A stripper gets brutally murdered underneath a bridge. Spunky, sexy, dedicated and flat-out gorgeous lady homicide detective Cody Sheehan (appealingly played by the lovely Kay Lenz) goes undercover (and uncovers herself) as a go-go gal at the smoky, tawdry, neon lit strip joint the dead chick worked at in order to catch the killer. Probable suspects include the club's hard-nosed owner Ray (a slumming, bleary-eyed Norman Fell, who looks and acts like he has yet to fully recover from the cancellation of "Three's Company"),a seedy patron named Pocket (sleazy Peter Scranton),one stripper's neglected, lonely brother, and the leering, obnoxious DJ/light show dude (a perfectly smarmy Brad David Berwick). Greg Evigan contributes a fine performance as Cody's scruffy, disapproving sexist jerk partner Heineman. Directed with tremendously artsy and dynamic style by Katt Shea Ruben (who also co-wrote the solid script),with garish cinematography, an appropriately trashy rock soundtrack, plenty of protracted smoking hot striptease set pieces, a funny turn by the always delightful Diana Bellamy as a brassy police dispatcher, and a thrilling conclusion (the killer's true identity is a genuine surprise),"Stripped to Kill" rates highly as a hugely enjoyable slice of low-budget 80's exploitation junk.

STRIPPED TO KILL is a somewhat lacklustre and cheap thriller of the 1980s, set entirely in a nightclub populated by strippers. The plot involves a couple of cops on the hunt for a serial killer bumping off said acts, but for 90% of the running time this is all about the stripping. Endless real-life strippers spend their time gyrating and removing what little clothing they were originally wearing as the music drones on, and it's all so boring that you'll be reaching for the fast-forward button. A pity, as the little plot that IS included isn't too bad, and the over the top climax is quite fun. Surprisingly, for such an exploitative title, there are some familiar faces here, including TV's Greg Evigan and old-timer Norman Fell.

Although not to be taken really literally. And a stripper bar is not exactly a discothek - though I guess close enough. With much more nudity (depending on the club you go or used to go to of course). That being said, there is also a murder mystery going on, so if you like those two elements combined there you go. And before you scream anything at the screen, this was directed by a woman. I guess this is what they were willing to give her money for.

In her audio commentary she does talk about discrimination a bit I guess. When people where not expecting a woman director. It had to do with her name not being as clear as other first names (male or female that is). I'm not sure it's really a surprise but maybe if you just let yourself immerse into that world and don't think too much, you will be mesmerized (by the visual content). It's not a bad movie, it's not a good movie either though ...