Malibu High (1975)

Rating: ***

IMDB Entry

Plot:
A high school gal named Kim is down on her luck. She’s flunking her classes, frustrated over breaking up with her boyfriend, and not getting along well with her mother. After turning to prostitution as a short-term fix, her life gets dragged further and further into the most ugly and criminal elements of society.

Review:
Wow! They just don’t make ‘em like this anymore. When the film started, I thought it would be some kind of teeny-bopper movie, perhaps with some raunchy moments. But I was wrong. The longer the movie goes on, the more it turns into a dark, twisted, and flat-out nasty black comedy. Kim goes from a misguided young girl into a soulless killer and prostitute, and doesn’t seem the least bit phased by any of it. She enjoys it.

Many viewers will be uncomfortable with the themes in the film, and rightfully so. Kim is only 18 years old, yet she sleeps with a ridiculous number of dirty old men, takes drugs like there’s no tomorrow, and lets people treat her like filth for money. She is downright vicious, and will do anything to get her way. It’s almost like a more depraved and cheesy version of Thirteen. Hell, the scene where she offs her principal was mean-spirited even for me!

The film has its problems: Kim’s changes in character often come too quickly to be believable, and it’s hard to believe there wouldn’t be more people suspicious of her behavior. Still, Malibu High is better than half the crap out there today. If you like your sexploitation extra sexploitative, then Malibu High just might be for you.