NO ONE HEARD THE SCREAM: MURDEROUS RECRUIT

 

Severin has released several films by director Eloy de la Iglesia, the largest set if which is a three film set of his quinqui films. But these weren’t the only films Iglesia made. Two other titles that fell under the genre of horror films but might more have been suited as giallo films are also being released. One of those is NO ONE HEARD THE SCREAM.

Elisa (Carmen Sevilla) is a woman living in Spain who makes her way through life as the mistress of a wealthy man in London. Her wealthy benefactor wants her to come up and when she refuses gets angry with her. She breaks off the affair and stays home that weekend. 

The apartment building she lives in is nearly empty for the weekend with only the nearly deaf concierge and her next door neighbor home. After taking a shower she hears noises next door and when she opens her door to investigate discover her neighbor Miquel (Vincente Parra) about to drop the dead body of his wife Nuria (Maria Asquerino) down the elevator shaft. 

Elisa runs into her apartment locking the door behind her intent on calling the police. Before she can do so, Miquel cuts her phone line and then crawls across from his balcony to hers, holding her at gunpoint. Rather than shoot her, he forces her to become his accomplice and help him dispose of the body. 

They gather the body from the base of the elevator shaft and wrap it in Elisa’s shower curtain. Stuffing the body in the trunk of her car, they head for the vacation home heard Elisa talking about at nearby San Juan Lake. On the way they are stopped by police but Miquel keeps his gun on Elisa. There’s been an accident and the police force them to take one of the wounded to a nearby hospital. 

Waiting for the police to provide information to them, Miquel is frightened when he hears them talking about a dead woman in their car. Fortunately for him it wasn’t his wife’s body they’re speaking of but the woman they brought to the hospital. As their journey moves forward a distinct bond between the two starts to build, one that might lead to romance. 

Several plot turns better left unsaid take place in the remainder of the film making it one that keeps you guessing as to where it will lead. Fans of the genre may determine what happens by the end of the film but my guess is not completely. 

The production values of the film are solid here and offer a nice backdrop for the story. The story itself seems a little strange in that Elisa begins to become attracted to a man who just killed his wife, but it attempts to make that as plausible as possible. The acting by both leads works through translation making them believable in their roles. 

Severin has done a wonderful job with this release beginning with an HD scan from the original film negative. The only extra included here is “Eloy de la Iglesia and the Spanish Giallo” and interview with film scholar Dr. Andy Willis. 

Fans of Spanish films and giallo films in particular will want to make sure and add this one to their collection.

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PRICELESS!

 

 

 

Fans of horror know the name Vincent Price immediately upon hearing his name. Whether it was the Roger Corman directed Edgar Allan Poe films or his work on Michael Jackson’s Thriller, the unmistakable image and voice that was Price is recognized around the world. Many might be surprised to discover that the majority of the movies he made weren’t horror films at all and that he had a long career in dramatic films. But it will always be the horror films he will be remembered for.

Kino Lorber is in the midst of releasing many of those great movies on blu-ray right now. I was lucky enough to get a few in. Among those are MASTER OF THE WORLD and THE LAST MAN ON EARTH. Both give us different looks at Price and steer clear of the Poe films. 

MASTER OF THE WORLD is based on the Jules Verne novel of the same name. In this film Price stars as Robur, a man determined to end all wars on the planet at the turn of the century. To do so he’s built a flying machines with bombing capabilities unlike any ever seen. Investigating a disturbance in a mountain a group led by government agent Strock (Charles Bronson), industrialist Prudent (Henry Hull), his daughter Dorothy (Mary Webster) and her fiancé Phillip Evans (David Frankham) are captured. The group are witness to the power of the flying airship as well as the intentions of Robur. Like any good set of heroes they set out to stop him before he kills more people after having watched him blow up a ship and a major city. 

Made in 1961 the film features spectacular effects for that time period. The cinematography is wonderful and this print of the film brings the colors to life that have been seen in previously washed out prints. The acting is solid and gives Bronson one of his first time efforts as a hero. He and Price had worked together previously on THE HOUSE OF WAX. Yes, Bronson was in that movie. This one offers plenty of entertainment that the whole family can enjoy. 

THE LAST MAN ON EARTH was made 3 years later. And Italian production based on the novel I AM LEGEND by Richard Matheson it tells the story of Dr. Robert Morgan (Price). As the film opens we see him roaming the near empty streets looking for the killers he seeks. A virus has affected the planet killing off people and causing them to rise from the dead. Morgan has a natural immunity to the plague and the dead now seek to destroy him. Every day he rises and goes out trying to find these ghoulish vampires to destroy and then burn their bodies in a pit created by the government before everything fell apart. He comes across another survivor only to find she too is infected, but differently from the rest. He gives her a transfusion and she’s cured. Can she help him to explain to the others like her that he has been killing that he can save them all? 

Shot in black and white this movie has been offered in countess collections and cheap versions for years. All of those have been washed out or out of focus prints that were terrible. Kino Lorber has changed all that with this version offering the film in the most beautiful print ever. The acting is better than most would expect from a low budget film like this but that was always the case when Price was attached to a film. He treated all of his roles as if they were special.

If the name of this film sounds familiar it should. This film was remade twice, first as OMEGA MAN with Charlton Heston and then as I AM LEGEND with Wil Smith. At the time Matheson was disappointed in this version and yet time has shown it to be the closest one made to the original novel. Speaking of Matheson, there is a documentary featuring an interview with him on both movies. A nice touch. 

If these movies weren’t enough Kino Lorber also has several other Price titles available. Also coming out are THEATER OF BLOOD, THE TOMB OF LIEGIA, THE RAVEN and COMEDY OF TERRORS. Each of these offers Price in some of his most iconic moments. 

At a time when the people are saying that physical media is dying off it’s nice to see a company like Kino Lorber investing in offering films like these in the best way possible. If you are a fan of Vincent Price you won’t find a better version available on any of these films. These are all worth adding to your collection. 

Click here to order MASTER OF THE WORLD.

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THE DARK: SERIAL KILLING ALIEN

 

 

I actually saw THE DARK at a drive-in when the movie was released in 1979. I remember being unimpressed. Years later when it was released on VHS I watched it again and felt the same. Time has passed and the movie is coming out on blu-ray from MVD. Over the years I became more acquainted with the work of director John “Bud” Cardos. The movie still isn’t the greatest film ever made but I did find it more entertaining this time around.

An alien crash lands on Earth as the film opens. He (I assume it’s a he) then goes on a killing spree and removing the heads of the victims he kills. The police are baffled by the killer since he shows no method to his madness with no ties between the victims. Just headless corpses tossed about by a creature strong enough to do so with his bare hands. 

Among those victims is a young woman whose father Roy (William Devane) is a well-known author. Not only that, he is an ex-felon long since released and no friend to the lead detective Mooney (Richard Jaeckel). The two are confrontational throughout the film. If their paths cross so do words, more often from Jaeckel. Devane wants answers and the police are unable to provide any so he begins investigating on his own. 

News reporter Zoe (Cathy Lee Crosby) is hot to get hold of this story herself. Tired of doing puff pieces for the news she pushes her boss Moss (Keenan Wynn) to let her have this one. He agrees and she sets out to find the killer as well, now tagged as The Mangler by the press. Along the way she meets Roy and the two share ideas and theories and strike up a romance along the way. 

The Mangler continues killing people in more gruesome fashion each time, eventually shooting rays from his eyes as well. Each death brings the police no closer to discovering who he is. But Roy and Zoe have followed clues the police turned down, including information from a psychic who went to the police to tell them she saw the murders occurred and knew that a young actor would be the next victim. With little to go on, it seems that they will be the ones to break the case. 

So what we have here is a movie that began as one thing and eventually became another due to interference by those who were producing the film. The extras here include an interview with Cardos and he talks about the fact that the movie was originally supposed to be directed by Tobe Hooper of TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE fame. A disagreement at the last minute resulted in his leaving the film and it being offered to Cardos. Having not had a long term investment in the film he was willing to go with whatever they wanted. That’s where the mistake was made. 

What was originally supposed to be a horror film with ties to the occult changed in midstream to an alien film. This was due to the fact that space films were popular at the time so the producers changed the direction of the film. All involved gave it their best effort but alas the film itself shows the effects of a group of non-creative people becoming too involved in a production. 

In spite of that the film is entertaining enough and does have some fun elements. The gore effects are pretty good for a low budget film. The acting by some big names shows they can make the best of a bad situation. And while the story is terrible and cheesy it makes it a bit of a laugh in the end.

Over the years the film has developed a bit of a cult following. Those fans will be glad to see it get this blu-ray release with a few extras tossed in. They’ll want to make sure this one ends up on their shelf. For everyone else, see if they’ll let you borrow it for a night. It’s at least worth that. 

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42ND STREET: YOUNG DREAMS

 

 

Back in 1933 when sound on film was just beginning to be accepted a choreographer by the name of Busby Berkley left his mark of movie musical with his well-staged and well-photographed musical numbers. That year he choreographed several films but perhaps none more notable than 42^nd STREET. With Ruby Keeler and Dick Powell along with Warner Baxter and Ginger Rogers the film was a hit and a classic example of the early movie musical. 

It was no wonder that the film about Broadway would later become a Broadway musical itself. The stage musical came out in 1980 and had a lengthy run on Broadway. In 2017 the play had a revival that did equally well. That production made its way to a taped version of the show which is now available on disc from MVD. 

The story revolves around a Broadway production being staged by famed director Julian Marsh (Tom Lister). Marsh has been forced to include aging actress Dorothy Brock (Bonnie Langford) in the lead role to get financing for the production from her wealthy beau Abner Dillon (Bruce Montague). Enter Peggy Sawyer (Clare Halse), fresh off the bus from Allentown, PA and hoping to audition except she arrived too late. Feeling for her a few of the chorus girls take her to lunch. They encourage Peggy to show them a dance routine and Marsh catching her doing do decides that he needs her to be in the chorus. 

Then things get a little complicated. Abner is not happy that his girlfriend is going to be kissing another actor in the play and pulls his money unless the show is changed, which it is. During a rehearsal Peggy faints and is taken to Dorothy’s dressing room by Pat Denning (Matthew Goodgame), the man Dorothy is secretly having an affair with. When she finds them in the dressing room together she throws a fit. Overhearing this and fearful that he will lose his backer, Marsh has a couple of thugs suggest to Pat that he move elsewhere. 

More romantic ups and downs, A broken ankle, the show nearly closing before it opens and a young upstart named Peggy who saves the day all make for a story that supposedly shows what goes on behind the scenes of a Broadway musical. At least in the land of make believe. 

The production is well made and shot so that you feel not just like you’re in the audience but have front row seats. The acting is done in a stage manner rather than film meaning they are playing to the back seats but it works. 

More than anything the production was known for its use of popular songs at the time as well as songs made for the film that became popular on their own. “42^nd Street”, “You’re Getting to be a Habit with Me”, “I Only Have Eyes for You” and “We’re in the Money” all came from the production. Odds are since reading that you’re already humming one of more of those tunes. 

Most people will never have the opportunity to go to see an actual Broadway production. Discs like these provide that opportunity to everyone. So make sure you take a chance and enjoy this one. It’s worth watching. 

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O.S.S.: US SPIES

 

If you weren’t aware the Office of Strategic Services (O.S.S.) was the secret spy operation led by William Donovan during WWII. The organization sent spies into Germany and other nearby countries during the war to gather intelligence and destroy various targets behind enemy lines. When the war ended the organization changed and became the Central Intelligence Agency (C.I.A.). So much for a brief history lesson.

The film O.S.S. was released in a year after the end of WWII. Written by Richard Maibaum who would go on to write 12 of the James Bond films the film shows his penchant working with spies. Unfortunately the film doesn’t quite compare to those movies in spite of this. 

Alan Ladd stars as John Martin, a man caught trying to steal plans for an electronics circuit here in the US. Rather than send him to jail he’s recruited by the newly found O.S.S. to be sent out on test missions. Along with Martin are several other agents including a woman named Elaine Dupree (Geraldine Fitzgerald). After thorough training their first mission comes through: blow up a railroad tunnel to slow down the enemy. 

Signs of what was common at the time have Martin doubt that Dupree can handle the job since she’s a woman. Posting as an artists which she has some background in, she proves him wrong when she catches the eye of German Colonel Paul Meister (John Hoyt). He admires her work and contracts her to make a bust of himself. 

When he is later transferred and headed to Normandy on a troop train, Dupree convinces her to take her with him. He agrees and she takes along a duplicate busts packed with plastic explosives. Martin is also on board the train and when the time is right the pair set off their special package and accomplish their mission of blowing up the train tunnel. 

But Meister survived the explosion and is now hunting the duo. They meet a corrupt Gestapo agent who realizes that all is lost for the Reich. He agrees to help them escape the country for a fee. Now the question is can will he follow through? And even if he does, will it be enough to help Martin and Dupree escape the country? 

As a historical piece of post war propaganda the film is interesting to watch. The concept of a woman being considered unable to do the job and proving that she could was ahead of its time. The only problem with the film is the pacing. It moves along far too slow for what should have been a film packed with action. 13 RUE MADELINE made just a year later starring James Cagney showed how this could be done and is a much better picture. 

Ladd is wasted here. One would never realize his talents seeing this film made after his starring roles in TWO YEARS BEFORE THE MAST and THE BLUE DAHLIA. His acting here is more wooden than would be expected and he spends more time looking around at people suspiciously than anything else. On the other hand Fitzgerald shines and shows why she was a force to be reckoned with at the time. The end result is a decent film but not one that will be long remembered. 

Kino Lorber is releasing the film on blu-ray with a brand new 2k master of the film. Extras are limited and include an audio commentary track by film historian Samm Deighan and a collection of movie trailers. 

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SHOGUN’S JOY OF TORTURE: PINKY VIOLENT PRECURSOR

 

Film in Japan has gone through various genres of their own that have shown both creativity and a certain sense of strangeness in the eyes of those around the world. “Pink films” for obvious reasons referred to the films there in the 60s that featured nudity in them. A sub-genre of that came from Toei Studios and was known as “pinky violence”. These films combined eroticism with tales of violence and action. But before those films came into being, director Teruo Ishii made the film SHOGUN’S JOY OF TORTURE.

The film was considered an example of the ero-guro or erotic grotesque film. Set in the Edo period the film offers three separate stores that involve, yes, torture and violence. This is painfully obvious with the film’s opening credit sequence showing the crucifixion and beheading of a woman. The first story involves a woman trying to care for her older brother who has taken ill. To take care of him she agrees to become his boss’s mistress. As he heals the bond between the two grows until it reaches the incestuous stage. What follows is not pleasant. 

The second story tells the tale of two lesbian nuns. This breaks all sorts of boundaries beginning with breaking their vow of celibacy. When caught by a monk, he too takes part in their sexual encounters. To say that they pay for their transgressions is to put it lightly. 

The third and last story about a sociopathic tattoo artist determined to create his most famous work. He kidnaps a young woman and begins tattooing various depictions of violence that his supporter and lord allow him to watch. Encouraging him on to more violent acts he eventually convinces him to pose as an ogre for his masterpiece. But when one goes too far there are repercussions that come into play. 

There is little doubt as you can tell be reading this that this is not a film for the faint of heart nor those who find offense in things of this nature. While the descriptions I’ve provided don’t discuss them in depth, the scenes of torture that take place with the various characters here are somewhat extreme even by today’s standards. And this movie was made in 1968. 

The one thing the movie does is show the difference in outlooks about film from one country to another. While films in the US were just beginning to add nudity to their films this film and others like it were crossing more extreme barriers. It might not qualify as a horror film but the gruesome moments in the film could easily be found in a number of horror films that were released the following decade in the US. 

All of this makes it hard to determine if the film is entertaining or not. No doubt sadists and masochists would love it. But what about the main movie going public? I suspect not quite. Still for those interested in film from around the world and seeing the way movies are made in other countries there is a certain amount of curiosity that will be answered with this film. 

Arrow Video has done a fantastic job with the film with a 1080p blu-ray presentation along with several interesting extras. Those include and audio commentary track by Japanese cinema expert Tom Mes, “Teruo Ishii: Erotic-Grotesque Maestro” an exclusively filmed interview with author Patrick Macias, “Blind, Torture, Thrill” author and critic Jasper Sharp discussing the history of torture in Japanese exploitation films, the original trailer, an image gallery, a reversible sleeve with newly commissioned artwork by Jacob Phillips and for the first pressing only an illustrated booklet featuring new writing on the film by Mark Schilling. 

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INVADERS OF THE LOST GOLD: SAVE ME

 

I’m the type of movie fan who is willing to sit through just about any movie. I’ve seen some really bad movies, some great overlooked movies and some movies that are just so disgusting they were hard to stomach. I understand the struggles of low budget films and always try to respect the outcomes of those filmmakers who work through that to at least present something that can be watched and found entertaining. Sadly INVADERS OF THE LOST GOLD is not one of those movies.

During WWII a group of Japanese soldiers in the Philippines hides a cache of gold bars intending to come back after the war and retrieve them for themselves. They are attacked by native tribesmen who kill all but three who make it away safely. 

Fast forward to the present, or at least 1982 when the movie was made. Adventurer and scoundrel Rex Larson (Edmund Perdom) is tracking down the map that provides the location of the treasure. Two of the three survivors don’t cooperate and he kills both of them, taking the map from the second. But it needs to be read by someone who understand it so he talks the third survivor, Tobachi (Harold Sakata) into becoming a partner. 

The expedition is being bankrolled by Douglas Jefferson (David de Martyn), whose daughter Janice (Glynis Barber) accompanies him on the trip. To take them down the river and into the jungle on this search is the only man said to qualify for the job, Mark Forest (Stuart Whitman). The problem is that Forest and Larson are sworn enemies due to something that happened in their past.

The expedition sails downriver and includes Forest friend Fernando (Junix Inocian) and his wife, Forest’s ex-lover, Maria (Laura Gemser). Helping Jefferson is his longtime employee Cal (Woody Strode). In addition to these (the names in the film) are several porters who will soon be forgotten and fodder for anything from snakes to crocodiles. 

So here is the thing. The movie runs 90 minutes and it isn’t until around the 60 minute mark that they set out for the trip. Most of it is spent putting things in place. Trust me, when you make an adventure film and the biggest adventure is native attack in the first 10 minutes and a bar fight later on, you have a problem. 

Shot in the Philippines on a miniscule budget the film looks it. The cinematography is much better than expected but the script is a disaster. It’s as if they took all the different popular movie genres of the time, wrote them on pieces of paper, tossed them into a glad and pulled one out as they wrote the script. And I’m talking ridiculous things too. I mean the cannibal films were big at this time but I’ve never heard of tribal natives in the Philippines, have you? 

The acting isn’t too bad but for me it was sad seeing Stuart Whitman and Woody Strode relegated to being in a film like this. Both had solid careers in film for years. But this seems to be what Hollywood does when you get older, push you out the door and bring in the new young faces. Old actors either fade away of find work in films like this. 

The extras here include two conversations with director Alan Birkinshaw whose career consisted of 15 directorial credits. Neither of them is very interesting and match his career. It’s not many directors who can say they had Frank Stallone in not one but two lead roles in their films. 

The big to do about this film is that it was produced by Dick Randall. Randall was a producer of low budget productions that seemed to make money. His movies as a producer include PIECES, SLAUGHTER HIGH, DON’T OPEN UNTIL CHRISTMAS and several Emmanuelle movies. Think of him as Roger Corman without the style or success. He has his fans and my guess is that those will be the ones most interested in picking this film up. As for everyone else don’t waste your time or money.

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A DAY OF JUDGEMENT: DEATH COMES RIDING

 

 

Unhappy with the output of films coming out of Hollywood and determined to show he could do it better or just as well, Early Owensby built his own studio in Shelby, North Carolina in the 1970s. His studio would go on to make a number of low budget films that filled drive-ins and grindhouses across the country. Among the films that were made there was an unusual horror piece called A DAY OF JUDGEMENT, now available from Severin.

The film is less horror feature and more morality tale. It takes place in a small Southern town in 1920. Reverend Cage (Charles Reynolds) is about to leave the town, his flock having diminished to just three old women. Feeling he has failed them he has called for a new leader for the church. As he leaves the town and is about to cross a covered bridge he feels a cold breeze and watches as the new church leader makes his way into town. 

We then get to meet the people of this small town. There is Mrs. Fitch, an elderly woman who likes to drink all too much. This is your typical old biddy who threatens the local children who come anywhere near her precious garden. This eventually leads her to poisoning the children’s pet goat. She berates her servant who leaves her tired of her ways.

Then there is George Clay, a young man who runs the service station his parents own. He longs to be rid of having to take care of his parents, ignoring the fact that they’ve built this business in the hopes of providing him a means to live when they are gone. 

There is Mr. Sharpe, the unscrupulous town banker. Not only did he refuse to help Rev. Cage he has also done wrong to a local farmer named Morgan. Morgan was left funds gifted to him by neighbor Jess Hill to purchase seed so he can keep his farm. But Sharpe refuses to acknowledge the loan and forecloses on Morgan. 

Then there is Ruby Kaylor. Ruby is married to the owner of the local clothing store, Harvey Kaylor. But she’s only married Harvey for his money. On the side she’s seeing his employee Kenny. They have a weekend tryst planned at her home while Harvey is away but he returns earlier than expected. 

Lastly there is Charlie Milford who is certain that his wife is having an affair with his superior Sid Martin. He begins to harass Martin in various ways until he finally confront him with a loaded gun. 

Each of these people will have to atone for their actions. That judgement will be delivered by the new Reverend, the grim reaper in disguise. And judgement will be harsh. 

The film moves along at a slow pace and the look of the film is honestly a bit low level. It feels like a production from a local community theater rather than a feature film. The performances are all lacking and the story, while having a nice twist at the end, feels kind of predictable. For myself it wasn’t entertaining enough for me to recommend it but I am certain there are fans out there who will love this offering.

Severin Films is offering the film with a newly scanned 2k print from the IP for the first time ever. Extras include “The Atheist’s Sins” a commentary by author Stephen Thrower and “Tales of Judgement” and interview with filmmaker Worth Keeter and writer Thom McIntyre. 

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CRAZY NIGHTS: GLOBAL TRASH

 

Some movies released on disc take time and effort to dissect what the movie is about, to refine the things you need to say about the movie that allows the reader to see that perhaps a movie that got bad reviews wasn’t all that bad or that a movie the critics loved actually was terrible. And then there are movies that are just out and out a waste of time. Like CRAZY NIGHTS.

Released by Full Moon Features, who honestly has some really good movies to share, this one feels like it was picked up for a dime and just as much effort was put into its release. The film tries to be one of those Mondo films of the past, films that captured shocking moments behind the scenes around the world of things best not spoken of in mixed company. And yet every sequence here takes place in mixed company. 

Disco songstress Amanda Lear is our so called hostess taking us on a journey to hidden locations where we witness various strip clubs and cabarets where there is plenty of sex taking place. Due to a “money shot” towards the end of the film there is little doubt it would have received an X rating when released unless it was released without a rating. All the sequences in the film seem as natural and realistic as a porn film made at the time so any sense of being an actual Mondo film is lost immediately. 

Fans of Lear will be pleased that the movie includes her performing her dance floor tune “Follow Me”. If you’ve never heard of it join the crowd and I was alive during that decade. I’m guessing her entire fan club could fit on that same disco floor she performs on.

The film was directed by Joe D’Amato, a prolific director with over 19y directorial credits to his name. The Italian director worked in many genres but by far the majority of his films fell under the category of porn or light porn. These included the 5 films in the “black Emmanuelle” series. Along the way he made several notable entries in the horror genre but these movies were his bread and butter. 

You can put glitz and glitter on a low budget porn film but beneath that it remains a low budget porn film. That’s this movie. If you want to see and extreme look at what the disco age was all about, at least from the point of view of the elite few, then give this one a watch. Otherwise you’re wasting your time.

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THE GESTAPO’S LAST ORGY: POINTS OF VIEW

 

There are some movies that require two points of view to be presented. One would be your own point of view and the other the point of view of someone who finds the genre being discussed as differing from your own. For example someone who enjoys porn would have a different viewpoint on a pornographic film than say a minister. They might both agree about the quality of the production but not the content. So let me try and present both sides when discussing THE GESTAPO’S LAST ORGY. 

Like most films in the genre the story revolves around a concentration camp. The film opens with Conrad von Starke (Andriano Micantoni) driving through the countryside of Germany as the voice over plays of a trail of an ex-Nazi at Nuremberg. Starke arrives at a meeting with a woman named Lise (Daniela Levy an Italian TV presenter and future UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador Daniela Poggi), a woman who provided the evidence needed to get him off of the charges. Lise was one inmates at the concentration camp Starke ran. She takes him to the remnants of the camp where they make love and then a series of flashbacks begin.

The camp is not your normal prisoner of war camp. To begin with only women are taken to this camp. They are separated between those who will work the camp and those who will become playthings for those in charge and soldiers brought there on leave. These soldiers are allowed to do whatever they want with the women with the exception of getting them pregnant since the Nazis believe that Jewish women are beneath them. 

As time progresses Commandant Starke takes on Lise as his own personal pet. She seems unable to break and he has made up his mind that he will be the one to break her. But this task will not be as easy as it seems.

On the plus side, 88 Films has done a fantastic job with this release. The quality of the film scan remastered in 2k from the original camera negative looks cleaner than one would expect from a film that mainly showed in grindhouses in the US and art theaters in Europe. In addition to that this offering presents the film in its uncut form. This is the first edition of this film to be released in the US and fans of Nazisploitation films will be flocking to add this one to their collection.

Those fans will delight in the fact the films offers them everything the genre has offered in the past and more. In addition to that the folks at 88 Films have included some great extras as well. One of those is a reversible mini-poster for the film. There is also an audio commentary track by critic and author Samm Deighan and another audio commentary track by Italian movie specialists Troy Howarth and Nathaniel Thomson. 

Now the downside, keeping in mind this is my personal opinion. If you find a movie filled with rape, incest, cannibalism, people sodomized by bats, sexual deviancy and worse to your liking then I have to wonder what world you were raised in. This film features all of that. A woman who is menstruating is found unworthy of being raped and degraded so instead they feed her to the starving Dobermans. A group of Nazis having a fine dining experience have no issue when finding out the meat in the meal is unborn Jewish infants. Not only that, when one of the prisoners passes out, they coat her in the meat and roast her there on the table. 

The film is considered one of the more “artistic” films of the genre. This is in part because there are momentary sequences where there is less taking place visually and instead we hear about how the Jews are less than and unworthy of existence. 

There is a story here and it’s one of degradation, torture and sexual deviancy. Being Nazis one has to assume this was a group that no one would complain about as being depicted this way. The story all of this is wrapped around is thin at best. It does have a method to the madness at the end of the film but it is still a depressing feature to have to wait for that one moment to happen. 

I have no doubt that this film will be making its way to the hands of collectors long waiting for a US release. One of the UK’s video nasties it will also do well there. For the more average movie buff watch this at your own risk.

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