Julie Darling (1983)

(also known as Daughter of Death)

Running Time: 1hr 40min

Release Date: March 1983

Written by: Paul Nicholas/Maurice Smith

Directed by: Paul Nicholas

Review by: Stacey-Beth

You guys, this movie was fucking weird.  And not even in that endearing, quirky kinda way, but more like the "wow, is the driving plot an incestuous one??" way.

After having her pet boa constrictor taken away, 16 year old Julie (Isabelle Mejias) embraces her disdain for her mother in the ultimate way when deciding not to help while her mother is sexually assaulted and eventually murdered by the delivery guy, Weston (Paul Hubbard).  Revenge wasn't her end game when you realize she's willing to get rid of anyone who comes between her and her...extreme love for her dad, Harold (Anthony Franciosa).

When I said this movie was an incestuous one, I meant it.  Julie straight up let her mom die because she wanted to fuck her dad.  I know we've all seen movies like this before, where the kooky daughter loves daddy so much she'd kill for him.  And as bizarre as those were, Julie Darling really took it to the next level.

After mom dies, we're introduced to Harold's new lady (and Julie's future stepmom), Susan (Sybil Danning) and her young son.  From here the movie moves forward with Julie once again plotting to rid her and her father's lives of any outside players.  It sounds pretty standard until a scene where Julie spies on Susan and Harold having sex turns into a straight up fantasy scene of Julie and her dad boning down.  I was totally thrown off when I saw that because I simply was not expecting them to come right out like "Hi, I want to fuck my dad.  Here's my story."  But I think I can appreciate the bluntness of the plot???

Dad-fucking aside, Mejias as the innocent-looking but totally evil titular character was a solid choice for the role.  She seems benign enough at first- just your typical snotty teenager, and then you realize how fucked up she really is and it's off-putting because you don't want to think a young girl is capable of anything like that.  Danning playing alongside her was an excellent choice as well.  I can't forget Weston, the guy who murdered Julie's mom in the beginning- whose depravity was almost neck and neck with Julie's.  The scene when they meet up to discuss a hit on Susan was especially grim when she lets Weston know that he can rape her stepmom all he wants, as long as he gets the job done.  Ouch.

There wasn't anything incredibly special about Julie Darling, so you can probably figure out how it ends, but it does have that cult-status appeal to it that is definitely worth watching if only for the ickiness.

2.5/5

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