Sugar Cookies (1973) (Blu-ray Review)
DIRECTED BY: Theodore Gershuny
STARRING: George Shannon, Mary Woronov, Lynn Lowry
RATED: UR/Region: O/1:85/1080P/NUMBER OF DISCS 1
AVAILABLE FROM Troma
If you walked into Sugar Cookies expecting a sweet little comedy based on the title… well… somebody owes you an apology.
This is one of those delightfully sleazy ’70s exploitation movies where absolutely nobody makes good decisions, everyone seems to have questionable morals, and the plot kicks off with a pornographer convincing a model to commit suicide on camera. Because apparently the filmmakers looked at “bad idea” and thought, “Let’s make that the opening act.”
Naturally, the dead woman’s friend isn’t exactly thrilled with the situation and decides revenge is on the menu. What follows is a strange, sleazy, twisty little thriller that’s equal parts exploitation, mystery, and psychological oddball cinema.
It’s definitely a product of its era, and honestly, that’s part of its charm.
The movie never pretends to be classy. It knows exactly what kind of film it is and happily wallows in its grimy, grindhouse atmosphere. The performances are entertaining, the dialogue occasionally veers into “Did someone actually say that?” territory, and the whole thing has that unmistakable early-’70s exploitation vibe that fans either immediately click with or immediately run away from.
Personally, I had a good time revisiting it.
The first time I saw Sugar Cookies was way back in 2014, when Vinegar Syndrome gave it a Blu-ray release. At the time, it was one of those titles that perfectly fit Vinegar Syndrome’s mission of digging up forgotten exploitation gems and giving them a second life.
Now the movie has landed at Troma Entertainment, which honestly feels oddly appropriate considering Troma co-founder Lloyd Kaufman helped write the screenplay. It’s almost like the movie finally found its way home after wandering around the exploitation wilderness for a few decades.
As for the presentation, I took a pretty close look and… honestly?
At a glance, I can’t really see much of a difference between the old Vinegar Syndrome Blu-ray and this new release. That’s not a knock on Troma—it just means the movie already looked good before, and it still looks good now. The transfer is clean, film-like, and does a nice job preserving the gritty look without trying to scrub away all of its wonderfully sleazy personality.
Sometimes “looks good” is exactly what you want.
The real appeal here is simply having another solid physical media release of an overlooked cult film, especially one with such an interesting connection to Lloyd Kaufman. It’s fun seeing Troma add another oddball title to the shelf that predates the studio’s signature brand of radioactive chaos but still shares that same independent, anything-goes spirit.
Sugar Cookies is weird, sleazy, occasionally uncomfortable, and exactly the sort of exploitation movie that reminds you the early ’70s were a wonderfully strange time for cinema. It isn’t for everyone, but if you enjoy revenge thrillers with plenty of grindhouse flavor, it’s worth checking out.
Just don’t let the title fool you.
The only thing sweet about Sugar Cookies is how good it looks on the shelf next to the rest of your cult movie collection. Everything else is deliciously, unapologetically grimy.
Extras
- Classic introduction by Lloyd Kaufman
- Archival Interviews with Lynn Lowery, Mary Woronov, and Lloyd Kaufman
- Original Theatrical Trailer
- Tromatic Extras
- Coming Distractions
