This 1982 indie was once considered a hard-hitting expose of big city vice. It’s since been outdone in all particulars but remains a standout in the trashy thriller category.
VICE SQUAD (1982) Trailer
VICE SQUAD (1982) began as a documentary on prostitution, yet somehow morphed into an uber-sleazy feature, directed by horror movie specialist Gary A. Sherman (RAW MEAT). It marked the breakthrough role of the late Wings Hauser (1947-2025), and featured Jonathan Haze (of the original LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS), future MTV VJ Nina Blackwood and Fred Berry (Rerun from WHAT’S HAPPENING!) in small roles—and, in the lead, Season Hubley, in a potent follow-up to her role as a XXX dancer in HARDCORE. Plus, it coined the line “Make my day” a year before SUDDEN IMPACT (1983) immortalized it.
Season Hubley, Wings Hauser
Princess (Hubley) is a Hollywood based suburban mom turned prostitute, whose existence is thrown into turmoil by the murder of fellow street walker Ginger (Nina Blackwood) at the hands of the psychotic pimp Ramrod (Wings Hauser). In the hospital morgue where Ginger breathes her last, Princess meets Tom Walsh (Gary Swanson), a vice cop looking to bust Ramrod.
Ramrod gets nabbed in a violent encounter with Princess, but quickly escapes the clutches of two bumbling cops, and goes in search of Princess. She for her part doesn’t let the trauma of her friend’s death or the confrontation with Ramrod curtail her profession, spending much of the remainder of the night engaging in pervy encounters with a foot fetishist, an amputee and an elderly fellow who pretends to be dead. Eventually Ramrod tracks Princess down, precipitating a violent confrontation involving her and Walsh, and a most prescient closing line: “You ain’t never gonna change those streets.”
Nina Blackwell
What gives VICE SQUAD its edge is its depiction of a particularly LA-centric grit. Eschewing the washed-out palette of New York set grunge-fests like THE FRENCH CONNECTION (1971) and NIGHT OF THE JUGGLER (1980), VICE SQUAD’s John Alcott forged visuals are radiant and dramatic, with the nocturnal milieu marked by hosed-down streets that reflect light, and, in the necrophilia sequence, an example of Alcott’s patented candlelit illumination (debuted in BARRY LYNDON).
Screaming Victim, Wings Hauser
The acting follows suit, with overtly theatrical performances that verge on histrionic, especially in light of the fact that Sherman favors lengthy master shots, allowing the performers to play out their scenes in full. Of those performers, Ms. Hubley fairs well, seeming at home in the film’s scuzzy universe, but the standout is Wings Hauser, who amply demonstrates why he was one of the premiere exploitation movie psychos of his era, and also croons the quintessentially 1980s end credits tune “Neon Slime.”
Music “Neon Slime” sung by Wings Hauser
Vital Statistics
VICE SQUAD
Avco Embassy Pictures
Director: Gary A. Sherman
Producers: Brian Frankish
Screenplay: Sandy Howard, Kenneth Peters, Robert Vincent O’Neil
Cinematography: John Alcott
Editing: Roy Watts
Cast: Season Hubley, Gary Swanson, Wings Hauser, Pepe Serna, Beverly Todd, Joseph DiGiroloma, Maurice Emmanuel, Wayne Hackett, Nina Blackwood, Sudana Bobatoon, Lydia Lei, Kelly Piper