Suburban Roulette (1968)
** (out of 4)
Ilene (Elizabeth Wilkinson) and Bert (Ben Moore) move into a new community with their young daughter. Upon arriving there the husband promises no more drinking and the wife promises no more boyfriends. It doesn't take long (a few hours) before the happy couple are at a party where the husband is drunk and the wife is going off with another man.
Herschell Gordon Lewis made movies from just about every genre and this one here is his attempt at a dramatic one. You'd think with a story dealing with swingers that you'd have a pretty naughty little film but if you're expecting some sort of sleaze or even any nudity then you're going to be disappointed.
SUBURBAN ROULETTE is basically a melodrama about a troubled marriage and the destruction that is caused by their problems. Fans of A TASTE OF BLOOD will recognize Wilkinson and for the most part I thought she gave a decent performance here or at least for this type of movie. TWO THOUSAND MANIACS! fans will also recognize Moore. They make for a believable couple but there's no question that there are some unintentionally funny moments and especially with Moore's drunken rages.
At the same time, the film does have some effective moments and that includes a pretty intense scene where the drunken husband attacks his wife both physically and verbally for her "nature." I though this scene was very well directed by the drive-in legend and I might even argue it was technically the best thing from any of his movies. With that said, this is still just a cheap "B" picture but fans of the director will certainly want to check it out even with the lack of any sleaze.
