Leák (1981)

...aka: Balinese Magic

...aka: Mistik

...aka: Mystics in Bali

Directed by:

H. Tjut Djalil

American journalist Catherine Keane (Ilona Agathe Bastian) is researching a book, which leads her to Indonesia; supposedly the home of the world's most powerful form of black magic - Leak. She hooks up with a friendly man named Hendra (Yos Santo), who knows all about local customs, and takes her deep into the jungle to meet an old sorceress (Sofia W.D.) rumored to possess magical powers. The witch - who can change into a sexier younger version (played by Debbie Cinthia Dewi) if need be - agrees to take Cathy as her pupil if she'll bring her fresh blood to drink. But instead of teaching her the Leak ways, the witch is actually tricking naive young Cathy into helping her regain her youth by terrorizing and drinking the blood of villagers. And that of course involves Cathy's head sometimes popping right off her shoulders (complete with an attached spine and internal organs!), flying around town and sucking unborn fetuses out directly from the womb!

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A cult following is basically assured thanks to atrocious acting (the extremely wooden lead actress was in fact not an actress at all, but a German tourist visiting Bali who was plucked out of a crowd by the producers), ridiculous dubbing and dialogue (the witch's non-stop cackling sounds like it would be more at home coming out of a Muppet's mouth), the bizarre premise and lots of strange, cheesy special effects. The witch has a long flexible tongue she uses to slurp blood from bottles and at one point she and Cathy even transform into bloated pig people.

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W.D. Mochtar (BLACK MAGIC) co-stars. The director also made THE WHITE CROCODILE (1982), SATAN'S BED (1983), LADY TERMINATOR (1985) and others. The Mondo Macabro DVD release is a fairly nice print (and clearly the best one available), though every time the head comes off it seems to have been sourced from a VHS source. Still, the disc itself comes with an outstanding and well-researched documentary on Indonesian exploitation films that makes the film well worth purchasing.

★★

Updates

If you've ever checked out the index here, you'll realize there are quite a few films I have listed but haven't gotten around to writing reviews for. Well, I've been trying to catch up on these here recently with some rewatches. The latest reviews I've done playing catch-up are...

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- Abby (1974)
- Evil Spawn (1986)
- Hausu (1977)
- Hollywood Chainsaw Hookers (1987)
- Humanoids from the Deep (1980)
- Silent Scream (1980)
- Spookies (1986)
- Three on a Meathook (1972)
- Zombie 3 (1987)
- Zombie 4 (1988)

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Seems like every time I think I'm close to getting the index licked, new films I was previously unaware of keep popping up right and left. These rare titles will be added to the index eventually...

- Bakeneko: A Vengeful Spirit (Kaibyo noroi numa) (1968)

- Black Pit of Dr. M, The (Misterios de ultratumba) (1959)

- Bloody Sorcery (Xiong zhou) (1986)

- Bride from Hell, The (Giu xin niang) (1972)

- Corridor (1989)

- Count Tsakona and His Draculettes (O komis... Tsakonas) (1989)

- Dead Beat, The (1990)

- Dead of Night: A Darkness at Blaisedon (1969)

- Dwarf, The (Issun-boshi) (1955)

- Evil in the Woods (1986)
- Experiment in Evil (Le testament du Docteur Cordelier) (1959)

- Force of Darkness (1985)

- Ghost-Cat of Arima Palace (Kaibyo Arima goten) (1953)

- Ghost Nursing (Yang gui) (1982)

- Ghost Story of the Snow Witch (Kaidan yukionna) (1968)

- Inappropriate Behaviour (1986)

- Leech Wizard (Dunkun Lintah) (1981)

- Magic Amethyst, The (Mo huan zi shui jung) (1990)
- Mansion of the Ghost Cat (Borei kaibyo yashiki) (1958)

- Night of the Dribbler (1990)

- Obsessed, The (Ling mo) (1975)

- Occupant, The (Ling qi bi ren) (1984)

- Pact with the Forces of Darkness (Perjanjian dimalam keremat)
(1990)
- Resurrection of Michael Myers, The (1987)
- Resurrection of Michael Myers Part 2, The (1988)

- Seven Coffins, The (Qu mo nu) (1975)

- Sexual Devil (Yan gui kuang qing) (198?)

- Torticola versus Frankensberg (Torticola contre Frankensberg)
(1952)
- Vampire Partner, The (1988)

- White Crocodile, The (Ratu buaya putih) (1982)
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More to come, I'm sure...

Trampa infernal (1989)

...aka: Hell's Trap

Directed by:
Pedro Galindo III

Mexi imitation of American slashers comes complete with the usual ugly 80s aesthetic (we're talkin' neon, mullets and stone-washed here) and derivations from a whole host of then-popular genre films. Nacho (Pedro Fernández) seems to best Mauricio (Toño Mauri) at everything, with the former usually coming out on top. Their friends are getting sick of the rivalry, so Mauricio comes up with the ultimate final challenge to determine who's the best; a hunting/camping trip in search of an elusive, vicious bear that has apparently just massacred five men. Also deciding to come along are Nacho's girlfriend Alejandra (Edith González) and best friend Charly (Charly Valentino = fat guy = comic relief), as well as Mauricio's friend Javier (Armando Galvan), and their girlfriends Carlota (Marisol Santacruz) and Viviana (Adriana Vega). Scoffing at warnings from a local (Alfredo Gutiérrez), the gang sets up camp near a lake and instead of running into a four-legged fiend, they end up running into a two-legged one named Jesse (Alberto Mejia Baron), a deranged American Vietnam vet who hunts them down one by one.

Things go down basically as you expect them to, with the main characters setting up a brainless scenario just so the lesser characters can behave like idiots and get killed off. Still, this is a fairly efficient example of its type that takes place primarily outdoors in broad daylight and is certainly no worse than the majority of films it copies. In fact, the 77 minute run time is actually an asset, as this cuts right to the action with little filler. One of the best things it has going for it is the presentation of the killer; one of those wacko survivalist types in an expressionless white mask and curly blonde wig (!) who sets up various booby traps and is armed with both a machine gun and a razor clawed glove with perforated blades! Other than the Elm Street Freddy glove swipe, you'll see ideas pinched from FRIDAY THE 13TH (campers getting killed by a masked maniac), THE ZERO BOYS (woodsy war games), THE PROWLER (war vet killer), THE FINAL TERROR (survivalist slasher setup) and many others.

The film (finally available with English subs) was part of the 2007 BCI/Eclipse box set Crypt of Terror - Horror from South of the Border, Volume 1, which also contains CEMETERY OF TERROR (1985), THE DEMON RAT (1991), DON'T PANIC (1989), VACATIONS OF TERROR (1989) and VACATIONS OF TERROR 2 (1991; from this same director). Looking forward to watching the rest of those.

★★1/2

Galaxy of Terror (1981)

...aka: Mindwarp: An Infinity of Terror
...aka: Planet of Horrors
...aka: Quest

Directed by:
Bruce D. Clark

Clumsy, badly scripted, Roger Corman-produced space horror is often written off as an ALIEN clone when in fact it has much more in common with EVENT HORIZON, a film that wouldn't even be made until a decade and a half later. Hard to believe that this clunker would go on to be the primary influence behind one of the most popular and well-regarded sci-fi/ horror hybrids of the '90s, but there are way too many similarities between the two not to acknowledge it here. Ten space travelers (a commander, pilot, telepath, cook, etc.) head off to a distant planet to see what became of another crew who disappeared. There they find the first explorers dead in the wreckage of their ship and then make the mistake of entering an ancient structure, which somehow has the power to turn there's worst nightmares into reality. One by one, they latest batch of visitors are killed off in a variety of different ways (and a variety of different beings) until the strongest of the bunch faces his destiny as the building's red-glow faced "New Master."
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Edward Albert (as the level-headed Cabren) leads a cast that includes Erin Moran (Happy Days) as a whiny "bio-sensor," Sid Haig as a crystal-obsessed, near-mute guy armed with throwing stars, Robert Englund, who gets to battle a mirror image of himself before mysteriously disappearing from the film, Ray Walston (FAST TIMES AT RIDGEMONT HIGH's Mr. Hand and TV's My Favorite Martian), Zalman King (best known for his annoyingly "arty" soft core cable erotica - Red Shoes Diaries, etc.) and Grace Zabriskie, who apparently was being typecast as a nut even at this early stage in her career. Interesting cast, but every single one of them seems completely lost here. The characterization is nonexistent, the dialogue is bad, hilariously overwrought takes were accepted and the character interactions are awkwardly done.

Now this film does have a few very good things going for it. For starters, the art direction, sets and miniature work are all surprisingly solid. This does manages to adequately create that type of other-worldly feel crucial to a film like this. Cinematography is decent, if a bit overly dark at times. There are also some great old school special effects and a nice variety of creatures on display. Everyone's favorite bit seems to when the shapely blonde pilot (Taaffe O'Connell) gets sexually ravaged by a giant space slug. There's also a dismembered living hand, a black creature with large fangs and glowing eyes, some suction cup tentacles and an exploding head to keep you interested.

Quite a few "names" are in the credits. James Cameron (who'd go on to direct ALIENS five years later) was the second unit director and one of two credited production designers; his ALIENS co-star Bill Paxton also worked here as a set dresser. Production manage Aaron Lipstadt would make the great sci-fi sleep ANDROID (1982), which starred Don Opper, the production coordinator here. Future directors Tony Randel (HELLBOUND: HELLRAISER II), David DeCoteau (CREEPOZOIDS), Donald Jackson (HELL COMES TO FROGTOWN), Ernest D. Farino (STEEL AND LACE), Mary Ann Fisher (LORDS OF THE DEEP) and Rupert Harvey (CRITTERS 4) also worked on it.

Popular enough during its day to prompt a sequel: FORBIDDEN WORLD (1982).

★★

Revenge of the Creature (1955)

Directed by:
Jack Arnold

Immediate sequel to the Jack Arnold-directed Universal hit Creature from the Black Lagoon (1954) finds a new Amazonian expedition, headed by marine biologist Joe Hayes (John Bromfield), capturing the Gill-Man and transporting him to Florida. During his stint in the tourist-friendly Sunshine State, the dreaded sea beast finds himself chained to the bottom of a large glass aquarium at Marineland and given a daily ration of fish from Professor Clete Ferguson (John Agar) and female ichthyologist Helen Dobson (Lori Nelson), who's anything but icky. Clete and his assistant become romantically involved and attempt to tame the beast's savage instincts; conditioning it with commands of "No" followed by a shock of electricity when it gets rowdy. Their technique seems to be working for awhile but the Gill-Man is antagonized to the point where he's able to break his chains and escape into the ocean. Everyone assumes he has headed back down to his home turf in Brazil, but the creature is as smitten as the professor and decides to stick around Florida long enough to get his webbed claws on the lovely Ms. Dobson.

The reputation of this sequel, which was shot in 3-D like the first, took a hit when it was ridiculed on the 9th season of MST3K. Regardless, it's really not a bad little continuation of the series and ended up grossing more than the first film in theaters, leading to yet another sequel - THE CREATURE WALKS AMONG US (1956) - the following year. There's little action during the first half, the film lacks the creepy jungle atmosphere of the first and the acting's a bit stiff from the principals, but the film actually does improve as it goes along. The creature itself is seen more this time out and because of its captivity and the fact its out of its element during the duration of the movie, we actually start to pity the poor thing after awhile.

Nestor Paiva reprises his role as the boat captain during the first scenes, as does Ricou Browning (who plays the creature during the swimming scenes) and there are uncredited bit parts played by Brett Halsey, as a teen killed by the Gill-Man, and Clint Eastwood (making his film debut), as a forgetful lab technician.

★★1/2

Casa privata per le SS (1977)

...aka: Erotic Nights of the Gestapo

...aka: Private House of the SS

...aka: SS Girls

Directed by:

Bruno Mattei

Yet another low-octane sleaze-fest from Mr. Mattei; this one trying to capitalize on the ILSA-spawned Nazi Exploitation (or Nazisploitation) movement of the mid/late 7os. Though most movies of this type seem to try to outdo one another when it comes to dishing out humiliation, gory abuse and sexual torture to fully nude women, this one goes down a less violent route, opting more for the sex. Near the end of WWII, General Berger (Ivano Staccioli) commissions snivelling, impotent, completely unhinged SS officer Hans Schellenberg (Gabriele Carrara) to put together a plan to help weed out Nazi defectors. Hans gather together a small team; Madame Eva (Macha Magall), facially-scarred and sadistic Frau Inge (Marina Daunia) and standard mad doctor type Professor Jurgen (Alan Collins/ Luciano Pigozzi) to train a handful of whores into being able to seduce and milk secrets from Nazi officers. The conditioning period - shown in a hilarious montage of clips - involves dancing in the grass in leotards, passing a ball between their legs and being able to sexually satisfy all types... including a German Sheppard! Once the ladies have gone through training, they're able to provide such fulfilling sex to the officers they can't help but spill the beans. Afterward, they're executed as traitors.

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A couple of minor subplots, including a half-assed love story between an officer (Vassili Karis) and a hooker (Tamara Triffez) who's later forced into having an abortion, as well as some recycled, poorly edited-in battle footage involving tanks (lifted from the 1973 Swiss film SHE DEVILS OF THE SS), manage to make their way into this tired tale, which completely wears out its welcome long before the finish. The film is badly written, badly paced and really struggles to find its tone, uneasily wavering between light and whimsical (believe it or not!) and crude and tasteless. It also drags on in a very dull and repetitive fashion at about the midway point and caps things off with a hilariously badly done suicide-orgy where drunken officers and hookers blow their brains without spilling so much as a drop of blood onto the floor. Surprisingly enough, a few of the actors (particularly an outrageously over-the-top Carrara and a cruelly sensuous Daunia) manage to make something of an impression here. The cast also includes Walter "Bigari"/Brandi and Eolo Capritti as officers, Gota Gobert and an uncredited Salvatore Baccaro (who played the title character in THE BEAST IN HEAT, which also featured Magall).

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Originally released in America (to both theaters and VHS) in a cut version titled SS GIRLS; it is now available fully uncut on DVD from Exploitation Digital under the same title (at least on the box; the actual print uses the PRIVATE HOUSE OF THE SS alt. title). The full running time is 95 minutes; the censored versions typically run 82. Mattei (who used the alias "Jordan B. Matthews" here) and some of the same cast (Staccioli, Carrara, Daunia, Gobert...) would return for more Nazisploitation with Kz9 - LAGER DI STERMINIO (aka S.S. EXTERMINATION CAMP aka WOMEN'S CAMP 119) the same year.

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★1/2

Más negro que la noche (1975)

...aka: Blacker Than the Night

Directed by:
Carlos Enrique Taboada

Aspiring actress Ofelia (Claudia Islas) is living in a crowded apartment with three other young women; librarian Aurora (Susana Dosamantes), model Marta (Lucía Méndez) and Pilar (Helena Rojo), who's living off alimony checks from her ex-husband Roberto (Pedro Armendáriz Jr.), when she's learns she's just inherited some property after the passing of her stern great aunt Susana (Tamara Garina). The inheritance includes a large country home, which Ofelia and her friends promptly move into. The only stipulation is that she must must care for Susana's beloved pet cat Bequer, who the sinister live-in housekeeper Sofia (Alicia Palacios) refers to as "blacker than the night." Three of the ladies aren't exactly cat people and when Aurora's pet canary is killed, the cat itself mysteriously disappears, only to be found dead in the home's cellar days later. Soon after, each of the ladies begin hearing eerie crying sounds and a female voice calling for the cat, are paid visits by the dead aunt's black-clad, cane-carrying ghost and begin dying in mysterious ways.

Overall, it's a mild, predictable ghost tale; talky, slow-moving and with just a handful of potent horror/ suspense scenes. It's well-made, though, and the cast is appealing. But what makes this one a little more interesting than others of its type is that it seems to look at "modern" young ladies of the time with genuine disdain. All three of Ofelia's friends are - for the most part - rude, uncompassionate, gossipy, flighty, indecisive, oblivious and self-centered. They seem to have no reverence for things of the past, no respect for the simplest of rules and no appreciation for the antiquities contained in their new home (which they refer to as "junk"). They mock the elderly housekeeper and scoff at her warnings; only warming to her when they feel like their asses are on the line. It's an obvious comment on the attitude of the then-new generation of provocatively-attired young women from an aged, conservative, male stance. I could see some being faintly offended by that (granted anyone notices or even cares), but hell, in a world where the cast of The Hills and Paris Hilton are deemed worthy of fame and attention, I have no problem with someone turning their nose up at the increase in what he / she feels is the willfully ignorant, especially in something that's over 30 years old.

Taboada, the most respected of all of Mexico's horror filmmakers, began his career scripting such south-of-the-border genre fare such as the Nostradamus series (1960) and THE WITCH'S MIRROR (1962) before moving on to direct such acclaimed films as HASTA EL VIENTO TIENE MIEDO (1968; "Tonight, Even the Wind is Afraid") and THE BOOK OF STONE (1969).

★★1/2