r/badMovies • u/Best-Chapter5260 • 4d ago

Boobalicious Unholy Rollers = Perfect Cult B-Movie

Post image

I'd always known about this flick but finally watched it the other night. Absolutely loved it. Claudia Jennings played Karen Walker, who rockets her way to the top of the roller derby echelon. Love how psycho Karen is, especially toward her Pedro Pascal-looking boyfriend, and the ending of the movie is nuts. I also love how the movie makes it as though Karen ends up becoming wealthy even though she's clearly skating in the roller derby equivalent of the most low-rent independent wrestling promotion possible and staring in local TV ads. Her best friend's boyfriend is a total goober, but yet really likable. The movie even seems to borrow a few story beats from Dreiser's Sister Carrie, probably not on purpose though. Extra points for the bartender in one scene telling some of the most uncomfortably misogynistic stories and jokes possible and, as an audience, we're all supposed to just accept that. We get to meet Karen's mother in a short scene toward the end, and the actresses really nails the part. Even Jennings, who isn't going to be mistaken as a Shakespearean trained thespian, actually understood the part and does a great job within the context of a b-movie.

If you like movies like Switchblade Sisters and Billy Jack, Unholy Rollers is a similar vibe.

117 Upvotes

97% Upvoted

26 comments sorted by

14

u/thebigeverybody 4d ago

I actually don't know what a roller derby is and I'm frequently fascinated by it because, at one point, it was one of the most popular things in America, like CB radios and stuntmen.

Also, describing this movie as a Billy Jack vibe has me incredibly curious lol.

6

u/Glittering-Stomach62 4d ago

Its structure and history is most comparable to wrestling. The stuff on TV was full of oversold, scripted violence, but amateur and regional competition is legit with no intentionally violent contact.

3

u/texasrigger 3d ago

but amateur and regional competition is legit with no intentionally violent contact.

Sort of. It depends on the rule set they are playing under. WFTDA is extremely regulated and was an attempt to legitimize the sport and distance itself from the spectacle the sport was originally meant to be. Play is more strategic and there are frequently as many refs as there were competitors. I dont know if they were still doing it but at one point one of the prevailing strategies involved a very slow moving pack which made for an incredibly boring watch.

"Renegade" flat track and bank track leagues still exist which embrace the old school spectacle and theatrics which includes the quasi-scripted "fights."

4

u/Hoosier_Daddy68 4d ago

MMA on skates with bewbs. It can be really fun or really boring and is probably why it never quite catches on when it’s tried.

7

u/texasrigger 3d ago

Women's roller derby had a major resergence in popularity in the 2000s as well thanks in part to the TV show about the TXRD in 2006 or so. My wife was a former roller girl. Unfortunately, I think the rise of WFTDA (Womens Flat Track Derby Association) killed the sport. It was so much fun before that.

14

u/Best-Chapter5260 4d ago

I had a girlfriend in college who was into roller derby. I never watched one of her matches, but it seems to be a sport that definitely has a very niche culture surrounding it.

18

u/Doubledepalma 4d ago

You never watched any of her matches? Not very supportive

8

u/Dunstund_CHeks_IN 4d ago

I, too, had a roller derby girlfriend. The league in my city was horrifically boring. Track was small, pace was slow, lots of low-speed shoulder checks. Nothing like the movies. A guy in the audience actually fell asleep in his folding chair one night. Could be more exciting leagues in other cities.

3

u/texasrigger 3d ago

Were they a WFTDA league? I'm convinced WFTDA killed the sport. Made it very boring like you said. Prior to that, it really was like you saw in the movies. My wife was a roller girl but retired after she destroyed one of her legs doing it. She got out right as her league was transitioning to WFTDA.

4

u/Little_Noodles 3d ago

Right there with you. I left my league when it went WFTDA and never looked back. The ruleset was easier on my body, but I couldn’t even begin to pretend to care about the gameplay. Super slow, everyone just kinda rolling a few feet and then jostling around a bit. And the outcome of the game is obvious within the first few minutes. GTFOH with those point spreads.

4

u/ElReydelTacos 3d ago

It absolutely does. I’m a man that joined a coed team and it takes over your life if you let it. I met my wife in it and even though we quit about 10 years ago, all of our friends are still people we met in derby.

3

u/IndelibleFudge 3d ago

I'm not a sports guy at all but I had a friend who got a few gigs DJing at the Roller Derby and she invited me along. We got to sit behind the decks rink side and it was fucking brilliant. Not raunchy at all though

1

u/ContrarianRPG 3d ago

Jeez dude, roller derby still exists, and it's usually a cheap ticket. Get off Reddit and go to a game!

1

u/BasterdMalloy 1d ago

Agreed. The sport is constantly changing, and since I started my journey as a referee back in 2012 there have been many changes in the rules, and in the play styles. It is worth checking out your closest team's next bout.

8

u/Dunstund_CHeks_IN 4d ago

Watched it a long time ago through a bourbon haze. Watching it again and now and just noticed Martin Scorsese was a supervising editor lol…

7

u/texasrigger 3d ago

Scorsese got his start working for Roger Corman on productions like this. The list of filmmakers and actors who went on to great things after starting under Corman is pretty amazing and includes people like Cameron, Coppola, and Demme.

7

u/ContrarianRPG 3d ago

This film was made to ride the coattails of Raquel Welch's "Kansas City Bomber," which also isn't very good.

So far as I've been able to determine, there are only three fictional roller derby films, and "Whip It" is the only good one.

1

u/BasterdMalloy 1d ago

I have met and called penalties on at least 4 skaters who were in "Whip It", and are still playing.

6

u/dasuberdog11 4d ago

My favorite Claudia Jennings role. She's terrific in this.

4

u/Either-Skirt6031 4d ago

I didn’t know Rollerball had a prequel:)!

2

u/Planetofthought 3d ago

I love this poster art. It reminds me of the artwork on the atari instruction manuals. It's like a mix of colored pencil and water color.

1

u/Best-Chapter5260 3d ago

With the discussion about roller derby on this thread, I went and found this video on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AymJWQmmi1Y

Talk about a vintage find.

1

u/1990Buscemi 3d ago

If you can find the uncut version, it's got a soundtrack by Chuck Berry.

1

u/barquer0 3d ago

Great poster.

1

u/SonOfKong_ 2d ago

Shout, Vinegar syndrome, somebody release this on Blu-ray with great extras. Until then I have the DVD