Bad

Hazel Aiken runs a beauty salon from her home, but the business serves as cover for a sideline in contract killings. She arranges for women to carry out hits for paying clients, keeping the operation quiet behind an ordinary suburban front. When a drifter named L.T. runs short of money and asks her for work, she is hesitant, since she prefers to employ women, but agrees to try him out. At the same time Detective Hughes, a policeman on her payroll, pressures her for an arrest that would make him look effective, while she is unwilling to give up anyone connected to her.

The film was directed by Jed Johnson, working from a screenplay by Pat Hackett and George Abagnalo, and produced by Jeff Tornberg. Carroll Baker leads the cast as Hazel, with Perry King as L.T., Susan Tyrrell as Mary Aiken, Charles McGregor as Detective Hughes, Brigid Berlin as Estelle and Barbara Allen as S.F. Thirty-eight performers are credited in all. It runs 105 minutes and blends crime and horror with dark comedy.

Made for about two million dollars and released in May 1977, the film drew limited audiences. On IMDb it holds a rating of 5.9 from around a thousand votes, while on TMDB it sits at 6.5 from a much smaller tally of 53. The wider sample and the narrower one point to a similar, modest reception rather than a strong divide between them.