"Porn Shoot Massacre" DVD (director: Corbin Timbrook)

Mild film that only aspires to be "dangerous"

I have little patience for this sort of thing. Promises, promises. I say, if you're going to go for such a balls-out, all-in trashy title, at least back it up with something of, well, substance. This lame exploitation film goes nowhere fast. The premise? A porno in the making is marred by a grisly murder! The girls are being picked off one-by-one. Interested? Me, neither.

The opening scene is of an obviously-enhanced porn star in the shower. She is killed by an unseen assailant. There is obviously artificial blood. That is about as "hardcore" as it gets. For a film with both "porn" and "massacre" in the title, this one lacks both. Sure, there are plenty of breasts here and there, but there's also atrocious acting, a lame, generic story, and less-than-stellar murders and blood.  "Porn Shoot Massacre" is mild all the way, never quite cashing in all of it's chips. No, thanks.

Lost Empire Films

"Exploitation Double Feature" DVD

Marginal set of trashy cinema

Pairing a couple of unrelated early 70s trash films, this double-sided single disc is marginal, at best. The first feature is my favorite -- the 1976 Joe D'Amato-directed "Black Cobra Woman (aka Eva nero)". Starring Jack Palance and the beautiful Laura Gemser, it's the tale of a wealthy playboy (Palance) who encounters a stunning exotic snake dancer (Gemser), who he eventually woos, leading him into her dangerous web of murder. Did I mention that Palance's character himself collects exotic snakes? With plenty of nudity and scenes of 70s-era Hong Kong, this is a curious little film that's got enough breasts and tantalizing sexuality to keep me interested.

The second flick is a 1977 Italian film, directed by Massimo Dallamano, called "Super Bitch (aka Mafia Junction)", and it doesn't fare so well. A dirty cop infiltrates a crime syndicate, and plenty of violence, murder, and big 70s-style car chases ensue. Nudity is at a minimum, but the soundtrack by the great Riz Ortolani is superb. 

So, win some and lose some, this double-feature set is, nonetheless, a cool (and inexpensive) find for exploitation fans.

Apprehensive Films

"Your American Teen" DVD

This skimpy documentary runs at under an hour, and profiles several teenage girls who experienced sexual exploitation firsthand. Candid interviews with the broken and traumatized teens are compelling, and shows that the road to recovery is long and quite challenging. As well, several "experts" are consulted, including doctors and, inexplicably, Daryl Hannah and the always-annoying Jane Velez-Mitchell (herself exploitational and self-promoting), who are (thankfully) given minimal talking-head time. 

I'm left a bit cold here, with little to really underscore the causes or solutions of such tragic circumstances. Is society broken and dysfunctional? Sure it is. I give credit to the courageous girls who were open enough to be featured here, but the film itself doesn't offer much help or positivity. 

(CTG Films)

"Frankensteins Bloody Nightmare" DVD (director: John R. Hand)

Directed, produced, and starring John R. Hand, this 2006 psychedelic swirl of abstracted horror was a unique debut, shot entirely on vintage Super-8 format (with an annoying abundance of color-saturated filters). On one hand, I admire Hand's attempt to produce a disorienting experience akin to some of the experimental filmmakers of the seventies. 

On the other hand (hah, no pun intended), "Frankensteins Bloody Nightmare" is a messy, scattered film. Loosely based on Mary Shelley's classic novel, this modern adaptation is a tale of a young doctor who decides to reanimate his dead girlfriend in the obvious fashion (i.e. with dead body parts). The dialogue here leaves much to be desired, and the "monster" looks more like a Muppet frog. In truth, "Frankensteins Bloody Nightmare" is almost unwatchable, but I can see the raw ideas that Hand brings to the table, and there's something there. I can't recommend this, but the director may be one to watch in the future. 

(Unearthed Films)

JRH Films blog

"Psychopaths - Sex With Hostages" DVD (director: Jason Impey)

This trashy, flaccid micro-indie out of England is pure exploitation, but it doesn't deliver the goods it promises. Following a pair of escaped felons (murderer-rapists) as they evade a pair of bumbling and hot-headed cops, "Psychopaths" features nary a single likable character, an annoying abundance of potty-mouthed "fookin' koonts", and far too many overweight Brits who perhaps shouldn't be acting in films ever again. Miserable!

The sex is rather tame, the violence flimsy, the fight scenes laughable, and the characters one-dimensional and uninteresting. I lost interest fast and could barely finish this load of bollocks! (World Wide Multimedia via MVD Visual)

"The Sex Merchants" DVD (director: John Niflheim)

Not quite hardcore, but a little more than softcore, this modern sexploitation is the tale of fetish photographer whose appetite for drugs and women put him into some precarious situations, and to the brink of self-destruction.

Of course, the journey couldn't be complete without plenty of trysts with hot models willing to do anything for the next photo shoot. Cash flow becomes a problem for our "hero", as he annihilates his income on cocaine and more women. We get plenty of breast-play, some mild bondage action, flogging, and some non-penetration intercourse. Interesting and watchable, though not always well-acted or scripted. Oh, and I can't forget to mention the wonderful retro-style orchestral score. Nice touch! (Independent Entertainment via MVD Visual)

"Exploited" DVD (director: Moses)

No, this isn't a film dealing with mohawked English punk thugs. What it is, ironically, is a sort of faux documentary/exploitation film that follows around a young and naive aspiring model named Mercedes in her travels to "make it" "at all costs" in the glamor and fashion industry. The film gradually presents her cliched "downward spiral" into drugs, alcohol, and less-tasteful "modeling", which leads her into the porn industry, and a meeting with Ron Jeremy himself.

Needless to say, things don't go well for Mercedes, and she bottoms out. As in, face down. In more ways than one.

"Exploited" looks good, and is well-enough acted. In fact, except for the silly black censor bars placed on certain sexual situations, this rather exploitative film fares well, and even ties things up pleasantly at the finish, as Mercedes "cleans up" and finds her inner confidence and balance. Overall, an enjoyable if slighly flawed film. (Independent Entertainment via MVD VIsual)


Exploited official page

"Bad Biology" (director: Frank Henenlotter)

Wow. I have been a huge fan of Henenlotter's 1982 exploitation/horror gem "Basket Case", and to a lesser degree his fairly sicko "Brain Damage" of 1988. But his return after a 16-year absence, modestly titled "Bad Biology", takes his low-budget trash cinema aesthetic a couple of steps further. Not sure exactly how to describe this one, so here goes.

We meet Jennifer, played by Charlee Danielson, who is a young art photographer with a terribly tragic past. See, she was born with a proliferation of clitorises, and her need for sexual fulfillment is well beyond that of normal women. She is a walking orgasm machine, without a solid relationship to call her own. If this reminds slightly of the legendary "Deep Throat", it's not too far a stretch. Anyway, Jennifer is a sort of sexual predator herself, with some other dark secrets that I won't get into.

Through a series of predicaments, she comes across (uhh...) a fellow named Batz (Anthony Sneed) who has a problem of his own. His penis is an enlarged, deformed beast with a will (and mind) of it's own (with an inhuman drug problem), and he cannot find meaningful relations with anyone due to this deformity. So go figure - the two meet, but just as Jennifer is dreaming of fulfillment, and ready to pounce, Batz' cock decides to leave. Yes, it inchworms itself around, terrorizing young ladies (also known as porn stars, if you must know) until the drugs wear off. It's really quite raunchy, but good, tasteless fun overall. I won't spoil anything else, but suffice to say it's quite a climax. Hah!

The acting here is sometimes crappy (as is the script), but hey, this one titillates (and there are plenty of tits). The soundtrack, consisting of quality forward-thinking hip-hop tunes from Prince Paul (and others) is superb. Recommended for the trashiest film fans only (like me). Prudes and purists need not apply for this one!

Ruggero Deodato - "Cannibal Holocaust" DVD

This 1980 production is a legendary piece of grindhouse/exploitation and mondo cinema, and has noticeably inspired later-day film juggernauts like 'The Blair Witch Project', and certainly Eli Roth's explorations of taboos and sado-masochistic brutalism. Banned in many countries for years, this film is still a vile, repulsive, and shocking display of transgression and man's own inhumanity, greed, and brazen disrespect towards other cultures.

Featuring some pretty wooden acting, and amateurish 'home-video' filmwork, 'Cannibal Holocaust' is the tale of a group of young filmmakers who travel to the deepest, most unexplored rainforests of Brazil to document the primitive native tribes who are known to be cannibals. Well, their trip, seen through their own eyes (a film company is reviewing the reels for possible release) goes from bad to worse. The natives aren't so welcoming, and we are gradually led into understanding why.

'Cannibal Holocaust' is offensive in so many ways, and is certainly only for jaded gorehounds, and those with a strong stomach. Some would say (and they may not be wrong) that this film is little more than an excuse to parade out excessive amounts of violence and torture (the animal killings are real), plus a great deal of brutal sexual violence. This film blurs the lines between shocking reality and cinematic staging. It's not a 'Faces Of Death'-style documentary, but if you hate death scenes, this one's just not for you, period.

On a positive note, the bit of social commentary is good, as we see the true 'evil' isn't the natives at all, but the rude and disrespectful Americans, who actually, truth be told, deserve what they get. The indigenous tribes are depicted as primitives, but they never kill without reason. They are surviving the only way they know how.

A powerful film, but not an easy film. At all.

trailer (graphic)