[Fantasia ’24] Strange and Fantastic Tales from Fantasia: ‘Hollywood 90028’

Strange and Fantastic Tales of the 20th Century is a look back at the weirdest, most memorable, and most off center movies of the 20th century. From head turning horror to oddball science fiction, this column examines the films that will leave a lasting impression for centuries to come. This week’s entry is screening at the Fantasia Film Festival.

Chest hair, mustaches, and social commentary make up Hollywood 90028, 1973 artsy exploitation film. This movie combines experimental photography, Vaudevillian humor, and murder to create a unique story with a disquieting character. Christina Hornisher write and directs Hollywood 90028, a film so mystifying it has resurrected Strange and Fantastic Tales of the 20th Century. 

It’s hard to think Hollywood 90028 and not try and make a connection to Beverly Hills 90210, but Dylan McKay never went this hard.  Hollywood 90028 is a story about an aspiring filmmaker named Mark, played by Christopher Augustine. While passionate about his work, his career consists of filming dirty movies for Jobal (Dick Glass), a burly pornographer with cool equipment. While this sounds like it might be your typical trying to make- it in Hollywood movie, Mark is also prone to killing women. One can only infer his reasons, by a series of still photos that allude to him accidentally killing his brother as a child. Will he kill again? Will he find love? It’s truly a mystery. 

Mark allows himself to open up to Michele (Jeanette Dilger) a model turned porn actor, where he explains to her the social and economic inequities caused by urban sprawl.  Odd first date topics aside, Mark begins to form a bond with Michele who hints that she is a kept woman and is better off in her more secure financial arrangement than risking falling in love with him. Viewers can interpret for themselves the events that follow. 

Hornisher’s directing takes risks and is ahead of its time. This could easily be an exploitation film that caters to the male gaze, but it is more clever than that. Hornisher focuses on the men’s reaction to the women. Rather than focusing or lingering on the naked female body for too long, the viewer is subjected to the shots of the men’s reactions to the women who are off screen for the most part. A lengthy sex scene is portrayed using a kaleidoscopic effect so the focus is more on the intimacy between the two instead of using a more graphic focus. 

Intercut with stills that produce an almost subliminal outcome, Hornisher tells a story that strives to do more than the genre or time would allow. Hornisher also does the same with character. Mark is not as creepy as he should be or even as charismatic as one might imagine. He seems like a strange, but easygoing fella, until you remind him of his childhood trauma Fast paced and completely bizarre, Hollywood 90028 is playing at this year’s Fantasia Film Festival. Watch it with a hippy. 

The Fantasia International Film Festival takes places from July 18 – August 4. Check out the latest news HERE