I don't remember if this film actually got a theatrical release, I'm wagering that it was sent straight to video. It's one of those weird titles that you don't hear too much about, and probably won't know anything about, unless you ran into it at the local video store. I think that's what happened to me about 12 years ago, because I remember renting this movie and thinking it stood above other thrillers of its kind. I happened across this title on Ebay, and couldn't resist. The title stinks (c'mon, Lisa? Debbie Does Dallas, now there's a title that tells ya what's goin' on and sticks with ya), but the film itself, is worth at least one viewing.

Stacy Keanan (of My Two Dads fame) stars as the title character Lisa. Lisa and her friend Wendy are two 14 year old girls who like to flirt with older men. Seems natural to me. If they see a nice "catch", they go out of their way to find out everything about him. For example, calling the DMV and schmoozing the operator to get a name and number based on the gents license plate. Lisa is very slick, although she should be wary of her actions because of the Candlelight Killer. Who's the Candlelight Killer you ask? It seems there's this guy who goes around leaving messages on women's answering machines saying he's in their home and is gonna kill them. Turns out he's standing right behind them and leads them to the bedroom where a candlelit setup is awaiting and he does his thing (of course by "thing' I mean he kills them). Lisa meets a dashing young man one evening after a store run, and yup, you guessed it, he's the one and only Candlelight Killer.

Lisa lives alone with her mom (Cheryl Ladd) and they seem to have a solid relationship, which is steadily on the decline. Lisa's mom is very protective of her daughter (for good reason), but still wants to remain hip at the same time and remain her daughter's best friend. She's not too fond of men since Lisa's father skipped out on them. This complicates matters even more as Lisa is always trying to find a suitable mate for her mother. Well, Lisa manages to start up a phone relationship with the Candlelight Killer (behind her mother's back), of course it isn't long before he gets wise to her game and decides he doesn't want to play anymore.

While not an example of cinema at its finest, Lisa is most certainly a guilty pleasure at best. The film is virtually bloodless until well into the final act. There are enough twists and turns to keep one interested, and for a production like this most of the performances are right on the mark. Point of interest, Lisa's friend Wendy, her younger brother is the same kid who voiced Good Guy Chucky in the Child's Play series. Released previously on home video by the now defunct CBS Video, this title is part of the MGM library. I'd love to see MGM give this title a budget release on DVD, wishful thinking.