Wanda Whips the Dragon Lady (1990)

Directed by:

Ken Gibbs (Kenny Gibb)

I know they cranked 'em out fast and cheap in a day or two, but could adult video makers of the 1980s really not afford a bottle of fake blood, or some Karo syrup and food coloring or, hell, even some ketchup? Were they scared to add fake blood to their films as it may potentially turn off their viewers? Or was it that they really just didn't care? I'm not entirely sure but in the opening sequence here it's a little annoying seeing a vampire go right for the jugular, taking a bite and then pulling back only to leave some drool behind. I also have to wonder if the people who made these films actually thought viewers who'd watch a vampire-themed porno would actually mind seeing a little blood. I mean, they could be watching something about naughty cheerleaders or bored housewives instead but they've actively sought out vampires so one would figure they'd not only be fine with some red stuff but perhaps even want it as part of the whole vampire fantasy.

Here, they not only forego any blood but don't even try to make it look like the victim was actually bitten. They could have at least drawn a couple of dots on the neck with a Sharpie to resemble a puncture wound. Nope. Just spit. On the plus side, at least they sprung for some fangs. I've seen several movies like this that didn't even bother with that much.

A potential selling point for this one is that this was made by an experienced cinematographer and camera operator whose career stretched all the way back to the early 70s. Gibb worked on many R-rated exploitation movies, including some pretty notable titles like THE CANDY SNATCHERS (1973), THE SEVERED ARM (1973) and The Witch Who Came from the Sea (1976). Based on that we'll just overlook his work on the awful Troma release FERTILIZE THE BLASPHEMING BOMBSHELL (1990), which was horribly photographed and far too dark. From 1992 to 1996 he shot many episodes of the syndicated TV show Renegade, which I've never watched but I can only assume was at least competently photographed or he would have been replaced. Since he was well-versed in ways to make low budget films look decent, one would figure that would serve him well here, and it does a little bit, just not enough to make this notable.

It doesn't happen too often with the relatively small talent pool 80s adult filmmakers had to pull from (as opposed to today when there are endless wannabe porn stars), but this actually has three performers that I don't recall ever seeing before. Of them, primary focus is put on "Kitty Luv," who's better known as Charisma. I had a difficult time finding information about her online. No one appears to know her real name, where she was born (some sources claim Ohio and others Canada) or what she'd been up to since retiring in the early 90s. I've seen "light-skinned black," French-Canadian, Lebanese, Latin American and Native American listed as part of her ethnic make-up. Aside from her voluptuous physique (with a little surgical help for the top half), the height and volume of her massive and glorious 80s hair is impressive. Perhaps the biggest surprise is that her facial expressions and how she delivered some of her lines actually made me laugh.

Kitty / Charisma has the titular role of Wanda. As this opens, she's bitten by a female vampire, placed in a coffin with a bat-wing "W" emblem and awakens with vague memories about how she got there. The last thing she recalls is going to Hollywood, getting kidnapped and a black woman with a tattoo. Well, never mind all that, she's in a room with two horny female vamps and this is a porn so the ladies immediately get down to business while the director shows off a bit with lots of fog and colorful lighting.

We then meet up with Sade, a rare black performer I've also never seen before (also not the famous singer), who's been called to the office of attorney Renburg (Tony Montana), who's supposed to be a play on Renfield right down to spastic hand movements and eating flies. Montana's silly mannerisms and awful overacting makes him nearly incomprehensible (not helped by the fuzzy camcorder audio) but based on what I could make out he says something about her having to go to a mansion at 969 Transylvania Road because there's an inheritance at stake and whoever has "the mark of the vampire" on their inner thigh will get it. Sade happens to have a large dragon tattoo on her inner thigh and claims that "Dracula gave it to me," so it appears she may be the rightful heir.

Renburg then relates a sex flashback featuring "Fetish" / Heather Lere (nice body, terrible acting) and T.T. Boy (ditto) that doesn't appear to have much to do with anything. It's also shot in a hilariously mechanical manner with just a couple of camera set-ups; one for long takes and one for close-ups. These two are never seen in the film again, probably cause they showed up, did what they were paid to do and then ran off to cash their checks to go buy drugs. Uh, I mean groceries.

Sade takes a cab to the castle and for some reason (hint: they needed another dude to perform in the sex scenes) invites driver Tom (Jerry Butler) inside. There, they meet up with snobby Tasha (Renee Morgan), the mistress of the castle who also happens to be one of the vampires from the opening scene. Also there are Renburg, Tasha's assistant / lover Rain (blonde Ashley Winger, another new-to-me performer) and Herman the servant. Herman is played by Sean Michaels, who isn't listed in the credits, has no lines and is seen only in one medium shot. Despite having performed in well over 2000 porn movies he's not involved in any of the hardcore action here. Oddly enough, neither is the Colombian-born Montana, who has over 650 adult credits.

The plot doesn't make a whole lot of sense to begin with (basically some people are vampires and there's a gold treasure hidden in the dungeon), and starts making even less sense after this starts focusing primarily on the sex scenes. Because most of his male co-stars don't partake in the festivities, Butler is left to carry the load so to speak in three of the four straight scenes (one with Sade and two with Charisma). It's obvious looking over the pairings that this was made to showcase interracial sex. Even the all-girls orgy scenes are divvied up to where at least one of the two non-white females are involved. The final scene does offer a potential cinematic first: I've never seen three naked vampire women killed by direct sunlight while performing oral sex on one another before.

As for the title, it's obviously a play on the adult classic Wanda Whips Wall Street (1982) starring the great Veronica Hart. However, this has zilch to do with that one plot-wise. It also really doesn't want to be compared to it quality-wise either as it comes off as proper film like many X movies did before video took over. The title also happens to be extremely misleading, hinting at some S&M / bondage scenarios that the film itself doesn't deliver on. During the first sex scene a cat o' nine tails gets pulled out and one of the ladies is given the weakest "whipping" I've ever seen in one of these things. It's more like she's getting tickled on the belly with it.

The same folks behind this also made Wanda Does Transylvania (1990), which I haven't seen but I'm assuming was filmed back-to-back with this one on the same sets. (Note: Alright, just found out that this is actually the SEQUEL to WDT so I got these out of order. Seriously doubt it makes a difference though!)

★1/2

Wanita Harimau: Santet II (1989)

... aka: Black Magic II

... aka: Black Magic 2: The Female Tiger

... aka: Tiger Woman: Black Magic II, The

... aka: Santet 2

... aka: Witchcraft II

Directed by:

Sisworo Gautama Putra

Poor Katemi (Suzzanna) just can't catch a break. In the previous film, her squeaky-clean life as a devout religious teacher's wife was shattered when the couple were framed for using black magic, leading to his death and her being reduced to becoming the unwilling pupil of an actual black magic crocodile queen. Though Katemi ended up killing quite a few people, she was able to repent, save her soul and return a life of normalcy. Praise Allah! Unfortunately, the previous queen - Nyi Angker - wasn't actually the top black magic bitch in the neighborhood. She herself was a student of an even more powerful witch named Nyi Loreng (Rina Hasyim - MIRACLE BABY), who just randomly pops up in Katemi's wardrobe late one evening wearing an amazing wig. The witch has her own list of demands, starting with her insistence that Katemi start practicing black magic again, When she refuses, Nyi Loreng simply takes over her body so she no longer has a choice in the matter. Now, on nights with a crescent moon, she'll transform into a killer tiger. The ultimate goal is to get revenge on handsome young cleric Achmad Pramuji (Jeffry "Daniel" / Waworuntu), who was able to pray away Nyi Angker until she exploded in the previous film.

Meanwhile, the cursed village of Karang Seta has tried to reinvent itself with some major changes for the good. They've removed the "n" from their name (it used to be "Setan"), non-corrupt Saleh (Doddy Sukma - SATAN'S BED) has recently been elected as leader and they even appear to have hired a proper policeman named Nasir (H. Nasir T.) to try to keep crime in check. However, he's been saddled with buffoonish Bokir as his assistant and apparently that buffoonery is contagious because Nasir is yukking it up himself in no time.

To celebrate, they throw an outdoor concert featuring a hijab-sporting all-female rock band (!) called Nasida Ria. I had to stop and immediately look these ladies up to make sure they were for real. Yes, they are indeed for real, and they're pretty unique and actually kind of great. These ladies perform numerous stringed instruments (including electric guitar and violin), but also several different styles of drums (including traditional and bongo), tambourine, flute and keyboard, plus the lead vocals and harmonizing are on point AND the song they perform here (which seems to be titled "The World Is in the News") has political and social messages. Nasida Ria, who have apparently been around for almost half a century, released 35 studio albums and are in a constant state of updating talent, have a stated purpose of making catchy, upbeat music to spread positive messages and social commentary. As for what the heck they're doing in this silly black magic horror-comedy is anyone's guess, but I was happy to be introduced to them. They even throw some colorful lights, smoke and fireworks into their show.

Unlike in the previous film where Katemi kept her black magic influence hidden, here she's completely upfront about it as soon as it begins. She informs Pramuji and the police that Nyi Loreng is possessing her, transforming her into a tiger and wants to force her to kill Pramuji. She's instructed to pray harder to banish the witch and is able to keep her away, though only temporarily, using that tactic, but the witch still keeps coming back to haunt her. Katemi's recent troubles have also played hell on her social standing in the community. She has to live on the outskirts all by herself, is constantly the subject of gossip, is refused service at a market and is taunted by adult and children alike. Most believe she should be forced to leave the area. At the end of her rope, Katemi decides to kill herself. However, before she can even get her head in a noose, some villagers show up with torches and set her hut on fire.

A defeated and disheveled Katemi manages to survive and makes her way through the jungle until she ends up in a blue-lit cave, which is the home (and burial site) of Nyi Loreng. The undead witch now finds Katemi weaker and much more pliable than she was earlier, and thus easier to manipulate. Soon, the "tiger woman" is prowling around the village causing a near panic among the locals and prompting a tiger hunt, though it's more of a tiger capture since - as it is pointed out here - the animals are a protected species in Indonesia.

The same guy cast as the main baddie in the previous film is back again. But he was burnt to a crisp after being transformed into a werewolf and hit by fireballs, you say? Well, this time he plays Brahma, the son of the dead guy. Lest you mix them up, the son likes to wear a silly black wig with either a gigantic cowboy hat or glittery headband, and the apple didn't fall far from the tree as far as nefarious criminal activity is concerned. I. Gusti Jagat Karana is the actor playing him and in case you were wondering about this man's unique face, no, it's not make-up and, yes, he's disfigured. I'm not sure if he suffered a burn or had some kind of disease but his face, and only his face, is covered in bumps, lumps, cracks and wrinkles and he has a fat, swollen nose. Brahma is not only involved in smuggling marijuana into the village (hidden inside fish) but he's also out for revenge against Katemi for killing his father and the one responsible for burning down her hut.

In between the horror, we're treated (if that's the word for it) to the comic shenanigans and musical talents of Bokir. In a major subplot, he finds himself bored with his chubby, frumpy wife, Oji (Neny Ribut Rawit), who he compares to a cement truck, and is secretly pursuing a flirty young widow named Rina (Rina Lidya Rawit). Surprising even him, Rina appears to be receptive to his propositions for sex behind the wife's back, but all is not what it seems. Bokir and Nasir are also involved in a recurring series of bad gags detailing how inept they are, including trying to arrest the wrong guys (one with a skin condition and the other a man who can't pronounce his own name properly due to a cleft palate). They also play charades with a stuttering dwarf who can only grunt. Gotta love when disabilities are played for cheap laughs!

As for Bokir's fantasy dream musical number, it's pretty amazing if you like strange, goofy stuff. It starts out in a flower garden gazebo at night with sitar, pungi and bongo players, a bubble machine, confetti, a fireworks show, Suzzanna seductively fluttering her eyelids and licking her lips and Bokir singing about unrequited love. Then it transitions to a helicopter before going down to the jungle for a Tarzan and Jane fantasy where Suzzanna is harassed by an amorous man-in-a-suit primate until Bokir fights it off with a rubber knife and then the two lovebirds ride off into the sunset on an elephant!

After a zillion and one detours, we return to supernatural horror in the last 25 minutes. A possessed woman pukes up green slime and sea critters, a hand bursts through the back of someone's head and out the mouth (did Peter Jackson see this?) and a disembodied living hand with an eyeball on the palm tries to strangle somebody and then turns into a catfish (?!) Katemi, back to using black magic, sneaks into the drug den and kills two of the men with raw fish. Nyi Loreng, a sporadic-at-best presence in the film, finally shows up again for the finale, where she briefly transforms into a younger seductress (played by Lela Anggraini) and has a kung fu battle with the pious male lead armed with fire-shooting tiger mittens.

This sequel basically does the exact same things the first one did, and follows the original's plot and structure nearly beat for beat, only really boosting the music and comedy elements. How defiant of genre and consistent tone the whole thing is will either be a plus or a minus depending on what you like, but being beaten over the head a thousand times about how Islam is the one and only true religion ("There is no God except Allah!") grows tiresome after awhile.

That said, you never know what direction this is going in from one scene to the next. Gruesome death scene, or lighthearted comedy? Serial adulterers trying to hide from their wives by wearing foliage or one of Suzzanna's many awe-inspiring wardrobe / wig changes (including appearing in male drag a few times)? A pro-drug poster referring to weed as "heaven's leaf" or a goofy-looking plush tiger rocketing through the air? Seductive chicken thigh eating or catch of the day impalement? Hey, you get it all! The cast, right down to all the extras playing villagers, seem like they're having a great time regardless of what's going on, which makes this charming and pleasant most of the time. Not the stuff of nightmares, mind you, but it's pretty fun.

 

Like the original, this was given a new lease on life after languishing in VCD hell for decades courtesy of Vinegar Syndrome's 2024 Blu-ray release. Though there are better and worse films out there, both Santet films are a nice introduction to the crazy pleasures of 80s Indonesian genre cinema.

★★1/2