on an extremely low budget, one really couldn't have expected much more. Grain is minimal which was a real shock and also a nice surprise. This DVD certainly isn't going to win over any A/V nerds but for the film at hand it certainly serves its purpose.

Audio is presented in a mild Dolby Surround mix with much of the action emanating from the front speakers. Dialogue is clear and there is really no distortion to speak of. Once again, no awards to hand out, the audio track does serve the film well.

Extras include the title song set to clips from the film, odd but neat. Next up is a screen grab of the original newspaper article. It's hard to read (even with a zoom feature) although I don't think their intentions were for us to read the whole article (I'm sure it can be found online as well anyway). Finally we're given an entertaining if not sporadic audio commentary from Director James Bruce and Writer / Co Producer Peter Koper. We're given some great insight into the cast and crew as well as the production of the film itself. Even if they do mistake Paul Williams for being in Phantom of the Opera rather than Phantom of the Paradise (a nervous mistake perhaps?). The two do seem very sincere and it's obvious that this film was a true labor of love.

The bottom line here is that I found Headless Body in Topless Bar to be an oddly fulfilling experience. It's a bit different, and extremely disturbing in its deadpan delivery. In a world of carbon copied Hollywood crap, it's nice to see a refreshing slice of idie movie making every once in a while.

For more info on this DVD, check out Eclectic DVD's site by clicking here!