The Film: 3.5/5

After her lousy, good-for-nothing lover (Joe Pepe) guns down a liquor store clerk and leaves her to take the rap, innocent Dee (Margie Lanier) is convicted of the clerk’s murder and shipped off to a prison work farm for women. Upon her arrival she quickly falls in with a group of cons lead by the predatory Kat (Tallie Cochrane), who happens to be planning an escape from the farm with cohorts Paula (Jabie Abercrombie), Toni (Rene Bond), and Sheila (Dona Desmond) and now wants to bring new meat Dee along for the ride. The gang easily breaks from their confinement and begin a long journey to freedom across miles of unforgiving terrain, where they will encounter a group of hippy-dippy sadists with nothing but sex and violence on their minds, troublesome bikers looking for some action, and a helpless couple they proceed to terrorize in a home invasion. All the while they hunt for an elusive black briefcase said to contain a small fortune in cash, while the sheriff (played by none other than Ed Wood himself) and his understaffed posse relentlessly pursue these dangerous dames.

Available for years in a variety of cuts for theatrical and home video release under titles such as 5 Loose Women and Hot on the Trail, the Ed Wood-scripted sexploitation romp Fugitive Girls – one of the better efforts directed by T&A veteran Stephen C. Apostolof, who is often credited as A.C. Stephen and previously collaborated with Wood on the indescribable nudie horror gem Orgy of the Dead – debuts on Blu-ray in its complete and uncensored form. Exploitation cinema was notorious for promising far more than it delivered, but Fugitive Girls miraculously manages to make good on its guarantee of sin and skin for a decent price. If you’re looking for simulated straight and lesbian sex scenes, extensive nudity of the natural breasts and hairy gyrating man ass variety, lewd behavior unacceptable by most earthbound societies except for antisocial cave dwellers, and the sort of general weirdness that could only emerge from the booze-soaked imagination of the man who bestowed the gifts of Plan 9 from Outer Space and Bride of the Monster upon the cult film fans of the world, then Fugitive Girls is the flick you’ve unwittingly craved all this time.

Apostolof was a sure and steady hand when it came to making entertaining sexploitation, and Fugitive Girls finds him working at the top of his gratuitous game. Though the movie might run a little too long at 96 minutes (resulting in a repetitive plot that doesn’t go anywhere until the final twenty minutes, the director and co-writer Wood – who also appears on camera in three roles, including the aforementioned sheriff part and as the loony shotgun-wielding old coot “Pop” – keep the sex and sleaze rolling down the screen. At times the movie seems like a series of sex scenes (softcore but bordering on XXX material in certain shots) strung together by some relatively bloodless violence, but you won’t find me complaining as Apostolof wisely keeps his attractive female cast disrobing and dominating over all they survey. This is the kind of movie Russ Meyer could make in his sleep, and he could do it way better, but Apostolof and Wood do an excellent job just the same, with little in the way of technical ineptitude to damage their avaricious efforts.

The main parts are cast very well. Tallie Cochrane (The Candy Tangerine Man) steals the show as the headstrong Kat and Margie Lanier makes for a fetching and feisty protagonist even though she doesn’t have much to do in the final reel. The film’s sexiest moment happens between Kat and Dee during the latter’s first night in the camp, and the actresses get into the scene as much as they can without going hardcore. Jabie Abercrombie, sexploitation starlet Donna Young (Tender Loving Care), and 70’s porno icon Rene Bond acquit themselves beautifully as Kat’s fellow escapees. Fight scenes are staged with ferocity and don’t wear out their welcome, and Apostolof gets great mileage out of his vast desert locations where the action mostly takes place.

Audio/Video: 4/5

Vinegar Syndrome’s region free Blu-ray release of Fugitive Girls features a new 1080p high-definition transfer sourced from a recent 2K resolution scan of the original uncut 35mm camera negative. This is the best this particular film could ever look, and though some minor print damage can be spotted towards the end, the transfer is exceptional regardless. Grain is consistent and not surprisingly heavier during darker scenes, but it never affects the visibility factor. Colors are warm and vibrant, skin tones pleasingly accurate, and background scenery and outdoor locations bring with them renewed texture and presence. The English DTS-HD Master Audio 1.0 mono track is far better than you might expect. Although the dialogue frequently sounds tinny, it comes out audible and free of damage and distortion. The music score, which was likely constructed out of generic library tracks, is incorporated well into the overall mix, but sound effects are backgrounded more than anything else (though they can still be heard just fine). English subtitles have also been included.

Extras: 3/5

Two alternate audio tracks have been provided with this release of Fugitive Girls. The first is a commentary track with Ed Wood biographer Rudolph Grey and filmmaker/historian/archivist Frank Henenlotter (Basket Case, Brain Damage), who previous teamed for a commentary on the recent Vinegar Syndrome Orgy of the Dead Blu-ray. The two have a blast discussing the movie, the behind-the-scenes info they could dig up about it, its place in the careers of Wood and Apostolof, and more. For the second track, moderator Casey Scott conducts an interview by phone with star Tallie Cochrane than runs the entire time. It’s a very spirited and informative talk, with Scott bringing plenty of relevant questions with which to query Cochrane, who provides some extensive, blunt honest, and often amusing anecdotes in response.

The last of the disc-based extras is the original theatrical trailer (5 minutes) and a 30-second promo trailer that could have played on television. Vinegar Syndrome has also provided a bonus DVD copy of the movie and supplements and reversible cover art that features the original poster designs for Fugitive Girls and its 5 Loose Women alternate release title.

Overall: 3.5/5

Fugitive Girls is a frothy and fun little hunk of sleazy sexploitation with a libido bigger than its brain and a director, writer, and cast committed to enjoying themselves as much as their audience. Vinegar Syndrome brings this delightfully lascivious grindhouse gem roaring back to life on this Blu-ray release, with an excellent HD transfer and supplements to make it even more of an appealing package. Highly recommended.