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| Images courtesy of Grindhouse Releasing |
Ever seen William Shatner go crazy in a movie? I’m not talking about some of his more
outlandish Star Trek episodes ala The Enemy Within where Captain
Kirk is split into two personalities, one of whom is maniacal and
dangerous. No, I’m talking about full
blown psychosexual sociopathy as displayed in cult Floridian maverick regional
exploitation granddaddy William Grefé’s underrated 1974 shocker Impulse.
Though low budget and clearly a drive-in dose of regional
B-movie filmmaking, the film from the man behind The Death Curse of Tartu and
Mako: Jaws of Death might actually be the director’s best and most fully
fledged work. Most certainly the work in
Grefé’s canon with the most star power, featuring Shatner in rare form
onscreen, Jennifer Bishop, Ruth Roman, Harold ‘Oddjob’ Sakata and William
Kerwin, Impulse is an important chapter for both Grefé and Shatner
which, thanks to a newly restored (though admittedly faded theatrical print) 4K
transfer from Grindhouse Releasing, fills in a gap left by Arrow Video’s still
great boxed set He Came from the Swamp.
Psychosexually damaged Matt Stone (William Shatner) who killed
his mother’s abusive boyfriend in self-defense as a boy now as an adult moves
through seedy strip clubs looking for wealthy women he can live off of for
awhile before killing them, stealing their money and moving on to the next
unsuspecting female victim. Zeroing in
on single mom Ann Moy (Jennifer Bishop), Stone sporting some ridiculous outfits
only Shatner could’ve come up with ingratiates himself on Moy and her school
skipping young daughter Tina (Kim Nicholas) who can see through his ruse. However, Stone’s plans are threatened by the
arrival of Karate Pete (Harold Sakata), an old cellmate who wants a piece of
the action while displaying physical dominance over Stone. Further still, to Stone’s dismay, the plucky
Tina witnesses him committing a crime and finds herself on the run for her life
from the murderous psycho.
A taut and tight little movie shot in fifteen days with a
very real brush with life versus death during a pivotal scene, William Grefé’s Impulse
starring William Shatner is that rare regional exploitation horror beast
that allows Shatner fans to see the actor in a light they never would’ve
expected. Shatner all but fully sinks
his fangs into this role, yes relying on some of his debonair gentlemanly aura
but when it calls for him to break down psychologically he completely loses
himself in the part.
At times genuinely
disturbing, such as scenes of him violently strangling women to death before disposing
of their bodies Norman Bates style, Impulse spends nearly the whole film
with this madman and in some instances the film kinda roots for him. That’s not to say it doesn’t have a strong
little heroine to rely on with Kim Nicholas’ character predating the likes of
Maika Monroe’s troubled daughter in The Guest who knows there’s
something amiss about the too-good-to-be-true guest of honor.
Shot by Grefé’s longtime cinematographer Julio C. Chávez,
the film has that same naturalistic gritty 35mm regional patina the director’s
prior works had. The film’s soundtrack
mostly uses library music and there aren’t any original composers listed
outside of Lewis Perles’ credit as musical director, though at times I was
reminded of the echoey woopy Lalo Schifrin score for THX:1138. Where the film kinda goes nuts are the
costumes by Nancy Selby though one wonders just how many were supplied by her
and how many times Shatner showed up on set as he appears in the film. The outfits worn by Shatner are so hilarious
they almost take you out of the film which may or may not have been Shatner’s
underlying intent.
Initially released in Tampa, Florida where it was shot
before creeping out into drive-in and grindhouse theaters, Impulse like
most of Grefé’s other works was an underground hit that offered the director maybe
the best actor he has ever worked with in his career. More known however for Shatner’s commandingly
insane performance than Grefé’s direction, Impulse like The Devil’s
Rain is another offbeat mid-70s offering from the actor who prior to catapulting
to superstardom with the forthcoming Star Trek major movies was doing
weird off-the-wall stuff like this.
Needless to say, the good folks at Grindhouse Releasing have
put together a spectacular lenticular limited edition package chock full of
extras including a director commentary, alternate French soundtrack, a live
q&a with Shatner and much more. Yes
the image quality of the only surviving theatrical print is a bit faded but the
film is otherwise intact and Shatner’s over the top performance isn’t lost in
the process. Fans of Grefé’s work and
Shatner’s personality will find in Impulse a most unholy union of great
actor and skilled jack-of-all-trades directing.
--Andrew Kotwicki
