This one could’ve been worse.
A lot of these cheeseball 1970s/80s slashers tend to feel more like an episode of Quincy M.E. or The A-Team, than anything with genuine tension or drama. (Note for young folks: I’m referencing old TV shows that upon re-watching almost always make you ask, “How did I ever watch this?”)
But “Sweet Sixteen” actually kept me interested.
I mean, the plot is ridiculous, the acting is mediocre, and the twist ending requires believing a kind of Freudian psychobabble that doesn’t make any sense. But it was fun enough.
The set-up is as follows: 15-year-old Melissa (played by an actress who looks to be about 23) has moved with her father to a small Texas town. She starts meeting boys, and they start turning up dead. But don’t fret! On the case are the hunky, middle-aged sheriff, and more importantly, his Nancy Drew-esque daughter.
You can’t quite call this a slasher since the kill rate is pretty low. But it definitely kept me wondering about who the killer would be.
One problem was that the two female brunette leads were almost indistinguishable from each other, both pretty in a predictable way.
There’s some failed comedy as a middle-aged researcher endlessly flirts with the disinterested sheriff played by Bo Hopkins.
The most recognizable face would be Patrick McNee, the lead from the British spy series “The Avengers.” He plays the dad of the main girl, with no attempt to explain his British accent.
A side plot with some Native American characters never really goes anywhere.
Approach this with the right attitude and you’ll have fun.
