TV Titanics: Supernatural Season 6

And we are back. Sorry for the very insanely short week of Cult Classics. Aside from random WiFi I have no real connection until funds get to me and I get Cox Cable up and running. Bright side is I am out at a coffee shop scrolling down the events of this season. TV Titanics is the name of the week. Hey more than welcome to come up with better titles as I check on those wacky hunters, the Brothers of Winchester. This is Supernatural Season 6.

Beer is best enjoyed in a flashback.. That's just science.

A quick highlight as Sam and Dean managed to get Lucifier into his cage it meant Sam had to go with him as he was possessed by Michael. Oh and their half brother was possessed by the Morningstar as well. Yup lot of CGI, practical effects, wire work and me wondering how Dean can even walk let alone hunt as both fellas are dragged to the Pit. Dean is all alone with a lovely lady Lisa (Cindy Sampson of Supernatural, Being Human, Charlie Zone, Camion, Long Gone Day, Rookie Blue, Rogue and Private Eyes) and her son Ben trying to lead the "Apple Pie" life he and Sam laughed about ever having. He's a grease monkey, a surrogate dad and a decent man to Lisa buUuuUuut....this is Supernatural so creatures, ghoulies and ghasts are bound to be afoot.

Oh no, Father Kibbler is under the possession of the evil lamp!

Being unable to sleep after having Lisa for the night (Still confused on the having energy afterwards) Dean thinks he noticed something and is in fact attacked by of all things, a Djinn (Genie) and no it is nowhere near as friendly as the late Robin Williams genie. Less pop culture references too. Dean is saved by of all people, Sam?! Sayeth Whaaaat???!!! Sam proceeds to tell Dean he got out of the Pit a little over a year ago and thought it best to just continue hunting but not drag big brother back into it.

So he hooks up with the Campbells (Their mother's side of the family) with a couple of cousins Gwen (Jessica Heafey of Ciao Bella, Four Extraordinary Women, M.V.P., Supernatural, Baby Sellers, FSM, Homeworld: Deserts of Kharak and iZombie), Mark (David Paetkau of Final Destination 2, Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem, Man of Steel, Flashpoint and The Space Between) and Christian (Corin Nemec of Tucker: The Man and His Dream, Parker Lewis Can't Lose, Drop Zone, Stargate SG-1, Mansquito, Dragon Wasps, Rise of the Dinosaurs, Robocroc, Sand Sharks, Lake Placid vs. Anaconda, Star Trek: Renegades and Renegades). Oh yeah and the man in charge of this hunting hootenany is Sam's namesake, Samuel Campbell (Mitch Pileggi of Three O' Clock High, Return of the Living Dead II, Alien Nation, Falcon Crest, Dallas, The X-Files, Supernatural, Stargate Atlantis, The Batman, Sons of Anarchy and Kings of Con) who died before either of the boys where born...is on his feet directing battle and barking orders. Huh?

That was no raccoon.

Nobody is questioning Sam being alive or Samuel back from the grave or what in tarnation is a goin' on??!! So Castiel checks in on the brothers and asks for their help as it would appear that some of the more dangerous artifacts of Heaven have gone missing. Maybe sold off, maybe tossed about for the talking monkeys to find, who can say for certain? With vampires rampant, mysterious deaths, a few demons here and there, the boys are quite busy and yeah Cas has long since earned their trust.

Crowley (Mark Sheppard of Soldier of Fortune, Inc, Sliders, Firefly, 24, Burn Notice, Battlestar Galactica, Doctor Who, Leverage, White Collar, Warehouse 13 and MacGyver) still teasing and tormenting Bobby Singer but he will work away around losing his soul plus pimp slap Crowley as well. Bobby is a sharp cookie. This season brings something the others did not and the closeness of the brothers,the elder monsters (or the first of their kind) are coming to a head, the disturbing thought of being a husk (soulless body) and some fairy tale creatures as well. Well done Season 6, well done indeed.

That does not seem like proper child health care.

Return of the Cult Classics: The Lair of the White Worm

And we are back. Well while getting the bathroom remodeled (Not our choice at all) I thought I would get back at the week. Today's film in RETURN OF CULT CLASSICS...we skibble across the pond from director Ken Russell (The Devils, Tommy, Altered States, The Lair of the White Worm, Lady Chatterley, Treasure Island, Tales of Erotica, Dogboys and Trapped Ashes) and brought loosely based on Bram Stoker telling of the English legend of the D'Ampton Worm. Recognizing the cast from several BBC series, ranging from comedies, dramas and science fiction, it does my heart good to have a small sense of culture. Heir to the D' Ampton Estate in County Durham, John D'Ampton was said to have done battle with a giant worm that was terrorizing the local villages. So we are watching that...with boobies. This is The Lair of the White Worm.

Must be warm in her house.  Honest.

A young Scottish archeologist name of Angus Flint (Peter Capaldi of The Secret Agent, Chandler & Co, Neverwhere, Fortysomething, The Best Man, Waking the Dead, Doctor Who, Torchwood and Paddington) is excavating the site of a covenant near at the Derbyshire bed and breakfast (in spite of it feels more like a tavern) which is ran by the Trent Sisters, Mary (Sammi Davis of Mona Lisa, Hope and Glory, Lionheart, Homefront, Four Rooms, Woundings and The Double Born) and Eve (Catherine Oxenberg of Dynasty, The Love Boat, Roman Holiday TV Movie, Acapulco H.E.A.T., Treacherous Beauties, Watch Over Me and Starship Troopers 3: Marauder). An bizarre and large skull is unearthed and holds certain snake like characteristics with the flint and burial mound about it giving it a rough date of at least a thousand years ago, almost giving credit to the legends of the D'Ampton legend of the wyrm.

Dr. Ian Malcolm will have a field day with this!

In a nearby manor, the Temple House, Lady Sylvia Marsh (Amanda Donohoe of Castaway, The RainbowDark Obsession, L.A. Law, A Woman's Guide to Adultery, Liar Liar, One Night Stand, The Calling and Trafficker) returns to the region after a prolonged hiatus. At a gathering, Angus encounters Lord James D' Ampton (Hugh Grant of The Last Place on Earth, The Dawning, The Lady and the Highwayman, Four Weddings and a Funeral, Sense and Sensibility, Extreme Measures, About a Boy, Love Actually, The Rewrite and The Man from U.N.C.L.E.) direct descendant of John D'Ampton who recently inherited the manor and the lands not far from Temple House. The two begin to strike up a friendship as well as their own theories on whether there is truth to the legends. The folk song of the D'Ampton Wyrm was catchy and enjoyable.

Fear the superimposed flames of damnation!!!

Shortly after this, people in the nearby villages are missing. A few at a time, raising all sorts of questions and concerns. The skull has been taken from Angus's room, The Trent sisters have their father's fob watch that was missing for more than a year with their parents discovered at Stonerich Cavern miles from the farmhouse/bed and breakfast and folks are skittish as hell. James and Angus postulate that an ancient cult was formed around the time of that land being Mercia, the Roman creation for England against the Saxons and that they may have been Wyrm Worshippers treating this ancient monster as a god fulfilling it with blood sacrifices. All this ties around the arrival of Lady Syliva...hmm I wonder if there is a connection.

Will the Wyrm turn again? Will the cult revive? Does Angus have a beef with James?

Quick bit of observation was seeing one of London's hardest working character actors, Paul Brooke. Who? Well my first introduction to him was the Rancor Keeper in Return of the Jedi.  A talented chap to be certain but not really wanting to see him without his shirt again. PC Erny (Paul Brooke of Return of the Jedi, Reilly: Ace of Spies, Greystoke: The Legend of Tarzan, Lord of the Apes, The Kit Curran Radio Show, Mystery!: Campion, The Fool, The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles and Agatha Christie's Marple) Well there is a fair degree of nudity so the menfolk should be happy...unless depictions of Romans raping nuns might freak them out.   There's an issue with a stick. I have heard of a devining rod or dowsing rod if you will for finding natural water springs or even oil but um...this one detects virgin women. Yeesh. Aside from that, you do have a suspenseful ghost story/legend, the practical effects are fair minus the giant snake puppet and I felt our antagonist was revealed a touch too early.   Might want the kiddies to skip this one too. 

Blimey, another Four Weddings and a Funeral fan.

 

Return of The Cult Classics: Attack of the Crab Monsters

Welcome one and all back to the page. For those of you who read over last week's Italian Exploitation Week...let's just say I do not want to have to give further examples of such for a bit. No more requests for that for a few, please. This time around I thought it would be fun to dust off these particular films and give them a view. I speak of..THE RETURN OF CULT CLASSICS!!!!

That being said I checking out films that have been requested or some that have been deemed too obscure for the readers of younger ilk and will spark memories for those of you that are 40+. Today's cinema treat hails from an old friend of ours on Rotten Reelz Reviews, Roger Corman and you cannot get more cult than the man with the nose for talent. Howabout a movie with atomic mutations? Tough, that is the film of the day. Lump it. This is Attack of the Crab Monsters.

Get me, I'm attacking the credits.

A gathering of scientists are off exploring a remote island (Santa Catalina Island in the Channel Islands in Cali) to observe, record and document the effects of nuclear weapons testing on the island's fauna and flora. Well this is the fifties, so bound the be radioactive giant monsters one would think. Trolled in via boat and seaplane, our team of fact finders is lead by Dr.Karl Weigand (Leslie Bradley of The Crimson Pirate, Attack of the Crab Monsters, Tarzan and the Trappers and Teenage Cave Man). His team consists of: geologist James Carson (Richard H Cutting of Magnificent Obsession, South Pacific, The Monolith Monsters, Attack of the Crab Monsters, Wagon Train and The Green Hornet),biologists Jules Deveroux (Mel Welles of Abbot and Costello Meet the Mummy, The Little Shop of Horrors, Wolfen, Chopping Mall, Lazer Tag Academy, Commando Squad and Invasion Earth: The Aliens Are Here) Martha Hunter (Pamela Duncan of The Ring, Fireside Theater, Dragonfly Squadron, Return from the Sea, The Undead, Blondie and My Gun is Quick) Dale Drewer (Richard Garland of Dragnet, Friendly Persuasion, Attack of the Crab Monsters, The Undead, My Gun is Quick, Lassie, 26 Men and Cheyenne) and technician/handyman Hank Chapman (Russell Johnson of This Island Earth, Lux Video Theatre, Badman's Country, Black Saddle, Gilgan's Island, Gunsmoke and The Horror at 37,000 Feet)

Staaaaaay..on those results, dear.

No sooner have they landed on the island that earthquakes start sheering the island down and one of the sailors falls in the water and he dies. Shocker. Dale and Martha go for a dip behind the rocks when Martha hears a voice from the distance sounding like an old colleague. One believed to be dead from the previous expedition. She and Dale explore a cave (That is the fricking Bronson Caves of Bronson Canyon of Griffith Park!!!) to find two energy based, giant crabs that seem to have the intelligence of their former friend.

Folks, back in the boat. This is Dinosaur Island.

Yup, crabs that hunger for brains and assimilation. Giant Zombie Borgs...that are crabs. Immune to conventional firearms (because every expedition needs guns and rifles) our plucky collective have to thing fast on how to handle these creatures before there is no more island from them to hatch a scheme to leave. What if the crabs mate? Will their brood be able to get to the mainland, scuttling from the bottom of the ocean?

Interesting side note is this film was released to the drive-ins as a double feature along with the original Not of This Earth. VHS, LaserDisc, DVD and even Blu-Ray have done the very same thing. Well DVD usually lumps the two movies in with some other Corman flicks but those are the less than official releases. Standard Black & White 35 mm, this film had a budget of 70,000 and the effects for the creatures are really not bad for the time period. The print was so bad I had to take screen captures from one of the many trailers I found on Youtube.

Actor/Producer Beach Dickerson was the crab operator and it was said that Jack Nicholson was bored being nothing more than a gaffer at the time also was a crab wrangler as well. One could say The Irishman has come along way since that. You gotta feel for Corman not being able to afford have Jack back on the sets. Many of you MST3K fans will recognize Richard Garland as Pendragon and Pamela Duncan as Diane/Helene from Season 8 of the title, The Undead. STAAAAAAAYYY!!!!!

I still feel a sonic screwdriver made of coconuts is the answer.

Italian Exploitation: SS Girls

Welcome back. We are at Day 4 of Italian Exploitation Week and...well I am a bit tired from jiggly girls, gore and yet decent working scripts and subplots. So today we look at an example of Naziploitation (Typically sex crimes involving sadism gore and degradation in a women in prison or camp) under our favorite Italian Exploitation director Bruno Mattei (Guardian of Hell, Double Target, Shocking Dark, Rats: Night of Terror, Zombi 3, Born to Fight, Cruel Jaws and Land of Death) so yeah this is going to be a bit of a butt clencher. So how does the SS keep its men in line? Extensive interrogation? Jumper cables to a car battery to the scrotum? Nope you need an elite cadre of high-end prostitutes that answer to the Fuhrer!

This is SS Girls a.k.a.Private House of the SS, Private House of the SS Girls and Erotic Nymphs of the Gesatapo.

Volunteers for the Fatherland!

Dedicated officer Hans Schellenberg (Gabriele Carrara of SS Girls, Women's Camp 119 and Mutant Sexual Behaviour) hearing whispers, hints and scuttlebutt of potential traitors looking to overthrow Hitler and he decides to recruit 10 women as active whoring and getting vital information. Our film opens with a spooky manor worthy of a Scooby Doo intro and some eerie organ music lifted from Andrew Lloyd Webber's Phantom of the Opera which...yeah I really didn't feel bad about that. Their training montage kicked in and I was waiting for the Rocky music to kick in but it feels like Tinto Brass's Salon Kitty only more ample amounts of perversion and yet, still doesn't hold that many candles to Fifty Shades of Domestic Abuse. The funniest thing is Carrara reminds me of Steve Martin's character from Little Shop of Horrors. His dentist character but in monk robes and he is so over the top it is a treat. Naturally this is this highest order of the Fuhrer..along with the breeding camps, torture camps, supernatural methods enhancing humans to the proper Übermensch from werewolf or vampire blood.

How do you do a striptease to Flight of the Valkyries?

Professor Jurgen (Luciano Pigozzi of General Della Rovere, Two Women, Blood and Black Lace, Werewolf in a Girl's Domitory, Castle of the Living Dead and Yor, Hunter of the Future) puts the lotion on to protect the girls' skins...oh wait I mean he did several comprehensive and intricate examinations and procedures. At one point one of the girls gets pregnant and the professor slaps her calling her a little slut. Um..what protection was there in 1942?

Right now Indy is stopping the Ark being used.

The Nazis were depicted as hedonistic perverts and...um if you are looking for me to be pro-Nazi, you will be waiting on that bus stop for a long damn time. So with X amount of sex scenes of which there has to be well past 12 short scenes but this flick is only 95 minutes long. Why is there any reason for a story line to continue? So women tied up, whipped, hot candle wax and ugh. It just a conglomerate of smut that Bruno Mattei put this out there and while he was portraying horrific atrocities and sadly many Mattei fans consider this his magnum opus. I have no idea what to take away from this. He did try to put some emotional depth to it and give the film some sense of wanting it to weigh on society but this is NOT Citizen Kane folks. You will not rank this with Casablanca any time soon. Hans was either knee deep in orgies or he was playing his organ. Goofy scenes but again not a genius film.

Not going to lie to you, folks. The softcore porn, bondage and vast levels of gratuitous nudity is so much it almost feels the actual meat and potatoes of the story doesn't even need to be. Sitting through Salon Kitty it wasn't anywhere near as smutty as this film. Got to be honest this is about as erotic as getting teeth pulled...with rusty pliers. So yes if you need Nazis in a brothel, ridiculous sex scenes and bondage, yeah this is your flick. I think I am going to go read a book and save some brain cells.

Professor Creeper at the ready.

Italian Exploitation: So Sweet, So Dead

And we are back for another helping of Italian Exploitation Week. Well after getting drafted into the Emanuelle series I thought I could find something wholesome to watch and then I remembered the week so on to the Horror Erotica. So a pleasant tale of a serial killer offing unfaithful wives and leaving compromising pictures to show their guilt. Not sure that warrants being stabbed to death but what do I know,eh? Feeling Giallo like this can only mean one thing, the cops are bumbling asses with the exception of maybe two of them. This is So Sweet, So Dead a.k.a. Bad Girls, Penetration, The Slasher...is the Sex Maniac, Romance Mortal and Confessions of a Sex Maniac.

Their forbidden love is subtitled.

Rife with alternative titles, let's see if my print for this is grainy than Cheerios or if it was deemed worthy of a cleaned up print to better show the gacking of unfaithful women. No title cards, music or build up. Boom. Dead blond on the bed, naked, stabbed and throat slashed. Well that sets a new record for me. The Inspector Capuana (Farley Granger of Rope, Strangers on a Train, The Edge of Night, The Prowler, The Imagemaker and Very Close Quarters) surveying said dead girl and cut to orchestral opening, title cards and whisked away to the morgue. The girl's death was the slit throat and the rest of the wounds were post-mortem. Yup, our villain was so pissed off at this girl he attempted to mutilate her. Boy you guys do suggest the best film genres.

Inspector, the subtitle agrees with you.

Deeper investigation points out the late girl was wed to a high ranking general making the investigation tricky as some racy photos indicates her stepping out on her man. After a lengthy interviewing/interrogation of small time thieves, thugs and hookers the inspector heads home trying to make heads or tails of this horrific murder with next to no suspects or relatives of the deceased to talk to without raising a scandal. Over coffee his lovely wife,Barbara (Sylva Koscina of Man of Iron, Hercules, Hercules Unchained, Lisa and the Devil, Dracula in the Provinces, The House of Exorcism, Clara and Nora and Some Like It Cool) and she pleads with Capuana to tow the line and make the Commissioner happy. Leaving no evidence aside from the naughty snaps, they have to figure out who the lovers are to the victim. Meanwhile another gorgeous girl is out on her husband getting some action.

Gurgle.

Our killer/photographer is stalking these women and keeping records of their misdeeds on film. Serena (Femi Benussi of The Hawks and the Sparrows, Blood Brides, Stripe Nude for Your Killer, The Bloodsucker Leads the Dance and Corpi nudi) finished with her mustachio Lothario and opts to freshen up so her husband is not suspicious. The day for night lens is incorporated in the chase and honestly it actually works this time around. Avoiding clouds and even the waves in afternoon tide could be as easily explained as late evening tide. Frankly I am confused how this fits in the Horror Erotica subgenre when it feels more Giallo but I guess they could go hand-in-hand.

With a second death in a high ranking circle of people the inspector's job just got difficult, Serena's lover confesses her loss and is worried the police will track and blame him for her death but his well paid lawyer tells him to not worry and all will be handled. The morgue attendant, Professor Casali (Chris Avram of Time to Live, The Rage Within, Sentence of God, So Sweet, So Dead, Cuore, Enter the Devil, Voodoo Sexy and Emanuelle in Bangkok) are busting ass trying to find a connection to these wealthy and powerful people. Are they doing a copycat murder to off their wives thus avoid almony? Is there something sinister going along with these brutal murders? How come none of the men these women were cheating on with didn't also die?

The inspector has a heart-to-heart with the professor's attendant swimming around the obvious red herring and no clearly not the killer but a perv taking snaps of the dead girls..for his own entertainment. Yeah I think he needs to be fired but creeper aside he doesn't seem driven enough for a killer. Barbara chatters with her high society friends and it is revealed they knew the other girls and I don't think Barbara bothered to tell her husband that. GASP!!! PLOT POINT!!

With the upper crust tying the inspector's hands for the sake of reputation and avoiding scandal, they sure are up to their adultery. Politics are as usual, dragging this case into the dirt.

The sex scenes are softcore but steamy enough. The composer Giorgio Gaslini (But You Were Dead, The Sisters, The Pacificist, Night of the Devils, So Sweet, So Dead and When Women Were Called Virgins) captures a bit of disco, jazz and suspenseful music. Blended together brings out the scenes rather well telling the story. Overall the story is fair, the gore mild and the nudity isn't slapping you in the face. I had the uncut Euro release so sadly no English dubbing. A friend of mine told me that one of the credited voices for the Inspector was supposedly legendary porn star Harry Reems. 

Late night jog obviously.

 

Italian Exploitation: Sister Emanuelle

And we are back for the Italian Exploitation Week. Sorry for the delay. Just got my stuff and there are tons of boxes and furniture. Okay that is an exaggeration. About 60 boxes and 19 pieces of furniture to be precise. Heaven knows what happens when one is not precise.

So taking a break from cutting open boxes I thought we would get the Nunsploitation flick out of the way. Nunsploitation? What's that? Well usually an innocent is corrupted by theme, scenario, environment, Satan or other supernatural means. This time around we will not witness Inquisition style whippings, searing, branding or disembowelment and thank God for that. Trust me, seen too many of those misogynistic flicks for a good damn while. Our film speaks of a young woman walking away from her sinful past and give herself to the church...but old habits die hard. This is Sister Emanuelle.

Confess your sins...slowly.

Helmed by Western and Mundo (action/adventure with extreme violence) director Giuseppe Vari (Shoot the Living and Pray for the Dead, The Last Traitor, Who Killed the Prosecutor and Why?, Lady Dynamite and Urban Warriors) brings a tale of a girl of the world and by world I mean she has been promiscuous. *Gasp. Yeah because again it is a horrible offense for a girl to want to have sex with whomever she chooses...I guess...I didn't make these rules so I ignore that behavior.

Emanuelle (Laura Gemser of Black Emanuelle, Emmanuelle II, Emanuelle in Bangkock, Emmanuelle on Taboo Island, Black Cobra Woman, Voyage of the Damned, Emanuelle in America, Crime Busters, Confessions of Emanuelle and Emanuelle and the Last Cannibals) through with her lustful ways turning to vows of chastity and becomes a nun. 

 

Oh look. Her Sex-Ed tutor is here.

 She has been asked to Venice by a wealthy Baron Catsabriaga (Rik Battaglia of Sodam and Gomorrah, Winnetou: The Last Shot, Duck, You Sucker and A Genius, Two Friends, and a Idiot) to mend the wicked ways of his daughter Monica (Monica Zanchi of Sister Emanuelle, Emanuelle and the Last Cannibals, Hitch-Hike, Zombi 2, The Erotic Dreams of Cleopatra and Naftalina) as he caught her in the act of the down and dirty with her stepmother. Makes you wonder how long he was actually watching before he got indignant and grumbly. It is up to the good sister to help Monica mend her ways and turn to the path of the good book.

So it is off to the convent for Monica. Pretty sure the stepmother is either getting divorced, flogged or handed to the factions of the church from Mark of the Devil no doubt. Our little Monica is a sly one and has her heart on seducing Emanuelle bringing back her wanton ways she has attempted to supress. Gemser's portrayal almost feels like she is haunted by her past and tells herself she wants nothing to do with it. That she has moved on and yet it keeps coming back. To make matters worse, Monica lets in a wanted rapist/drug peddler/murderer because he's pretty and was nice to her. Yeah you can tell this was not written by a woman at all. Subtle hints are there to back this up.

Nuns have needs too.

The nuns are strict, the schoolgirls pent up and...yeah I really am not going to go into lavish detail on this. The convent looked familiar. The grounds and the fact it was a castle with a large courtyard. Guess what ICWXP and Rifftrax fans. It is Balsorano Castle via Bloody Pit of Horror. Well I am sure those girls will sleep well at night knowing the Crimson Executioner is oiling himself up and waiting to judge them all for their sins. So yes if you need a schoolgirl/nun, schoolgirl/schoolgirl and Euro fuzzy men crawling on "schoolgirls" then you are in luck. If perhaps this is not your cup of tea, GO WATCH ANYTHING ELSE!!!! The pattern of well it's been 5 minutes, time for some more booby was getting ridiculous.

A bit of trivia, Laura Gemser took over the character of Emanuelle from Sylvia Kristel after she was the lead character for more than 7 films. It's like the saucy Doctor Who. The character keeps regenerating and de-aging everytime and her sole purpose is...well to bone or be boned. Perhaps not as noble as the Doctor I grant you but a ridiculously long lasting character. Lucky me, I got to view the 90 minutes Euro version uncut. There's a penis joke in that last statement, isn't there?

Casual day for the convent...OF HORROR!!!

Italian Exploitation: The Case of the Bloody Iris

Alright, I was flooded with folks wanting to know about Italian Exploitation. You see this ranges from anything to the likes of: Giallo (The graphic murder mysteries with gore, violence and nudity), Creature Feature, Mundo (Action/Adventure and Western with violence,nudity and foul language), Naziploitation (Depicting the Nazis as sex perverts, hedonists and creepers), Nunsploitation (Nuns violated of virtues, guns, drugs, prostitution and supernatural entities) and Erotic Horror (Serial slashers, giallo like scenarios, supernatural monsters, entities and Satanists with gobs of nudity). Now while all that sounds awful in some degree or another, remember that several of these same genre can be found in American, UK, European and loads of Japanese films too so no need for the more sensitive readers to be that upset. I shall endeavor to give examples of these subgenres even though I have covered more than a handful last week with Edward Mannix Week. Also expect a Rotten Reelz Reviews Audio Review some time this week.

Today I found an obscure Giallo film brought to us by director Giulaiano Carnimeo (Find a Place to Die,I am Sartana, Trade Your Pistol for a Coffin, The Diamond Peddlers, My Wife Goes Back to School The Exterminators of the Year 3000 and Rat Man) a man ranging from Westerns, Post Apocalyptic films and Giallos so this could be well worth the viewing. This is The Case of the Bloody Iris a.k.a. Erotic Blue, Why Are Those Strange Drops of Blood Doing on Jennifer's Body? And Why Are Those Strange Drops of Blood on the Body of Jennifer.

Oh that's no good.

Jennifer Lansbury (Edwige Fenech of Blade of the Ripper, Your Vice Is a Locked Room and Only I Have the Key, All the Colors of the Dark, Black Belly of the Tarantula, Private Crimes, Donna and Hostel: Part II) a model by trade and her friend Marilyn Ricci (Paula Quattrini of I soldi, Il leone di San Marco, I demoni, The Case of the Bloody Iris, No alla violenza, I Don't Speak English and Festival) get a rather swanky high-rise apartment for a steal.. Turns out the previous tenant was brutally murdered. Not for the apartment I think but still that better be full disclosure it did or didn't happen in the apartment.

Johnny Walker Blue. No ice.

Finding Sheila dead in the elevator is model/erotic act/wrestler Mizar Harrington (Carla Brait of Blindman, The Dead Are Alive, Torso, Erotomania, Yuppi du, 1990: The Bronx Warriors and Escape from the Bronx), a sassy black gal built like a dancer but as agile as a cat. She was pretty noncommital with said dead girl in the elevator and tells two other tenants if the cops need to talk to her, she gives out her name and apartment number then scoots for an audition.

The previous tenant Sheila (Annabella Incontrera of The Assassination Bureau, Return of Sabata, Black Belly of the Tarantula, The Case of the Bloody Iris, Clap, You're Dead and Stigma) leaves behind her father, Professor Issacs (George Rigaud of July 14, Escuela de campeones, Horror Express and Black Jack) is investigating this brutal murder and discover the identity of the killer to see he or she brought to justice. The oddest standing is the architect finding the perfect girl for his ad. Um that is what an ads salesman would do but whatever. Andrea Barto (George Hilton of My Dear Killer, All the Colors of the Dark, The Two Faces of Fear, The African Deal, Mark of Zorro, Taxi Girl, Double Game and Don't Play with Tigers) is attempting to recruit Mizar for his work and glances at Jennifer during her shoot becoming enticed by her.

Okay you are a frightened bunny rabbit.  Action!

No sooner has Jennifer and Marilyn moved into the late Sheila's apartment, Jennifer feels as though she is being stalked by someone. When interviewed by the police, one of the butterfingered donut munchers let slip a masked killer has been offing pretty models and she better watch her step.

But who is this killer? Why is he slaughtering these girls?? Will we hear Edward Mannix's voice??

Our beautiful dolly/vehicle mount and hand held shots are all over Lazio, Rome and these are some of the steadiest shots in any environment. Nothing out of focus unless it was requested that the background becomes more important than the foreground. With the 35mm Techniscope give the Eastman color as per usual that means those cameras are heavier than the Arriflex by at least 25 lbs so hope those boys got back braces and shoulder massages each day. There is neutered versions of this topping out at 86 and 90 minutes. The full version is 94 minutes. Must have been far too smutty for some countries.

Like any good Giallo our killer is not revealed both physically or reasons why until the last 15 minutes. Until then it leaves you guessing who the murderer is and frankly this film does that well. Why it gets grumbled at would probably be light on the gore and heavy on the boobage. For the sleazy intended vibe, the soundtrack is catchy and will stay in your head, the footage is stellar, shadow and light play is awesome. Influences of Mario Bava and Lucio Fulci as there is a lot of focus on eyes but unlike Fulci, there was no plucking or gouging of them.

So yes if you don't mind eerie but mild gore, gorgeous girls taking their kit off and a suspenseful murder mystery, then step right up. I think it goes without saying not one for the kids but hell I don't know with what parents let them watch anymore. Last video/dvd store I was at, someone was renting Saw VI for her 10 year old. Charming right?

Inspector Not Morse is on the case, dammit.