Shockploitation Night
4. Fight For Your Life (1977)
Fight for your life has to be most racist movie ever made, that being said its a grindhouse classic. The directing is perfect in this movie, some of the shots just make me laugh(example:the sign that says “see you soon”) William Sanderson plays the racist Jessie Lee Kane(sounds like a serial killer’s name doesnt it?)great. William Sanderson went on to do such great TV shows as “The Bob Newhart Show” and “Deadwood” and try forget he even did Fight For Your Life(for obvious reasons). What I love about this movie is it doesnt matter how terrible it gets for the people in the house the movie somehow can top the last terrible thing that happened to them.
5. Last house on the left (1972)
For a directer’s debut its not to bad but still there are some really stupid parts(the duputy for one) It has everything you can expect in a shocking exploitation movie, David Hess(leader of the gang) plays the role really well and just his face scares me! Last house on the left was inspired by The Virgin Spring(which is better in my opinion) pretty much the the whole plot is based off the movie. This being a revenge movie, I find that it didnt give those killers what they deserved other than Weasel(Who got his dick ripped off by the mother)they got off pretty easy.
6. Maniac (1980)
Maniac shows how crazy and how far Frank Zito’s(Joe Spinell) insanity really is. The special effects is made by legendary special effect artist Tom Savini and he is even in probably the best scene in the whole movie. Just like alot of the horror movies that were made in the 80’s, Maniac is gory,violent,and off the wall. If you see movie for anything just watch this movie to see Tom Savini get his head blown off in slow motion like I said its the highlight of the movie really. Maybe it’s me but I find Maniac to be very similar to Psycho, both have storylines about mothers.
7. They Call Her One Eye (1974)
They call her one eye a.k.a. Hooker’s Revenge is definitely not a movie for everyone. This movie is what I would call brutal, most revenge movies you could could say," go to the police and get them arrested!" but no see cant. I for one love the slow motion scenes and everything around them except I hate the hardcore scenes, it just doesnt belong there in my opinion. The plotline, the characters, and everything else is perfect but the ending just doesnt feel right. The ending doesnt leave you saying, “Well he got what he deserverd!”. Other than the ending I like the movie overall.
8. Women’s Prison Massacre (1983)
I saw this movie for the first time a year ago and hated it and never really gave it another chance to watch it, well I watched it for a second time last night and still found it sort of boring but also wonderful and amazing. The intro was incredible and definitely gets you interested in whats to come. Just like most WIP movies the wardens dont take anything from the prisoners and just like alot of the WIP movies out there, you see alot of breast. I love in movies where they use things to their advantages and in this movie this woman prisoner puts a stick with a razor blade up her…private area than a guy comes and has sex with her, well after that happens you dont see him in the rest of the movie. If you’ve never seen a WIP movie Women’s Prison Massacre is a great movie to start with.
Trailers:
Devil’s Nightmare
Eat My Dust!
Prison Girls
Hit Man
(Euro-Horror/Erotica)
12.Seven Women for Satan (1976)
(First time viewing it)
A real tough one to follow. The plot-outline says that it’s about a descendant of Count Zardoff who’s living in contemporary times and is hunting humans for sport. Well, that’s not quite what I saw. Sure, the lead-character (Also the film’s director) clearly has issues with women and problems with non-stop torment, but thoughout the movie, you don’t know if you’re in a flashback, a dream, or witnessing a real-event (Dontcha hate it when that happens?) So when you give up trying to follow the plot after the 30-minute mark, you just let your eyes guide you to a hopefully nice journey. But that still doesn’t work.
If there’s one thing to remember the movie by it’s the decent eye candy involving the ladies and a double-impalement.
(Mondo Macabro DVD)
Trailers:
Run! Angel Run!
The Defilers
Rodan
Emergency Squad
(Blaxploitation)
13.Willie Dynamite (1974)
Been a looong time since I’ve seen this one. What I remembered most about it was that it was more of a message-movie rather than a killer-pimp flick, and I was right about that. But what I had forgotten all about was the interesting character-turn of the female D.A. who wanted to wreck Willie D, but ends up caring a great deal for him. You don’t really get to see changes like this too often in movies.
This movie focuses more on dialogue and performances rather than cheap thrills. But even the die-hard Grindhouse fan might end up being touched by the simplicity of this one.
(VHS)
Trailers:
The Blood Spattered Bride/I Dismember Mama
Sex and Fury
The Don is Dead
Basket Case
(Giallo)
14.The New York Ripper (1982)
I remember dismissing this as just a sleazy, gratiuitous excuse for a giallo, back in the day. But the more I check this one out, the more it just seems to get better. There was just a lot of things didn’t seem to work out upon first viewing. For instance the duck-voice. I was laughing whenever I heard it, but now all a sudden, the voice just creeps me out. But I could still do without the scene with the “adventurous” wife at the bar. Still don’t know what this has to do with the rest of the movie, other than to just set up her masochistic, sexual behavior later on. And the murder sequences are still able to strike a nerve…Especially the last one.
Even though this is far from the best I’ve seen from Fulci, there’s no way you can forget this one.
Trailers:
Dirty Mary, Crazy Larry
Cannonball
Death Race 2000
11. GONE IN 60 SECONDS (1974)On August 20, 1989, H.B.“Toby” Halicki was tragically killed on the set of Gone In 60 Seconds 2, the sequel to his 1974 cult classic. Toby may be gone, but we still have his original film now being presented in a newly restored Collectors Edition DVD. When you put Gone in 60 Seconds on, you’ll see an independent film like no other. This is indie action filmmaking at its best…
Maindrian Pace (H.B. “Toby” Halicki) leads a double life, he is a car insurance investigator and he’s also a supercool master car thief. He and his group of professional mechanics need to collect a group of 44 cars by a certain deadline. To keep this secret, they give the cars they are scoping female names. The question is: can they make it on time? We get to see how Maindrian runs his business at the opening of the film, by going to junkyards, picking up junked sports cars, then bringing them back to the chop shop. His crew pulls the cars apart and copy the serial number code on the engine block. Then they steal new cars, switch license plates and add the old serial number code to the new “twin” car.
TRIVIA NOTE: If you’ve seen the 90s remake of Gone in 60 Seconds with Nicolas Cage, theres a certain scene they took from the original involving a stolen car and a cache of heroin. Look out for it.
In between running the chop shop Maindrian goes on investigations to find other stolen cars. Noone suspects the respectable Maindrian Pace, finder of stolen vehicles of being a car thief, so things work out great. That is until Pace makes an ememy of his girlfriend’s brother, who ends up tipping off police theres going to be an auto theft just before he picks up the last car on his list. The car is nicknamed “Eleanor” and its a beautiful yellow 1973 Ford Mustang GT 500. Maindrian and his gang have seen several “Eleanor’s” around the city, but, he has an easy score set up at a TV Studio where one of the reporters has an Eleanor he can rip off. When Maindrian gets there incognito (a salt and pepper gray wig and mustache) he jacks the car and is ready to leave, but across the street the tipped off cops have been waiting for this to happen. The car has an alarm that goes off, but as soon as Pace shuts it off, the cops realize hes the guy.
Pace jams the gas pedal down takes off and the cops plow right into him and the chase is on! Yes, this is it, the legendary 40 minute car chase through the cities of Carson and Torrance California. The stuntwork and camerawork on this sequence is really breathtaking, HB Halicki was fearless when it came to stunts with cars, you can see he does all his own driving and theres several close calls where he almost buys the farm (watch for the telephone pole scene!). The incredible chase begins in the inner city moving to the outskirts of town through a large dirt covered field, then back into downtown Carson, through a car dealership and out onto the highway where Pace makes a death defying escape jumping over a car shown in slow motion.
Pace makes it out of the deadly chase by the skin of his teeth. When he spots yet another “Eleanor” at a car wash, he quickly pulls in, gets the keys from the owner by explaining hes the manager and they need to “rewash the car”. Pace gets in the car, pulls off his makeup (wig, mustache etc) changes clothes and cruises down the street. When he sees a police roadblock up ahead he gets a little nervous but luckily for him, the car wash manager is mistaken for Pace and the police let him pass by then descend on the car wash business while Maindrian Pace calmly drives away into the traffic filled horizon. What an ending!
12. VANISHING POINT (1971) An ex-Vietnam vet-cop-race car driver named Kowalski (Barry Newman) is working as an auto delivery driver. His latest job is to take a 1970 white supercharged Dodge Challenger from Denver Colorado to San Francisco in 2 days. To make things more interesting he bets his local speed dealer that he can make it there in under 2 days. Kowalski takes off and this begins a film that not only is an high octane car chase, but an existential story about traveling the road of life.
From the very start we get a feeling that this guy Kowalski is unstoppable. Policemen try to get him to pull over but he has no time for them so he bumps them off the road. Kowalski has been a cop and through flashback sequences we learn that he knows firsthand that the police are just as corrupt as any crook.
We also see different periods of his life and these clips add pieces to the puzzle about who Kowalski is and why hes where he’s at. When word spreads that a mysterious driver is being chased by every cop around, a blind radio DJ named Super Soul (Cleavon Little) sees this chase as a metaphor for freedom. He calls Kowalski “the last American hero” and a cult following forms around him. Super Soul acts as Kowalski’s eyes and ears and several times throughout the film, the two communicate by a strange kind of ESP. Note: Look for John Amos (TV’s Good Times) as Super Soul’s production manager.
As Kowalski burns his way across the highways and biways of Colorado, Nevada and California, he meets several strange characters including a racecar driver who tries to race him/run him off the road, two gay men who try to rob him (look for a sign on their broken down vehicle that reads: JUST MARRIED), an old snake wrangler (Game of Death’s Dean Jagger) who helps Kowalski hide from the helicopters that are flying over the desert looking for him. Kowalski’s last meeting is with a hippie biker who gives him some more speed. We also get to meet the bikers girlfriend, a woman who drives around naked on a motorcycle. She reminds Kowalski of his dead girlfriend who drowned while surfing a few years earlier. Actors Paul Koslo (The Losers) and Robert Donner (High Plains Drifter) play two racist policemen who beat up Super Soul in retaliation after Kowalski gets away from them.
As well as the incredibly sharp direction by Richard C. Sarafian and his DP John Alonzo, another big thing that stood out for me in this film was the dialogue. Its so well written and its very poetic and precise. Not only do you get some incredible action sequences featuring the car but you get a really captivating story. I also loved how the film starts at the end, then brings us back to the beginning again. Yet another very cool aspect.
The soundtrack for Vanishing Point (like Easy Rider) is one of the first films to be scored by pop music of the time. You’ll hear all kinds of great classic tracks by up and coming artists such as Mountain, Bonnie and Delany, pre-Betty Davis Eyes Kim Carnes and many more!
[quote=“me”]
Shockploitation Night
7. They Call Her One Eye (1974)
They call her one eye a.k.a. Hooker’s Revenge is definitely not a movie for everyone. This movie is what I would call brutal, most revenge movies you could could say," go to the police and get them arrested!" but no see cant. I for one love the slow motion scenes and everything around them except I hate the hardcore scenes, it just doesnt belong there in my opinion. The plotline, the characters, and everything else is perfect but the ending just doesnt feel right. The ending doesnt leave you saying, “Well he got what he deserverd!”. Other than the ending I like the movie overall.
[/quote]
It’s called Thriller - en Grym Film (A Cruel Picture) if the hardcore scenes are in it.
They Call Her One Eye is the censored version.
Yeah but I like the name They call her one eye more, Thriller:A Cruel Picture just doenst stick out like THEY CALL HER ONE!
I like the trailer for They Call Her One Eye more than the film itself. It just isnt that good IMO.
[quote=“me”]
Yeah but I like the name They call her one eye more, Thriller:A Cruel Picture just doenst stick out like THEY CALL HER ONE!
[/quote]
wuuurd up.
Trailers:
The Tattooed Dragon
Chinese Hercules
Hissatsu!: Sure Death!
Devil Woman/Dragons Never Die (Double feature trailer)
(Martial Arts)
15. 7 Grand Masters (1978)
(First time viewing it)
Shang Kuan-cheng (Jack Long) is about to retire as the land’s champion, but recieves a letter on the day of the ceremony that he’s got some unfinished business. So off he goes, with his daughter and his fellow students/disciples, to travel to different regions and beat the 7 champions to secure his status and retire.
Along the way, a young vagabond named Hsiao-ying (Li Yi-Min) tries like hell to be accepted as one of Shang’s students, but keeps on facing rejection. Sure enough, the old guy eventually grants him his wish and Hsiao-ying soon becomes Shang’s best fighter. But what’s the real reason why Hsiao-ying wanted to join along in the first place?
Thought this was a pretty good one. I couldn’t believe how fast the pacing was in this. And even though there’s some choppy editing towards the final act when all the ends are tied up, this should still go down as one of Director Joseph Kuo’s finer moments.
(Media Blasters DVD)
Trailers:
Treasure in the Amazon
Super Dude
Bad Girls Go To Hell
Secret Africa
(Nazisploitation)
16. SS Experiment Love Camp (1976)
(First time viewing it)
It’s hard to find positive reviews for this one so I just decided, “What the hell. Maybe I’ll be the only one in the world who will like it.”
Test failed.
Gotta let someone else take it.
As you’ll find with other complaints, it’s slow,talky,dreary,and too cheap. And even though we get the obligatory revolt conclusion the way other nazisploitations (should) end, the results of the rampage aren’t even satisfactory. But at least I got laughter out of a funny line, “How are you doing with my BALLS!?”
(Substance DVD)
(Euro-Horror)
17. Horror Hospital (1973)
A typical slaughterhouse-type movie with Michael Gough as the wonderfully mad doctor, along with his biker henchmen(Who never take off their helmets!) that lure unsuspecting youths to his fortress and makes obedient zombies out of them (Or as he calls them, “puppies”) and declares himself their “puppetmaster”.
But like Psychomania before it (Also from the UK) this one packs plenty of wit and humor. I had a good time with this one.
(Monsters HD)
Trailers:
Hells Angels on Wheels
Hells Bells
The Glory Stompers
Hells Angels 69
Bury Me An Angel
CC & Company
13. THE LOSERS (1970)Throughout the 1970s Director-Actor Jack Starrett (Cleopatra Jones, Hollywood Man, Race With The Devil) was one of Exploitation Cinema’s finest auteurs, he worked in a variety of genres, but he was generally known for his exciting, action packed biker films. With The Losers, Starrett took on a very controversial subject at the time, The Vietnam War. NOTE: Most film viewers know Jack Starrett from his role as the cruel policeman Art Gault in the action-thriller First Blood (1982) and as Gabby Johnson, the drunk old codger in Mel Brook’s comedy masterpiece Blazing Saddles (1974).
A group of ex-veteran bikers from the United States have been brought into Cambodia on a secret mission to rescue a CIA operative that has been captured by the Red Chinese Army. They are The Devils Advocates, a tough rowdy bunch of freaks headed by Link Thomas (William Smith). The rest of the gang is rounded out by Duke (Adam Roarke), Limpy (Paul Koslo), Dirty Denny (Houston Savage) and Speed (Gene Cornelius). As soon as the gang arrive they are briefed on their secret mission by the main man in charge: Captain Jackson (Bernie Hamilton). The Devils Advocates are used to doing things their own way and soon they take off into a small town where they begin showing everyone the kind of men they are. They tear through the town on their bikes, causing chaos, drinking and getting it on with the local Cambodian whores. In one scene, Speed is making love to three women at once. Link has plans to create some suped up motorbikes complete with machine guns and grenades. The men make a trade with a funny young Cambodian man, in exchange for some American beer. They have to design the bikes themselves by using special armor and weaponry. Theres one hitch, theres no Harleys here, these are YAMAHAS!
While the others are distracted by the local women and their mission, Duke goes off on his own and stashes his bike in the jungle. We see that he has a girlfriend from his years as a soldier in the Vietnam War. Duke and the young Cambodian girl Suriya (Lillian Margerejo) see each other and excitedly run into each others arms. We then have a 70s “love song” montage as the two walk together and catch up on old times. This couldve come off as totally cheesy but it really seemed natural and honest and emotional. Duke knows he has to get back with the group, so he promises Suriya he’ll come back to get her in a few days.
One night at a dance in town, Limpy meets a young beauty named Kim Sue (Ana Corita). He asks her to dance with him and pretty soon they’re in bed together making love. Limpy hears the sound of a baby crying in the room next door and checks to see if its alright. Kim Sue’s baby is black, but Limpy doesnt mind, hes the hippy of the group so he thinks its “groovy”, he embraces Kim Sue and the baby. Duke brings Suriya to the groups base camp so they can spend some time together before they go to do the big job. While on the way to drop her off back at her home, the two are shot off the motorbike and wounded badly (a scene which reminded me of the end of Easy Rider). Duke is hurt bad but he drags Suriya out of the water and sees two Cambodian rebels staring down at them. The rebels open fire again, finishing Duke and Suriya off in a coldblooded fashion.
The rest of the group find out about Duke but they’re ready to rescue the CIA op Chet Davis (Jack Starrett) and they do their best to take out as many Red Army soldiers as they can. This is a high adrenaline motorized explosive battle as the gang blows up anything in sight, but instead of winning, Dirty Denny is killed and Link, Limpy and Speed are captured by the soldiers. They are placed in the same prison compound with Chet Davis. Theres no warm welcome for Link and his friends, instead Chet Davis berates them, calling them freaks and letting them know that noone really cares if they’re heroes or not. Link knows Davis and he hates him and what he stands for. Theres some really great dialogue in this exchange, its one of my favorite scenes from the film. After the heated argument, Link and the remaining members decide to smoke some weed and get high, they laugh and make lots of noise, but this is just a cover for their real plan. They escape on their bikes but the Red army is right behind them. The sequence cuts from night to day and they are still on the run (this may have been an editing error) but the group are finally cornered. Will this be the end of The Devils Advocates?!
What I liked alot about The Losers was the fact it wasnt just some simple Exploitation film, its a solid commentary on the war which was raging in Vietnam. It also has elements of a love story. Theres alot of great humor in the film as well, so what happens is instead of it being another shallow B-film, it feels complete. You can see the big influence Sam Peckinpah’s The Wild Bunch (1969) had on this film too through the social commentary, the comraderie between the men as well as the slow motion action sequences (featuring tons of bloodspurting gunshot wounds) which are really well done.
I was really surprised by The Losers. I didnt expect such a well made, well written Exploitation film, but this one definitely is now one of my favorites from the era. It combines the War and Biker genres and it also has a great heart and charm. William Smith (CC & Company), Adam Roarke (Frogs, Dirty Mary Crazy Larry) and Paul Koslo (Vanishing Point) in particular are excellent. They’ve always been favorites of mine in the 1970s Exploitation films. Jack Starrett’s direction is equally superb, he shoots some incredible Peckinpah-esque action sequences.
14. WEREWOLVES ON WHEELS (1971)During the late 60s-1970s, the new rage in Exploitation Cinema was the Biker genre film. There were many good films made during that time like: The Wild Angels (1967), Hells Belles (1969), Bury Me an Angel (1971), The Cycle Savages (1968), Hells Angels on Wheels (1970) and Hells Angels 69 (1969). With Michel Levesque’s Werewolves on Wheels the horror and biker genres were combined to create a trippy, tongue in cheek monster movie that was put on double bills with other films at the time of its release like Evel Knievel (1972). NOTE: Director Michel Levesque previously worked with the “King of Sexploitation” Russ Meyer as art designer on films such as Beneath The Valley of The Ultravixens and Up.
A group of bikers (called The Devils Advocates like in The Losers) are traveling across Southern California. The opening of the film is a groovy, fuzzed out rock intro as the gang cruise through the desert highways and bi-ways. The gang stop at a small cafe where the first thing they do is beat up a local “square”, then they head inside and order some beers. The gang is lead by Adam (Peyton Place’s Stephen Oliver), a weird brutish hippy type biker who loves to joke around with the other members. His friend Tarot (Deuce Berry) reads tarot cards and tells people their fate. Helen (DJ Anderson) asks Tarot to read the cards for her, but he doesnt want to. Adam tells him to be cool and tell the chick her future. Tarot finally agrees and tells her what he sees. Well, lets just say it aint exactly positive. Another local comes into the cafe and the gang decides to give him a surprise. One of the bikers, Mouse (Owen Orr) grabs his “old lady” Shirley (Anna Lynn Brown) and tells the local what he needs is a woman! Shirley lifts up her blouse, exposing her breasts and the local begins to stare and studder: “Its a wo-wo-wo-wo…”. Mouse throws her on the sofa and presses his face into Shirleys chest while the local hops on top of Mouse and grinds away (what the hell? he MUST be horny!) After their hijinx in the cafe, the gang hop on their bikes a keep on travelin’.
The group arrive at a strange place where they notice a large church on top of a hill. The bikers are all drinking now and we get a real hippy style sequence where they just get wasted on booze and pot and roll down hills screaming to the church “Hey Lucifer!”, “Hey Lucy!”, We’re here man!" and such, laughing and acting like long haired monkeys. As the gang gets drunker, a large group of hooded monks surround them lead by the aptly named “One” (Severn Darden). They offer the bikers wine and bread. The bikers dont refuse. They grab the goblets of wine and the large loaves of bread and gorge themselves until they pass out. As night falls, the monks in the church begin to chant and we see that they arent your ordinary monks, they are worshipping old Beelzebub himself. Helen finally wakes up and walks up to the church where she is brought into the black mass. She dances nude with a snake (groovy!) and we get a bizarre satanic psychadelic sequence. The rest of the bikers wake up and rush into the church to find Helen and they have a brawl with the monks and beat them up. During the fight, the monks mark each of the bikers with ashes from the satanic ritual (not good). Adam, Tarot, Mouse and the other bikers take off outta there.
As the Devils Advocates travel along strange things begin to happen. They sit around the campfire and talk, drinking beers and getting high (hey its a 70s biker film!) but later that night, Adam is bitten by Helen and later Mouse is killed by Shirley (this death sequence was so bloody in the original version the director had to edit it to get an R rating). They dont know that they have been marked by the devil. Pretty soon The Devils Advocates are completely infected by this satanic curse, which will turn them all into WEREWOLVES ON WHEELS!
Werewolves on Wheels is a fun Exploitation film, and the acting isnt particularly good, but its the kind of thing where you watch it and just have to laugh at the way the characters act. Theres also lots of male on male hugging in the film (by Adam especially) that you can’t help find strange since most of the time, bikers would rather punch someone out or stomp them. Well these bikers are more hippy than anything else. Free love babies! One sequence in the film, I found myself really laughing with is when the gang stop at this gas station in the middle of nowhere. Theres this old attendant (Leonard Rogel) there with no teeth and a Billy Jack hat (an extra the director found the day they shot this unscripted scene). This guy is a total riot. As the bikers pump the gas (on an old fashioned gas pump that looks like a coffee percolater) he yells and screams at them saying all kinds of hilarious stuff that he made up himself. You can tell that even the actors had a hard time not laughing at this guy. Hes a real character.
Werewolves on Wheels may not be one of the better films of the biker Exploitation subgenre, but it provides some laughs and some fun. For fans of 70s Grindhouse cinema, its a film you’ll want to check out. The best way to watch a film like this is to crack open some cold beers and sit around with your friends and enjoy it. If you don’t have any friends to watch it with, drink some beers anyway.
Whoa…I’m a total noob when it comes to Grindhouse…I think I’ve seen like, maybe 5 flicks in this genre…
You guys are giving me a good starting point.
Vanishing Point was great btw
Shaw Brothers Double Feature
Trailers:
Five Fingers of Death
Sacred Knives of Vengeance
Triple Irons
Boxer From Shantung
Five Venoms
Crippled Avengers
15. SEVEN BLOWS OF THE DRAGON (1973) Based on the ancient Chinese legend of the 108 Mountain rebels of Liang Shan who repeatedly defeating the main Tsung armies, Seven Blows of the Dragon follows Chapters 64-68 of the epic tale. The opening of the film brings us up to date and explains that the fighting 108 are now in the midst of seeking revenge for the murder of their leader Chow Pai aka The Heavenly King.
The108 have been doing well against the Sung armies, but they need to search for a new leader with the death of Chow Pai. They look to a respected figure named Lu Chun (Tetsuro Tanra) aka The Jade Dragon. At his home, one of the 108’s toughest men known as Black Whirlwind goes undercover as a servant. It isnt long before Jade Dragon’s main bodyguard Young Dragon (David Chiang) figures out who the big guy really is. This makes Black Whirlwind very angry (he rules in this film!), but when the 108 ask Jade Dragon for help, he is at once flattered but refuses since he is an honored man in the city. The Tsung Army show up suddenly and find Lu Chun conversing with the rebels. They flee, leaving Jade Dragon to be arrested for knowingly talking with the bandits.
The film has hundreds of characters moving in and out of the story but the film really belongs to David Chiang who plays the cocky martial arts hero Young Dragon. During the film, he displays his amazing acrobatic skills with local wrestlers and the Sung Army who are guarding The Jade Dragon. Young Dragon spends most of his time trying to free The Jade Dragon but usually it isnt long before his boss is in trouble again. One of the great aspects in this classic Chang Cheh film is that whenever Young Dragon shows up in a scene we hear a sound that goes “Chigga Chigga Cha!”.
The climax of the film has Jade Dragon and the 108 battling the Sung Army all together, its a great battle sequence. Most of the fighting sequences in this film aren’t neccesarily outstanding, Chang Cheh uses slow motion in some scenes. The majority of the fights are in classic wushu style (swordplay). Theres some bloodshed here and there but nothing like the gore in Chang Cheh’s other Shaw Brothers classics. Still, this film remains one of my favorites of the 70s Shaw Brothers films. The follow-up to this film is Seven Soldiers of Kung Fu (1975).
16. SEVEN SOLDIERS OF KUNG FU (1975). In this great sequel to one of my favorite kung fu films of all time, Seven Blows of The Dragon (1973) we again join the 108 warriors of Liang Shan. They are a group of outlaws who fought for the people of the Chinese countryside in the old times. At the beginning of the film we see what happened in the previous story with flashbacks explaining the fate of the Liang Shan warriors who fought at Hangchow, the stronghold of the villain of the film: Fang La. All seven of the heroes are tragically killed in a bloody battle. We then see the Liang Shan Navy launch a secondary surprise attack at Hangchow Waterway Gate to no avail where the leader Yuan III is killed. They just cant break through.
The Emperor decides to find a new seven to infiltrate Fang La’s fortress by any means. He then chooses Chang Chin, Tsau Yi (David Chiang), Chi (Ti Lung), Tsi Chin (Chen Kuan Tai) and Chen and his wife to fight this time. The Emperor we can see, has contempt for the biggest guy of the group known to all as The Black Whirlwind (Fan Mei Sheng). The Black Whirlwind has a loud boisterous personality and he seems to create havoc wherever he goes, which isnt too good if the Liang Shan are to penetrate Fang La’s lair in a secretive mission. (Note: Look for Betty Chung who played Mei Ling in Enter The Dragon in the early scenes).
The newly assigned seven all try to get into the fortress of Fang La, but after the Black Whirlwind starts a fight with one of Fang La’s guards outside the main gate, all hell breaks loose and the 108’s cover is blown again. They barely get out alive as they fight the guards in the first blood drenched battle of the film. One of the seven are killed, leaving only six. After the first big battle, on the outskirts of the town, Tsau Yi runs into a famous wrestler-fighter named Tsu Sing Fong (Bolo Yeung) who works for Fang La. Fong wears a leopard pattern coat, but when Tsau Yi tells him to bring it on, we see quickly that Fong isnt anywhere near as fast or as tough as good ol Tsau Yi. One thing I love about this character David Chiang plays is whenever he appears (like in Seven Blows of the Dragon) we hear a sound effect that goes: “Chigga Chigga Chaaa”. This is one of those cool Shaw Brothers touches that makes everyone in the audience react in unison at the hero on screen when they show up to kick some butt. Noone makes Kung Fu films like Chang Cheh, he truly was a master.
The film features several great fight sequences and one that really stands out is the bloody fight between Tsi Chin and Fang La’s army. Tsi Chin has a dragon tattoo covering his body and this gives him a cool appearance when he takes off his shirt. When Tsi begins to fight, he catches a spear in the abdomen, so as he fights, the blood flows more and more. In the battle against what looks like 100 guards, Tsi uses everything he can to fight including a wooden stool, thus creating wooden stool fu and a large beam (beam fu). Theres nothing like a Chang Cheh fight to get your adrenaline rushing. The trademark bright red paint-blood ends up everywhere including on the walls. The only bad part is that after being stabbed several times by the guards with spears, Tsi Chin dies.
Chen’s wife returns to the base of operations where she explains that Tsi Chin has been killed. The seven all lower their heads and we can see they have had enough. They decide to go at it again from another angle: Through the front door! The only problem is, Fang La is now aware that the seven are trying to breach the fortress so they can takeover. In a smart move, Fang La has his guards dress as simple townspeople. When the seven make their way into the town, the guards whip off their town clothes and they catch the seven off guard. A huge battle ensues with The Black Whirlwind at the front. After another bloody brutal battle to the death, The Black Whirlwind is killed and most of the others including Chen’s wife are killed by Fang La’s guards. The only ones left now are Tsau Yi and Chen. They decide their only resort now is to try breaking through the Hangchow Waterway Gate like their brothers tried to do. Chin’s best skill is swimming underwater hence his nickname “The White Fish”. Chin swims under the first netlike barrier and gets to the Waterway Gate where he then tries to get under the heavy spiked fence, while he does that, the Emperor and the 108 Army rush the fortress catching Fang La’s men off guard. The only problem is, Chin is killed after being impaled on the metal spiked bars while helping the others. The Emperor and the army finally take the Waterway Gate!
Meanwhile, Fang La finds out his guards have started to desert the fortress town, running for the hills. At this point we see just how much of a big wuss Fang La really is, he basically turns into a Chinese gimp and decides to run away from the Liang Shan army through the back door. Tsau Yi wont let them get away that easy. He is waiting outside and he chases Fang La and his army down as they try to run into the mountains. This sequence is really funny because Tsau Yi is all by himself chasing this huge group of guys down. One or two Fang La’s men try to fight Tsau Yi, but they just get their asses kicked hard.
Tsau Yi takes on the army again at the top of the mountain, but hes mortally wounded from a spear to the abdomen and as he dies we hear the final “Chigga Chigga Chaaaa” of the film. Brother Wu, the one armed soldier (who fought Fang La previously and was dismembered), shows up, hes the only one left of the original seven soldiers. He confronts Fang La and kills him in a quick battle. The Emperor and The Liang Shan Army arrive only to find Wu dying from blood loss. Wu passes away in front of them as they watch. In a tragic and sad but honorable ending, the seven warriors of kung fu have done their job. The Liang Shan have triumphed!!
Seven Soldiers of Kung Fu aka All Men Are Brothers is another classic Chang Cheh/Shaw Brothers masterpiece. This film has it all! Super bloody wushu fighting, Kung Fu, and a great cast of Shaw Brothers stars that deliver in both the action and the emotion. If you’re a Shaw Brothers fanatic, dont hesitate to buy this film.
Trailers:
Blue Sunshine
Ginger
Jungle Holocaust (Billed as “Last Cannibal World”)
The Manhandlers
(Blaxploitation)
18. Hit Man (1972)
Solid, but un-spectacular remake of Get Carter with Bernie Casey looking to clean up the town after finding out about the death of his brother. Expectations do come up a little short though. Tyrone Tackett (Casey) doesn’t kick enough @$$ as we would hope to see and keeping track of the many characters and what racket they’re running can be a complicated task. Aside from that, this is still worth your time…If you can find it.
(VHS)
Trailers:
Blood Feast
Black Ceasar/Hell Up In Harlem
Chappaqua
A Scream in the Streets
(Spaghetti Western)
19. Django, Kill… If You Live, Shoot(1967)
“The Stranger” (He’s never called Django in this) gets betrayed by his fellow outlaws and gunned down for his share of the stolen gold. After surviving the attack (And literally rising from his grave) he goes out and shoots the bandit-leader full of golden bullets…And that’s just in the first 15 minutes.
Well, they sure don’t make 'em like this anymore. Just as strange and wild as I remembered it. But even though the shock factor for certain scenes has definetly diminished, I’d still put this in the after-dark Hall of Fame just for being the most offbeat Eurowestern ever made.
(Blue Underground DVD)
Trailers:
Scum of the Earth (“White Trash” version)
The Magnificent Butcher
The Centerfold Girls
The Notorious Concubines
(Pinky Violence)
20. Sex & Fury (1973)
This was the first film I saw by Norifumi Suzuki and while I’ve gone on to see more of his later works (And appreciated those efforts), this one still stands pretty strong. As a matter of fact, it sure felt like I watched this again for the first time.
Even though I was wow’ed by Reiko Ike the first time around, her status as serious asskicker felt fully established. I hope the same feeling occurs when I check out Miki in Red Zero-Handcuffs soon!
Oh, and Christina Lindberg is still damn hot :-*
(Panikhouse DVD)
Russ Meyer Sexploitation Double Feature
Trailers:
Beneath The Valley Of The Ultravixens
Mudhoney
Up!
17. FASTER PUSSYCAT! KILL! KILL! (1965) BEWARE! The women in this film aren’t soft, tender things of beauty. They are wild, untamed, dead-sexy animals!
Three super-buxom go-go girls named Varla (Tura Satana), Rosie (Haji) and Billie (Lori Williams) leap off of the dance floor and go on a roaring rampage into the California desert where they race their sportscars in defiance of the world that supresses them. When a young couple arrive on the scene, the trouble starts. Varla challenges the girl’s boyfriend Tommy (Ray Barlow) to a race and he accepts. The girls hop in their hot rods and tear off around the desert. The young man loses and this is where we see Varla taking out her pent-up female hostility on the man, making him feel like a wimpy worm. Varla continues to berate the man until he fights back and they tumble to the ground. Varla’s karate skills come into play as she chops the man in the kidneys and ends up breaking his back!
The women kidnap the young girl Linda (Sue Bernard) and they take off. They arrive in a small town where they stop at a gas stat ion. As they wait for the goofy attendant to fill their cars up, he blabbers on about an old man who lives outside town. Varla’s ears perk up when she hears him talk about a large sum of money the man has hidden somewhere on his property. This gives Varla a good idea. The girls get together and decide to pay a visit to this old man and see what they can find. When the girls arrive at the old farmhouse, they try to figure out a way to find the money without calling too much attention to themselves (which isnt easy to do, the way they look!). The old man (Stuart Lancaster) has two sons, a big retarded muscleman named Vegetable (Dennis Brusch) and Kirk (Paul Trinka) an average farmer type. Varla, Rosie and Billie use their sexy charm to get informa tion out of The Old Man and his sons. Even the super tough Varla softens up and flirts with The Old Man’s son Kirk, while Billie tries to seduce Vegetable.
The late Director Russ Meyer creates an astounding alternative world with this film. The film was shot in a stark black a nd white and looks beautiful. The deep blacks (especially Varlas hair and outfit), stark whites (Billies pants) and medium grays of the desert backgrounds pop right off the screen. Russ combines over the top humor with excessive, almost cartoonish violence which both shocks and excites. Faster Pussycat is a true masterpiece of low budget 60s filmmaking. This is my personal favorite Russ Meyer film.
Trailers:
The Depraved
Maid in Sweden
The Centerfold Girls
Panorama Blue
18. SUPERVIXENS (1975) Just when you thought you’d seen everything, you pop in Russ Meyer’s Sexploitation classic Supervixens and boy do you get a surprise!
This film was shot in Arizona around 1975 and features some of Russ’s favorite buxom superbabes. The story begins when we meet a young guy named Clint (Charles Pitts) who works in a gas station for his boss Martin Bormann. Enter SuperLorna (Shari Eubanks). She gets out of her sportscar, and oh boy is she HOT! SuperLorna catches Clint’s attention and as he talks on the phone to his wife SuperAngel (Christie Hartburg), SuperLorna jiggles her way over to him. SuperAngel want s him home right away, but SuperLorna is really grabbing his…attention. SuperLorna leaves (please come back!!) and Clint arrives home and his wife proceeds to hornilly hump him. Clint pushes her off him and she then berates him and they get into a wrest ling match. SuperAngel gets so pissed she takes an axe and smashes his truck with it and Clint drives off with the axe still stuck in his hood. When he gets to a bar in town, we see a familiar face, its SuperHaji (Haji of Faster PussycatKill Kill). SuperHaji is dressed up in a strange Indian outfit.
SuperAngel finds another man to satisfy her in the form of the town sheriff Harry Sledge (Charles Napier, The Blues Brothers, First Blood Part II). SuperAngel gives him the same treatment as Clint, but he can’t get it up and winds up getting bitched at by SuperAngel. Harry takes so much of her insults then gets dressed in black and ends up killing her with a brutal, bloody stomping in the bathtub. The film goes from zany to downright violent. This sequ ence is highly effective and very explosive.
Clint finds out that he’s the main suspect in the murder, so his boss gives him some money and tells him to get outta town. Clint gets a ride by a couple, then finds himself at a farmhouse in the country where he meets an old farmer and his German bride, another buxom queen named Supersoul (Uschi Digart). Clint cant keep his eyes off Supersoul and pretty quickly shes hopping on him and theyre getting it on. When the farmer catches them humping in the barn, Clint has to take off once again as the farmer vaults a pitchfork at him as he runs away. Clint’s next stop is a small hotel, where he gets a room and meets another Superbabe who happens to be a black girl with a white father. What the hell? The babe can’t talk so she communicates with sign language.
Clint arrives at a gas station in the desert. The name of the place is Supervixen’s Oasis, the station is owned by Super Vixen (Shari Eubanks in a second role). Clint and Supervixen becomes friends and he ends up working at the garage. One day, none other than Harry the killer sheriff shows up and recognizes Clint. Harry takes Supervixen hostage and Clint has to save her. What will happen next?!
For fans of Russ Meyer, Supervixen is overflowing with Exploitation fun. You’ll get Ultra busty babes (my favorite is Shari Eubanks), Charles Napier plays one of his best villains in this. He is one crazy redneck killer. He has that evil smile full of teeth that gives you the willies. While Faster Pussycat Kill Kill maintained a plot, Russ’ later films (including this one) are very much a freeform adventure in filmmaking.
Hey Pete, you playing anything like this in between movies? ;D
This is my favorite one: 
- YouTube
Love your avatar, BTW. I’m gonna rent that movie soon. Never seen it, but seen that trailer a million times and can’t get sick of it!
Trailers:
SS Girls (Billed as “Private House of the SS”)
The Strange Vice of Mrs. Wardh
Deadly Weapons
The Bullet Machine
(Crime/Sexploitation)
21. Ginger (1971)
(First time viewing)
Unlike The Godson, this one appears to be a crime flick first and sexploitation 2nd. But still, the inept material and filmmaking makes it fail on both accounts. Cheri Caffaro (Who plays Ginger, “the very private eye”, as the trailer suggests) really isn’t that bad as a female James Bond, albiet a B-movie James Bond, but there’s some questionable characteristics about her character in this movie that could fail to make the audience root for her.
I actually saw the sequel first (The Abductors) and found that one to be more enjoyable. Give that one a look instead.
(DVD)
Trailers:
Convent of Sinners
The Amazing Transplant
Black Shampoo
Sexy Proibitissimo
(Nunsploitation)
22. Images in a Convent (1979)
(First time viewing)
Wow. This is only the 3rd or 4th Nunzplo I’ve seen and this, by far, takes the cake on pushing the envelope! The plot’s simple: From the opening scene, we get dreadful invitations to a bad day when the convent’s gardner gets spooked by the convent’s resident “evil-looking” sculpture. Soon a rebellious nymph-type Isabella (Paola Senatore) is forced to join the nuns and all hell (literally) follows.
But don’t think that this is the type of hell where we see gore,death and torture along the way. Nope. Strictly lustftul sins for all the nuns is what this hell’s all about. Surprisingly, the art direction and musical score really brings the movie to elevated heights in cinematic terms. But watch out! We got a lil’ bit of hardcore-ness thrown in on the sexual themes. But hey, it’s a Joe D’amato film. Whaddya expect?
As mentioned, Paola Senatore gets top billing here. And I’m bound to check out at least 3 more movies with her in this marathon where she plays a minor part. As far as I know, Images/Convent was where she got the most screentime of her acting career and it’s too bad she didn’t get more lead roles because I’ve always felt she had the total package. But us underground freaks will always have this as a reminder.
(Media Blasters DVD)
Thanks LB!
Trailers:
The 44 Specialist
The Bullet Machine
Death Drive
19. MILANO CALIBER 9 (1972) Nothing is more explosive than the pre-credits sequences for Fernando DiLeo’s crime films and the opening of Milano Caliber 9 is no different. Lets just say when you cross the mob in this film, they will literally blow you up.
An ex-con named Ugo Piazza (The Godfather II’s Gastone Moschin) has just been released from jail. His fellow mafia members led by the loudmouth tough guy Rocco (Mario Adorf) are waiting for him. It seems that everyone in his mafia family thinks he stole $300,000 of their money before being thrown in jail. Ugo flat out denies it at every prodding or beating by Rocco and his men.
The film revolves around Ugo, but Mario Adorf’s Rocco steals every scene. This guy is like a bull in a china shop. He looks like a shorter fatter Italian Clark Gable. Gastone Moschin is great as the stoic, cool Ugo. He doesnt talk alot in the film, instead he goes for a more subdued style. Reacting to those around him instead of acting over the top. Nevertheless he really is great in the movie. Ugo goes to visit his buddy Kino (Phillipe Leroy) the only guy he really trusts to see if he can borrow some money to pay for the room Rocco destroyed. Soon after Ugo arrives at Kino’s flat, Rocco comes barging in again trying to start trouble. He grabs the money Kino lent Ugo. Kino goes nuts and starts beating up Rocco and his men, then Ugo gets into it. Rocco totally turns a 180 and backs right down.
For fans of Sergio Leone’s Spaghetti Westerns you’ll notice several familiar faces including Lionel Stander as the mob boss Marcado as well as Luigi Pistilli and Frank Wolff as the main police inspectors. Ugo’s main squeeze in the film is none other than the beautiful blonde haired Barbara Bouchet. She plays Nelly Bordon, a nightclub “performer” that Ugo lives with.
The story for this film has some really great twists, especially towards the end where you realize the rugs been pulled out from you all along. The last scene of the film is especially memorable because it involves a change of heart by one of the films toughest characters.
Milano Caliber 9’s score is another knockout by Luis Enriquez Bacalov. For fans of his scores, you’ll love this one.
Trailers:
Mr Scarface
Wipeout!
Emergency Squad
20. LIVE LIKE A COP, DIE LIKE A MAN (1976) After taking a break from film and making TV commercials for a few years, genre director Ruggero Deodato (Jungle Holocaust, Cannibal Holocaust) jumped back into the theatrical directors chair with “Uomini Si Nasce Poliziotti Si Muore” (Live Like a Cop Die Like a Man). The films script was written by none other than the Italian master of crime cinema: Fernando Di Leo. DiLeo was well known in Italy for his hard edged, bloody 70s crime films such as “Mr Scarface”, “Milano Caliber 9” and “Wipeout!”. With Live Like a Cop, Die Like A Man, Deodato took the script by DiLeo and crafted a really entertaining, bloody, but light hearted crime film. At the time the film was being made, in America, the TV show Starsky and Hutch was huge hit. You may notice a slight resemblance between that TV show and the two stars of this film. As I was watching the film, I actually had that pop up in my mind, then later when I watched the documentary extra on the making of the film, Ruggero Deodato brought up Starsky and Hutch and I knew this wasnt just a coincidence. He even says that the TV show may have inspired the blonde cop/brunette cop part of the story, but noone knows for sure.
Live Like a Cop, Die Like A Man is a really great work of 70s crime cinema. Its violent in parts, but its not overly gory. It also has a light mood to it which really comes across by the actors’ personalities and from the comedic/sexy scenes in the film. The acting is top notch and the stars of the film Ray Lovelock and Marc Porel bring a sly coolness to the characters of Fred and Tony. They have shades of a young Robert Redford and Alain Delon in them. The direction by Ruggero Deodato is tautly executed and very fluid. I was really impressed by the stuntwork and the blood FX in the film as well. Then again this is an Italian production, and those guys are just craftsman of cinema.
Trailers:
Grand Theft Auto
Hell’s Angels '69
Vigilante
Deadline Auto Theft
(Car-chase)
23.The Junkman (1982)
This “loose” sequel to Gone/60 seconds holds the Guinness World Record for most number of vehicles or planes wrecked in a movie. So I was expecting to see just an endless reel of crash after crash in this flick. Yet, H.B. Halicki (The director,star,and producer) often shows slick craftsmanship and imagination on what’s a narrow-minded action fest.
Afterwards, I checked out the featurette on the making of the movie and I was assured about Halicki’s intentions as a director. He really was a focused and dedicated filmmaker…Even though the guy always had ambitions as a junkman!
(DVD)
Trailers:
Eaten Alive
Swamp Girl
Africa Addio (Billed as “Africa-Blood and Guts”)
The Great Alligator
(Italo-Horror/cannibal)
24. Jungle Holocaust (1977)
First 10 minutes of this plays like a horror film but after that, it becomes an adventure story about survival. But this being a Ruggero Deodato film, it’s an adventure story about survival to the extreme! No punches get pulled with this and I still find this an exhaustive movie to watch.
(Media Blasters DVD)
Trailers:
The Curious Dr. Humpp
Below The Belt
Up Your Alley Ohh, Haji… :-*
In Hot Blood
(Sexploitation)
25.The Ultimate Degenerate (1969)
An exhibitionist named Maria, who’s very comfortable with her body, decides to sign up to a some secret photo agency so she can show her stuff. But it comes to no surprise that the place is run by a pair of sadistic freakos.
Actually the last half of the movie gets overrun by weirdo fetish sequences, along with a “twist” ending. Before that, it’s basically a nudie cutie. I won’t even get into the techincal aspects of this since this is as messy as it gets (Though I’m a sucker for the fish-lens)
I tend to ask myself, “Boy, I feel strange finding myself watching this sort of thing. What is it about this crud that keeps me watching?” I wish I knew. Till then, got another one lined up for tomorrow night!
(Something Weird DVD)