William Shatner may have perhaps gained his fame and popularity thanks to the "Star Trek" franchise and the approximately two trillion TV shows he appeared in, but seriously how many people know that this charismatic and widely respected actor starred in a handful of ultimately bizarre, cheesy and eccentric low-budget horror/cult movies?? Shatner appeared in the gritty hospital slasher "Visiting Hours", fought large uncanny spiders in "Kingdom of the Spiders", spoke the dead language of Esperanto in "Incubus" and got sucked into a Satan-worshiping clan in "The Devil's Rain". But the film that is arguably his most bonkers accomplishment is this over-the-top clichéd attempt at psycho thriller. The film itself is already quite ludicrous, what with its mundane plot and silly dialogs, but William Shatner single-handedly upgrades "Impulse" to the highest possible level of sheer bad-movie entertainment with his extreme overacting, flamboyant wardrobe and outrageous psychotic outbursts. Shatner depicts Matthew Stone, a clumsy swindler yet professional and natural born ladies' man who roams around Florida to pick up belly dancers, hotel receptionists and lonely widows with obnoxious pre-teenage kids. During the laughably melodramatic black-and- white prologue, we witness how the young Matthew Stone killed his mother's lover with a sword because he was acting violent. The event clearly had a gigantic mental impact on Matt, because now even as an adult he sucks on his pinkie and mumbles stuff about his mommy whenever he's stressed or becoming aggressive. The trauma nevertheless didn't prevent him from growing up as a fraud who lures poor women into handing over their savings for vague but so-called profitable investments. Troubles arise when the daughter of his new gullible victim, who already strongly opposes against the relationship, witnesses Matthew commit a murder. The grotesque highlights featuring in "Impulse" are almost too numerous to list: Shatner freaking out against a fat lady with balloons at a theme park, the extended murder sequence where Shatner fruitlessly tries to hang his former partner in crime (played by the legendary Bond villain Odd Job!) and subsequently chases him through a whole car wash or Shatner jumping around like a clown when threatening his next murder victim. The person responsible for choosing the protagonist's outfits (I sure hope it wasn't William Shatner's private wardrobe) should be sentenced to jail. The music is definitely exhilarating and the main love interest, Jennifer Bishop, is a stunningly gorgeous lady. I can't help enjoying all of William Grefe's film that I've seen so far… "Sting of Death", "Mako: Jaws of Death", "Stanley" and now "Impulse". They're bad, trashy and unbelievably cheap, but also fun from start to finish!

We begin our lurid tale with Shatner's character a preteen, sword-gutting some airhead bruiser that his slutty alcoholic mother brought home...flash to today(the mid-70s), and grown-up Shatner has a wardrobe of the finest wallpaper-prints and polyester leisure wear in history(you can almost SMELL the Aqua-Velva). His "thing" is swindling widowed women out of their savings and "offing" them(and occasionally going bonkers while biting on his pinky-finger). When the young daughter of one victim-to-be witnesses him grooving on his funky psycho-killer scene, a tense cat-and-mouse game begins.The unintentional hilarity of this film has become a thing of lore...and justly so. All that's saving it from absolute indignity is the strong performance from Ruth Roman(who brought professionalism to a few other gonzo sub-B films in her later career, like THE BABY, THE KILLING KIND, and DAY OF THE ANIMALS). Also, the juvenile role of little Tina is fairly well played, but her character is poorly written and occasionally quite irritating. Shatner sails out of orbit in an unforgettable blood-and-thunder performance which could make any Klaus Kinski role look restrained by comparison. This is "must see to believe" cinemania...a minor masterwork of utter disgrace that entertains for(mostly) all the wrong reasons.6/10

This is one of the most deliriously hilarious movies I have ever seen. William Shatner, yes, THE William Shatner as an evil, psychotic male hooker. Oh, and he has a pimp named "Karate Pete", too. There really aren't too many words to describe this film. Let me give you my own reactions. I laughed so hard at some scenes that I had to rewind them so I could hear the dialogue. And even upon re-watching them, it was a struggle not to urinate in my pants I was in such an uproar. I hadn't planned on getting drunk that night, but this film basically forced me to drink. It is a powerful film, no doubt about it. I wish Shatner had played more psychos, its a revelation in overracting. I recently won a copy on ebay ($4.99), and I sleep better at night now, knowing that this film is mere feet away from me at all times. An absolute classic in bad cinema!

I just saw this film and I had to write a review as quick as I could!All I can say is WOW! William Shatner shines, as does his wardrobe, in this great piece of cinematic film-making!!! This film has everything. A car chase through a car wash that rivals the one in THE FRENCH CONNECTION!!! Menacing acting by Mr. Shatner that rivals Malcolm McDowell's work in CLOCKWORK ORANGE!!! And the greatest wardrobe in any film since DOLEMITE!!!Shatner chews the scenery like a well done steak! But heed this warning: If you are partial to balloons...LOOK AWAY!!!See it... and then see it again!!This film needs to be on DVD!!!