Product Description

Check out who's checked in at the musty old King Edward Hotel in a seedy section of L.A.: Cheryl, a runaway teen who hopes to piece her life together. Little does she know that someone at the hotel has a nasty little penchant for chopping people into pieces. Welcome, happy campers, to one of the screen's most bizarre works of camp filmmaking. Paul Bartel (Eating Raoul, Lust in the Dust) directs, guiding this loopy foray "with the fervor of a carny barker at a freak show" (Jay Cocks, Time). Murder, fetishism, a dotty aunt, a sham clergyman, corny cops, a Peeping Tom and a guy who's a girl who goes nite-nite with a blow-up doll that has a photo of Cheryl's face taped to it - they're among the feverish parts of Private Parts. If you're without reservations, drop by the hotel.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #72414 in DVD
• Brand: RUYMEN,ANN
• Released on: 2005-10-04
• Rating: R (Restricted)
• Aspect ratio: 1.85:1
• Formats: Closed-captioned, Color, DVD, Subtitled, Widescreen, NTSC
• Original language: English
• Subtitled in: English, French, Spanish
• Number of discs: 1
• Dimensions: .25 pounds
• Running time: 87 minutes

Customer Reviews

Not for everyone
Most of the reviews thus far are of a far more inferior and rediculous film. This movie is best described by the first reviewer. It had a very strange feel to it, but was remarkably done. There are some very funny, and strange, moments in this film. You must have an open mind to enjoy this one.

"Godd**n weirdos are taking over this country!"
Hot (for the 70's) teenage runaway Cheryl splits from Ohio and ends up in Los Angeles staying at an old rundown hotel full of weirdos. The weirdest of all is George and he has a crush on Cheryl.

Not as perverse as I was hoping it would be (then again no film ever is), but I really enjoyed the atmosphere of this movie. The story moved along at a nice pace and even though it never perved out in a big way I still felt satisfied and would watch it again.

The picture on the DVD was great, but I wish there had been a commentary track by somebody. Yea, I know Paul Bartel is dead but somebody must have something interesting to say about this film.

Look for a cameo by director Paul Bartel in the park.

A Bizarre Psychosexual Thriller...
Private Parts tells the story of the runaway teen Cheryl Stratton (Ayn Ruymen) and her stay in her aunt's shady San Francisco hotel. Cheryl's story is not one of those pleasant coming of age films knee deep in moral values or road movies that enlightens the viewer about the importance of the journey. No, director Paul Bartel, in his first feature, has something completely different in mind, as he presents an extraordinarily bizarre tale of voyeurism, sexuality, and passionate murder.

The voyeuristically loaded opening credits apply camera flashes and exposed body parts, which cue the audience in the direction of the story's sexual nature. The subsequent scene presents the sexual nature of the film in a much more tangible manner, as Cheryl sneaks a look at her friend and her boyfriend. However, Cheryl finds herself caught peeping. It places her in an awkward situation, which she avoids by leaving after she has stolen her friend's money. Here Private Parts pays homage to Psycho (1960) with similarities such as having a girl with stolen money seeking room and board at a hotel. Additional parallels to Psycho emerge as the film unfolds; for example, there is an intriguing bathroom scene.

The hotel is far past its glory days, as the wallpaper shows signs of decades of stains while the heavily use of the doors has left them discolored and rickety. It is a perfect environment for the corrupt and sleazy activities that take place behind the paper-thin walls. Nonetheless, the owner, Cheryl's aunt Martha (Lucille Benson), is very particular about who she desires as tenants, which consists of a peculiar bunch of characters. There is the priest with a taste for muscular youthful men and then there is the young photographer that silently stalks the streets and parks for a juicy shot. On top of this, Martha exhibits bizarre traits including preoccupations with funerals and her pet rat. The location for the story plays a significant part to the story, as all characters in the story are somehow connected to the hotel.

Meanwhile, to maintain the audience in suspense, the first kill enters the story shortly after Cheryl's arrival to the hotel, as her old friend's boyfriend discovers the thick blade of a machete across his neck. The murder leaves little doubt that someone is willing to go through extreme measures to keep something a secret while Cheryl curiously learns about the hotel's secrets. Many of these private interactions take place behind the many doors of the hotel, and often imply an obvious sexual undertone. At the same time, the film generates a feeling that Cheryl is never alone and someone is watching her. The impression of the presence of a stalker does not leave until the grand finale, which truly will have many viewers feel an unpleasant tension.

The youthful curiousness of Cheryl combined with her mature behavior delivers a precociously seductiveness that reminds the audience of Lolita (1962), yet it does not reach the heights of Kubrick. Cheryl helps establish a strong psychosexual atmosphere from the beginning of the film, which remains until the very end through many unusual occurrences. The arrangement with the psychosexual theme and the slasher concept ultimately delivers a genuinely out of the ordinary horror film that unsettles the viewer in an extremely profound psychological manner.