The Revenge Of Doctor X (1970)

Here's a very strange and odd little exploitation film. Complete with laugh-out-loud scenes (unintentional of course), a silly monster costume, obvious rip-offs and more guilty of more mistakes than a married couple of sex-obsessed catholics. This is one hell of a (rather bad) ride for all fans of cheesy b-movies, exploitation drive-in cinema or so-bad-it's-good films.

What the Hell is it About?
According to the DVD case:

A NASA scientist is ordered to take a vacation due to showing signs of stress while working on his latest missile project. Traveling to Japan, the scientist decides to indulge in his botany hobby and begins experimenting on a Venus Flytrap he brought along on his trip. Using radical techniques and falling into madness, the scientist eventually creates a plant creature that feeds on flesh and blood, which then sets off to find food in the form of the people of a nearby community.

Was it any good?

With a title like The Revenge Of Doctor X you can pretty much guess what your getting yourself into. But it deliver so much more...or less (depending on your taste in film). The film starts of with the credits...naturally. Only problem is, well, there the credits to the wrong film! Hello! What is this? An unseen Monty Python film?! According to the credits, this film was directed by exploitation 'legend' Eddie Romero, probably most famous for his Blood Trilogy (Brides Of Blood, Mad Doctor Of Blood Island (both 1968) and Beast Of Blood) as well as Women In Chains (1973) and The Beast Of The Yellow Night (1971; a film that almost made the DPP list).  But unfortunately, Doctor X was instead directed by the nobody Norman Thomson who has only this film to his name. In fact, the majority of this film's cast have a career which spans only one film; this one! With the exception of Doctor X (actually Dr. Bragan) himself played by James Craig who also starred in Bigfoot (1970) alongside the late great John Carradine and The Tormentors (1971); a Nazi Vs. Jesus Christ film! Besides Craig the next biggest name is possibly James Yagi who plays exactly the same character  in the Cult Classic, King Kong VS. Godzilla (1962). So, obviously this film isn't going to win any awards for its acting. And that adds to the film's enjoyability. Complete with over-the-top acting especially from Craig, who's main character seems to have serious hormonal problems - one minute everything's fine, the next he's SHOUTING HIS FACE OFF! But if any award was given (for best worst acting) it has to be to one of the side characters. A hunchback.

Yes. A hunchback.

The Beast in Space (1980)

Now this is a very strange film. If you like the sci-fi and Eurosleaze sexploitation genres then you’re in for a treat as this incredibly sleazy and camp film, The Beast in Space, mixes the two-genres like you’ve never seen done before. A quick look at the names associated with this film will give you a very good idea of what to expect. Alfonso Brescia helms the director’s chair for this; a man responsible for several other Italian Star Wars (George Lucas, 1977) rip-offs and cash-in such as the hilariously bad War of the Robots (1978). It also stars art-porn ‘actress’ Sirpa Lane, probably best known for her roles in Papaya: Love Goddess Of The Cannibals (Joe D’Amato, 1978) and The Beast (Walerian Borowcyzk,1975) which this film is a unofficial sequel to. Sleaze, stupidity and more sleazy. Sounds like a great film already.

The plot, as one would expect, is very simple indeed. It is so simple in fact that the whole shebang is more or less done in a very tongue-in-cheek style (either that or it was just unintentionally hilarious) especially the final robotic showdown.  Then again, if you’re watching this film looking for an interesting, sophisticated plot then you’re, well, as stupid as this film, but possibly not half as much fun.  This film makes up for the lightness of the plot with a plethora of sex. There’s sex everywhere - hence the whole ‘sexploitation’ thing. So if you’re watching this film for that then you won’t be disappointed. It’s a sci-fi fan’s dream come true! But what is particularly interesting about this film is the importance and significance given to the idea of forbidden and/or dangerous sex. Sondra (Lane) the female protagonist of this piece explains how she ‘suffers’ from a reoccurring nightmare involving her having sex with a half-man, half-beast creature. Yet as the film progresses and, sure enough, reality becomes more and more similar to her nightmares/dreams the idea of forbidden sex is complicated. Whilst it is clearly ‘wrong’ and prohibited to have it off with the Beast, she is clearly attracted to this idea. Rape fantasy complex? Mmm, maybe. On the topic of ‘the act’ the Shameless version includes scenes which have been removed from the softer versions, most notably (!) the Beast’s large...how shall I say it...wangdoodle. So big in fact it scares Lane’s character off at first. 

Robot Bastard - The Greatest Free Short Film on the Internet!

Here's something that is utterly bizarre and just plain odd which you probably have not seen. It's one of those rare gems on the Internet: a video that's actually good (and doesn't involve a baby falling over or some silly cat).  Described by Tekbug Magazine as "...the kind of film that every teen-age boy wants to see and the type of film every geeky guy wants to be in", Robot Bastard is one heck of a crazy ride well worth checking out. And it's free!

This 15 minute or so short film, directed by Rob Schrab, tells the story of a bright orange (awesome looking) robot who is sent on a mission to kill the most feared female in the universe. Fighting tones of space mummy/zombie things along the way and ending in a great climax, this is a little known film that's pure gold! And yep, it's as silly and as kick ass as you could possibly imagine with a title like that!

Here's what the official website describes it as:

"The future is a cooler place than you might imagine. Robot Bastard exists in an eight-grade-boy universe of Robots, Rocket ships and cute girls. Escape to the colorful adventure in the first installment of Robot Bastard! Yes, geeks of the world, this is the one you've been praying for.

The President's Daughter has been kidnapped by the brilliant super-criminal Blood Mamba. All rescue attempts have been thwarted by the evil genius. There's only one thing left to do: send in the Robot. The Robot must fight zombie-monsters and insecurity in order to complete his suicidal mission.

This marks the directorial debut of Rob Schrab (Creator of Scud: the Disposable Assassin and Heat Vision and Jack)."

The animation in this film is spot on, the one-liners are hilarious, the sets, the lighting, the sounds - everything just seems to work! Truly one of the strangest, most stylish and bad ass videos your likely to come across for free (legally!)

If you want to check this out then head on over to the Official Site, where you'll be able to download the film, the trailer and all the goodies.

Highly recommended!

Blog Recommendation

If you enjoy horror films, science-fiction cinema, exploitation and B-Movies in general, then be sure to check out the below two sites for some absolutely cracking reviews!


Pedro Of The Dead

and


The B-Movie Motel

Take your stinking paws off me, you damned dirty ape!

Planet of the Apes (1968). Who hasn't heard of this? A film so amazing it quickly spawned one of sci-fi cinema's greatest franchises, a TV-series, tones of rip-offs and cash-ins (even the spanish Blind Dead zombie series attempted to cash in), merchandise and even a (crappy in comparison) remake. This is a true cinematic masterpiece which I urge all to see. This film blows other so called sci-fi classics such as  Star Wars (1977) clean out of this solar system.

What's it about?


Well the plot is pretty straight forward and I'm sure most of you will know it. A group of astronauts are traveling to a nearby planet however something causes the ship to suffer from a few problems. Next thing they know they've landed on a strange planet, 2,000 years into the future. Upon further investigation of their new home they come across, what appears to be a primitive and mute version of man. Their plans of ruling these humans are quickly thwarted as several man-sized gorillas riding horses capture them. Only one survives, George Taylor (Charlton Heston)  only to find that this planet is run by man-sized apes. Will he escape? Will he survive? Or will he be experimented on by the monkeys and kept in a cage for the rest of his life?



Review

Often described as being one of the greatest science fiction films ever to be made, it's easy not to see why, and I for one fully agree with this statement. Every part of this film (besides the occasional problems with the ape make-up) is perfect. Each of the characters, from Taylor to the apes, are fully dimensional (and fantastically acted by an incredible cast) - there are no stock characters here with little to offer than cliched stereotypes. The music by Jerry Goldsmith is just incredible as is the Gaudi inspired sets of the ape landscape. The plot and the pace of the story is another breathtaking part of this film. With moments as slow and provoking as the best scenes in Kubrick's 2001: A Space Odyssey of the same year and other moments full of action and suspense.

Download a piece of obscure zombie history.

We all, probably, know the history of the cinematic zombie. Starting with voodoo zombies and then progressing to the flesh-eating kind with Romero's masterpiece Night of the Living Dead. But few people know about The Peoria Plague.  This was an early 1970s radio broadcast that was very similar to the 1938 broadcast of The War of the Worlds by Orson Welles. It sounds like a normal radio broadcast, but things start to become increasingly scary as chaos begins to destroy the country. The undead have risen and this is what a radio broadcast would probably sound like.

Amazing stuff which should be known about among Zombie Aficiandos. So check it out!

Here's the link to download it, since it's quite hard to track down.

Enjoy :)

WIN The Beast In Space!

This week over at the Cult Labs forum I'm giving away the incredibly sleazy and incredibly cheesy sci-fi sexploitation film, The Beast in Space! Head on over the forum to be in a chance with winning.

“ [IT] WILL IMPALE YOUR BRAIN WITH ITS SLEAZY DEMENTIA.” – DVD VERDICT

 Science fiction was never so wild and depraved as it is in The Beast In Space, a sex mad intergalactic saga starring Sirpa Lane (Love Goddess Of The Cannibals) who’d already shocked the world when she starred in Walerian Borowczyk’s notorious art-house porno classic, ‘The Beast’. She now returns in this mind-blowing, completely unofficial, outer space set “sequel” as a woman forced to submit to the carnal lusts of an horrific space monster in a movie that gives trash cinema lovers exactly what they want in a riot of space disco insanity, sci-fi oddness and twisted eroticism.



Mind scrambling aliens, eye scorching special effects and the co-star presence of porn diva Marina Hedman (Satan’s Baby Doll) combine to make The Beast In Space one of the strangest trips you’ll ever take.



This exclusive Shameless Rebuild presentation of The Beast In Space features the bonus attraction of extra footage, added by the film’s producers and previously only available in a hardcore, XXX porn version release.

The Beast In Space (cert. 18) will be released on DVD (£15.99) by Shameless Screen Entertainment on 26th July 2010. Special Features include: Shameless Rebuild with extra footage, previously only available in XXX version; alternate scenes comparisons; reversible sleeve featuring original artwork;  optional English subtitles; theatrical trailer; Shameless trailers.

Last 5 Films Seen

Time for the last 5 films seen list. Complete with mini-reviews and clips! Hooray!

1) Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber Of Fleet Street (1979)
 Forget the Burton version of this Sondheim classic musical, that is NOTHING compared to the original stage version. The songs are better, the acting is better, the comedy is better, everything is better. Out of all the versions of Sweeney Todd none have quite come close to this particular version and George Hearn and Angela Lansbury are the best Todd/Lovett you'll ever see. Highly HIGHLY recommended!






2) The Capture Of Bigfoot (1979)
The 1970s was one of the most prolific decades for the incredibly underrated Bigfoot film. Sure the films were bad, and this is no exception, but they were a lot of fun too. This is one of the better ones complete with an evil villain with a maniacal laugh, a car chase, lots of snow and some sentiment thrown in there too.

Old Horror Radio Shows.

If, like me, you absolutely adore horror stories then you may very well enjoy this site. It's an online library full of Free downloadable (100% legal) old radio plays. With many horror icons such as Vincent Price, Boris Karloff, Peter Lorre, Bela Lugosi and even Abbott and Costello voicing many of the stories, these are great to listen to at the dead of night. So check out the site, download as many free horror radio plays as you wish and prepare to be spooked!


The Monster Club

Last 5 Films Seen

I'm a HUGE fan of horror films, from slashers to zombies to vampires and even to gialli. I can't get enough! So, every now and then I'll post up a list of 5 films that I've seen lately. This will be complete with a tiny little review and a trailer (for the majority). Here goes nothing:

1) The Legend of Bigfoot - Harry Winer, 1976.

Bigfoot. What a guy. Keeps himself to himself and stays out of contact with humans (so much so people question his existence). Sounds a bit like me. In this strange hybrid of a documentary/film, Bigfoot 'celebrity' Ivan Marx attempts to track down the elusive beast. A film almost made up completely with stock footage of wildlife, tenuously linked to the creature, this film can be a bit dull. But for any Bigfoot fans out there, check it out, at least for some giggles. According to this 'documentary', when Bigfoot's in town, goats kill themselves. Oh and Bigfoot migrates. Apparently.




2) Not of this Earth - Roger Corman, 1957.

One of the most prolific independent film makers EVER, Roger Corman, directs this rather dark and very sinister sci-fi horror. An alien being with the power of mind control comes to earth, but he's not here just for the sun. Full of 1950’s red fear and a pretty descent story.



3) Deathsport – Allan Arkush, 1978.

David Carradine takes centre stage again in this rather unrelated sequel to DEATH RACE 2000. Full of stupid costumes, silly vehicles, bad dialogue, mutants and a couple of breasts this film is a treat for the so-bad-its-good fan.



4) House of Wax – Andre De Toth, 1953.

Now we’re talking. Sod the remake. The original is everything you could ever want. Vincent Price in one of his best roles.



5) Them! – Gordon Douglas, 1954.

Quite simply one of the very best monster movies of all time. Full of giant ants, some very tense scenes and oodles and oodles of communist fear. Highly, highly recommended!