Teen Lust (1978)

A more sensible critic than me would simply note that this film has also been released under the titles The Girls Next Door, High School Teasers, Mom Never Told Me, and Police Academy Girls, then suggest readers proceed accordingly—with titles like those, one knows roughly what to expect. But it turns out a few points are worth making, none complimentary to the filmmakers. First, Teen Lust barely delivers on that particular title. Several scenes feature young people craving sex, discussing sex, and having sex, but even more scenes lack carnality altogether. Second, Teen Lust offers truly strange renderings of human behavior under the guise of raucous comedy: a father suffering PTSD re-creates World War II experiences by terrorizing his son with a bayonet, a grenade, and a samurai sword; a young woman administers tough love to her alcoholic mother by force-feeding booze; teenagers make mischief by spraying each other with contraceptive foam; a mentally challenged fellow throws a burning mattress off a rooftop, then extinguishes the flame by urinating on the mattress; the PTSD dad cradles his sexy daughter in his lap suggestively; the mentally challenged fellow carries a condom, which appears to have been used, in his pocket; and so on. Third, Teen Lust was directed by the fine character actor James Hong, perhaps best known for playing the guy who makes artificial eyes in Blade Runner (1982). Prior to helming this disaster, he directed an X-rated porn flick under a pseudonym—and if this flick is any indication, Hong did not up his cinematic game while shifting to the mainstream.

Teen Lust: SQUARE