Movie review: ‘Strangers Online’

There’s not much to say, really, about “Strangers Online” unless you take schadenfreude-inspired joy in cheaply made (and even more cheaply thought out) video dreck.

It’s the story of a stud Internet radio DJ (Noel Palomaria) with Cinemax-worthy girl troubles: sexually rapacious female listeners, an exhibitionistic babe (Eva Frajko) at home, a murdered ex (Nansi Aluka) he may or may not have stabbed to death and an unstable, stalkerish hottie of an intern (Tara Killian).

With sexploitative earnestness, co-writer-director John Huckert whips up an impossibly cheesy blend of gratuitous nudity, readily available kitchen knives and psychosexual mumbo jumbo, and if one were being midnight-movie charitable, this bargain-bin effort could be labeled a homemade homage to pay-cable ‘80s soft-core, complete with the synthesizer riffs, casual misogyny and an unintentionally sad cameo by scream queen Linnea Quigley.

But the only titillation in this ludicrous attempt at an “erotic thriller” comes from whether a terrible performance, logic-challenged plot point or dialogue howler will be your next source of laughter.

“Strangers Online.” No MPAA rating. Running time: 1 hour, 46 minutes. At Laemmle’s Sunset 5, West Hollywood; and Laemmle’s Playhouse 7, Pasadena.