The film is made up of archival footage of their films and interviews, both with the three scream queens, and people who worked with them: actors such as Jay Richardson and directors like Fred Olen Ray and David Decoteau, and others. The film explores the childhoods of the trio, and one would guess that even fans will discover a new tidbit or two about their idols that they didn't know before. For instance, that Brinke Stevens has a master's degree in marine biology, or that Linnea Quigley was an incredibly shy youth whose father is a college administrator. Of the three, Michelle Bauer is the most ambivalent about her career. It's not that she's ashamed of her work, but rather that she's had to deal with a lot of grief from family and friends, and so now is very reticent about it, and doesn't volunteer any information to those she meets.

The interviews discuss what was going on in Hollywood in the late seventies and early eighties, when the girls got their start. While it was nearly impossible for filmmakers who catered to the drive-in market to make a profit, the home video revolution created a great demand for content, any content, that video stores could use to fill their shelves. Quickly made low budget films could do quite well here, and did, especially if there was a superabundance of gore and scantily clad women. Linnea, Michelle and Brinke all admit that they were able to find steady work because they were not shy about taking off their clothes. As Fred Olen Ray says in one interview, "The sexy horror comedy works so well because it's hard to fail." Indeed, the rise of home video created a sort of perfect storm for the B movie world, and for a time it operated largely through mutual friends hiring friends. Several people mention it feeling "like a family".

All that rises, of course, must at some point fall as well. The golden age of the "sexy horror comedy" couldn't last forever. As the big box video store chains grew (who generally didn't buy B movies) returns dwindled. The cost of making films fell, the market was flooded with super cheap films, and any girl who took her top off in a horror film labeled herself a scream queen. Linnea and Brinke take this in stride, continue making movies and riding the convention circuit. Michelle essentially retires in the early nineties, but still makes the occasional film. All three talk about what they are doing now, and reflect on their long careers, and all the ups and downs that went with it: the fame and steady work, but also the type casting and stigma of appearing in exploitation films.

Screaming in High Heels works quite well as a documentary on all fronts. It has an interesting subject, snags a lot of great interviews and reveals plenty of information for the drooling fans, but is also accessible and interesting to the general public. But mostly it works because Michelle Bauer, Linnea Quigley and Brinke Stevens are just so darned likeable. These three women come across as incredibly personable, humble and intelligent. It's a treat to get to know them better. Highly recommended.

The DVD

Video:
The video is presented in 1.78:1 widescreen, and looks pretty good. Of course, a lot of the archival footage is in poor shape, but this doesn't reflect the quality of the feature itself.

Sound:
Audio is Dolby digital 2 channel, and is also pretty good. There is no problem understand the interview subjects, and no hiss or other problem can be detected. No subtitles or alternate language tracks are included.

Extras:
There are a few extras included. They are:

Interviews
Additional interviews are presented here. Extra material from interviews with Linnea, Michelle and Brinke is shown, as well as a Q&A session at Flashback Weekend with Brinke and Screaming in High Heels director Jason Paul Collum, and a shorter Q&A with Linnea and Jason, also at Flashback Weekend. There is a lot of good stuff in all of these segments.

Screaming in High Heels Trailer
This is a very good trailer for the feature, coming in at 2:16.

Breaking Glass Trailers
Trailers for Breaking Glass releases 6 Degrees of Hell, Scalene and El Monstro Del Mar are included.

Final Thoughts:
When the subjects of your documentary are three beautiful, personable women, as Fred Olen Ray says, "it's hard to fail". Jason Paul Collum certainly doesn't fail here, and his obvious love for these three women and their body of work is clear. Nevertheless, the film, which clocks in at just over an hour, is not merely an extended puff piece. A lot of very engaging information is presented here, about what could be termed "The Scream Queen Era", and one does not have to be a die-hard fan to appreciate it. Screaming in High Heels passes the test for this kind of lighthearted doc, it's both fun and informative.