As somebody who had not heard any of this before, it became a curious phenomenon to sit and watch a film and slowly have the realities begin to click into place.

All of these films share one commonality, that being a kind of emotional center that humanizes a cast of monsters.

One of the most extraordinary films you will see this year. Take that as you want.

There is definitely an excellent idea hidden in the background of the film. Unfortunately, it's difficult to find it.

Deranged mama's boy psycho Louis (a creepy portrayal by Tony Palladino) preys on prostitutes in New York City. Eager rookie detective Johnny (a winningly sincere performance by Steve Hollister) and hard-bitten hooker Ginny Smith (ably played with steely resolve by Janine Lenon) join forces to stop this wacko.Director Anton Holden, who also co-wrote the tight script with Ray Jenkins, makes neat use of seedy Big Apple locations (the psycho's apartment that's littered with disembodied mannequin parts stands out as an especially spooky place), keeps the sordidly engrossing story moving along at a snappy pace, maintains an unflinchingly gritty tone throughout, stages the murder set pieces with savage aplomb (the one in an elevator rates as a real doozy), offers a pleasing plenitude of hot nude babes, and pulls out the brutal stops for the gruesome climax in which Ginny and her fellow ladies of the evening exact a harsh revenge on Louis. Gideon Zumbach's sharp black and white cinematography gives this picture a crisp noir look. Edmund Mitchell's spirited jazzy score hits the stirring spot. An on the money sleazy winner.

Gutsy tale with plenty of wonderfully shot crisp b/w photography. Strangely languid in parts (possibly to extend running time) because for the most part well paced, well edited and excitingly told tale of a sex killer prowling the streets of Manhattan. Great opening and first killing (and aftermath) and some of that power returns at times throughout. Novel attempt to give background to the killer's psyche whilst he's in the act and several nice touches make for an enjoyable ride as cops and prostitutes try to find the killer. It all ends in his lair in a fabulous scene with him returning to his room filled with mannequin parts, to hug his teddy bear but find himself surrounded by a pack of call girls intent on removing a vital part of his anatomy!

Aroused is a moody hooker-killer drama and a good example of 60s sexploitation flicks. Short, violent, and loaded with discordant jazz, this is only for fans of the genre. Some of the girls are fairly pretty, and the acting is generally adequate, but if it were made in 2004, it would be rated R and star A-list actors. It's a deeper psychological look at the killer than your typical Showtime skin flick, but that hardly makes up for all that bad jazz; but it does feature a nice Psycho ripoff that gives its audience what Hitchcock couldn't.

Another NYC-made sex film with an ugly psychological underside. A prostitute and a police detective team up to catch the sicko who offed the hooker's lesbian lover. While the detective trails another hooker who offers to work as bait for the killer, the first hooker covertly checks out the apartment of the bartender who works in the bar all the working girls operate out of and finds lots of mannequins in fetish-like poses. Seems the bartender was raised by an abusive hooker mother, and his murders are his way of getting even with all the ladies of the night. But the ladies have hatched a little revenge plot of their own....An intriguing mix of nudity, crime drama, and psychodrama, with a degree of character development uncommon to such films. Worth a look.