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Neuverfilmung des Skandalromans von Emmanuelle Arsan, in dem eine junge Frau in Asien lernt, ihre Sexualität auszuleben und sich zu nehmen, was sie braucht.

Fast Facts:

• Neuverfilmung des Skandalromans von Emmanuelle Arsan aus dem Jahr 1967

• Das Original von 1974 mit Sylvia Kristel gilt als Klassiker des Erotikfilms

• „Emmanuelle“ kam in Deutschland auf 4,0 Mio. Ticketverkäufe

• Erste Regiearbeit von Audrey Diwan seit ihrem Goldener-Löwe-Gewinner „Das Ereignis“ von 2021

• Diwan schrieb das Drehbuch mit der renommierten Filmemacherin Rebecca Zlotowski

• Hauptdarstellerin Noémie Merlant ist seit „Porträt einer jungen Frau in Flammen“ schwer angesagt

• Weltpremiere als Eröffnungsfilm im Wettbewerb des 72. San Sebastián International Film Festival

• Kinostart ins Frankreich und in Spanien am 25. Bzw. 27. September

Credits:

Land / Jahr: Frankreich 2024; Laufzeit: 117 Minuten; Regie: Audrey Diwan; Drehbuch: Audrey Diwan, Rebecca Zlotowski; Besetzung: Noémie Merlant, Naomi Watts, Will Sharpe, Jamie Campbell-Bower; Verleih: Wild Bunch

Review:

Was nicht alles geschrieben wurde über „Emmanuelle“, den ersten Film von Audrey Diwan nach ihrem Gewinn...

The Black Emanuelle films aren’t really a series in the proper sense of the word. True, they all star Indonesian-Dutch actress Laura Gemser, and she usually plays a globetrotting photojournalist called Emanuelle. (The single “m” in her name was used to avoid infringing on the copyright of Just Jaeckin’s 1974 softcore sensation Emmanuelle starring Sylvia Kristel.) But there’s no notion of continuity between installments (often the product of different teams of writers and directors), and, even though a core group of actors does turn up time and again, they always play different, unrelated characters. What unites these films, apart from Gemser’s presence, is their dedication to exploring sexuality in a frank and uninhibited manner.

Severin’s new box set, The Sensual World of Black Emanuelle, brings together all 21 of the Laura Gemser films, most of them newly restored from 2K scans of the original materials, as well...

If you are a Blu-ray collector, US-based distributor Severin is worth keeping tabs on, as their releases tend to be interesting, with many films getting proper treatment and great extras. Their boxset dedicated to folk-horror films is rightly the stuff of legends. So when earlier this year they announced that they were about to release their biggest and most ambitious boxset release yet, I was very excited. That deflated a bit when I heard the subject: the Black Emanuelle films. Wait. What?! They say you can't polish a turd. And no matter how beautiful Laura Gemser is, Black Emanuelle is hardly what you'd call a great film, a dubious cash-grab to leech on the success of another dubious film (Just Jaeckin's Emmanuelle). So what was...

[Read the whole post on screenanarchy.com...]...

Hello, dear readers! To paraphrase a popular movie, “We’re in the Endgame now,” as Halloween is now merely only a few days away. If you’re looking for some last-minute viewing ideas to get you to the spooky season finish line, we definitely have a great array of choices heading home on Tuesday. The biggest recommendation that I can personally make in regard to perfect Halloween movie experiences is the Wnuf Halloween Special, which is getting a killer Blu-ray release tomorrow. Arrow Films is giving Dario Argento’s Deep Red a 4K upgrade this week, too, and Severin Films is showing love to both An Angel for Satan and Beyond Darkness.

Other releases for October 26th include Don’t Breathe 2, The Amazing Mr. X, Boardinghouse, Eye of the Devil, Skull: The Mask, Frankenstein’s Daughter, and Underworld: Limited Edition 5-Movie Collection.

The Amazing Mr. X: Special Edition

An atmospheric masterpiece,...

Eli Roth, who is known to have a passion for Italian B-movies, is at the Venice Film Festival to help promote biographical doc “Inferno Rosso: Joe D’Amato on the Road to Excess,” directed by Manlio Gomarasca and Massimiliano Zanin, in which Roth features as a talking head.

The doc, which premiered on the Lido as a special screening, sheds light on Aristide Massaccesi, known as Joe D’Amato, the under-the-radar producer, director and cinematographer who between the 1970s and the late 1990s spawned some 200 films in a wide range of genres spanning from spaghetti westerns to horror to erotic/exotic to porn. Roth spoke to Variety about what makes D’Amato stand out, including the fact that Indonesian-Dutch actress Laura Gemser starred in his “Emanuelle” franchise, not to be confused with the French “Emmanuelle” pics. Edited excerpts.

How did you discover Joe D’Amato and his films?

I first experienced...

[This October is "Gialloween" on Daily Dead, as we celebrate the Halloween season by diving into the macabre mysteries, creepy kills, and eccentric characters found in some of our favorite giallo films! Keep checking back on Daily Dead this month for more retrospectives on classic, cult, and altogether unforgettable gialli, and visit our online hub to catch up on all of our Gialloween special features!]

One of my favorite professors in college would start and end every class session with the same sage words of wisdom, “You don’t know where you’re going until you know where you’ve been.” This quote, resonating loudly in the absence of video stores, in the disposal of physical media by major retailers, with the undeniable influence of social media on creative output and in the shadow of a global pandemic, paints an entirely new perspective on the future of film and the paths that will be taken based on the past already paved.

The narrative theme we will describe as “looking back” is not a new concept for storytelling. Whether searching history for stories about famous figures, critical moments, or rare circumstances, returning to the past is grounds for interesting stories.

Looking back at the footprints set by genre film; from Méliès to Wiene, from Murnau to Browning,...

Review by Roger Carpenter

Before Joe D’Amato became Joe D’Amato, he was Aristide Massaccesi, a respected cinematographer and camera operator. As such, he was largely responsible for the look of films ranging from low-budget spaghetti westerns to gialli such as Umberto Lenzi’s A Quite Place to Kill and, most famously, Massimo Dallamano’s What Have You Done to Solange. Massaccesi first co-directed several small films before directing the war film Heroes in Hell as well as the giallo Death Smiles on a Murderer, both in 1973.

But D’Amato, who would use his famous pseudonym for the first time in 1975, would become (in)famous for his extreme horror titles and adult films beginning in the late 70’s and continuing until his death in 1999. He is perhaps most famous for his string of over-the-top gorefests like Beyond the Darkness (Aka Buio Omega), Anthropophagus, and Absurd as well as his...

By Todd Garbarini

This has been a good year for fans of model and actress Laura Gemser. Recently, Severin Films released a deluxe Blu-ray package of two of her films, a soundtrack CD, a really cool t-shirt and an enamel pin, the last item appearing to be something that is new and all the rage nowadays. We’ll take a look at the two films featured in this collection.

Emanuelle and the Last Cannibals (1977)

Laura Gemser, the high cheekbone-chiseled, dark-skinned Indonesian goddess born Laurette Marcia Gemser who appeared opposite Jack Palance in Emmanuelle and the Deadly Black Cobra (1975), returns in Emanuelle and the Last Cannibals as Emanuelle. Here she’s a photojournalist who goes undercover at a mental hospital with a 35mm camera hidden within a creepy children’s doll that takes photos when the eyes open and close. She’s looking to expose the hospital’s treatment of the...

For those of you who enjoy your genre offerings on the eccentric side, May 8th is shaping up to be a wild day of home media releases. Severin Films has put together a limited edition Blu-ray for Emmanuelle and the Last Cannibals and they have the uncut version of Violence in a Women’s Prison coming out this week as well. Both The Devil Incarnate and Enter the Devil have been gussied up for an HD release this Tuesday, and for all you Amicus fans out there, Scream Factory is bringing The House That Dripped Blood to Blu, too.

Other notable releases for May 8th include Disembodied, Bizarre, Sick Sock Monsters From Outer Space, The Creeps, Gutboy: A Badtime Story, and The Violence Movie.

The Devil Incarnate

The action takes place in 16th century Spain. The Devil comes to earth to live as a mere mortal. Together with a human companion,...

Living abroad as a youth certainly had its advantages; the Odeon theatre in Mandeville, Jamaica showed everything from Hollywood blockbusters to Shaw Brothers’ Kung Fu epics to Italian exploitation and horror. Of course I took in as much as my ten year old mind could possibly take; I’m sure a film like Emanuelle and the Last Cannibals (1977) played there, but alas, I missed it. Thanks to Severin Films, this Joe D’Amato sleaz-o-rama is finally available for my (still) ten year old sensibilities to behold.

And while my inner adolescent should be jumping up and down at what is accomplished here - it is essentially soft core adventuregrue porn – the sum does not quite equal the parts for my grumpy grown up persona. The sex and the slaughter don’t sit particularly well together, and I sure could have used a lot more of the latter. But what’s it all about,...

Hnn | Horrornews.net

Emanuelle and the Last Cannibals 1 Blu-ray disc Label: Severin Films Prebook: 4/10/18. Street: 5/8/18 Msrp: $29.95 Upc: 663390002247 Catalog #: SEV92247 Color, 94 minutes in English, Italian All regions. Widescreen 1.85:1 Dolby Digital Mono Production year: 1977 in Italy Director: Joe D’Amato Cast: Laura Gemser, Gabriele Tinti, Monica Zanchi, Donald O’Brien Emanuelle and the …

The post Severin Films Presents Emanuelle And The Last Cannibals releasing in May 2018 first appeared on Hnn | Horrornews.net...

No matter how many times I go into a Bruno Mattei movie thinking it will be the one that stands out and justifies his long and prolific directing career, I always come away disappointed. It’s never enough to give up on him completely, as his work consistently achieves a kind of trashy delirium in its best moments to compel me to keep seeking his work out. So while 1983’s Women’s Prison Massacre—now out on Blu-ray from Scream Factory—is far from being Bruno Mattei’s undiscovered masterpiece, there’s enough violent weirdness in store that I’m sure I’ll be more than willing to check out whatever the next Mattei film is to cross my path. Even if it is against my better judgment.

Things start well enough in Women’s Prison Massacre (aka Emanuelle Escapes from Hell), which begins with an expressionistic sequence featuring three...

December 8th is a light week in terms of horror and sci-fi home entertainment releases, but for all you X-Philes out there, this Tuesday is pretty much like second Christmas, as 20th Century Fox is releasing The X-Files series in its entirety in a Collector’s Edition Blu-ray set (complete with a space for the upcoming TV event series in January).

Other notable titles being released this week include Knock Knock, Ant-Man, and the cult classics Thundercrack and Women’s Prison Massacre.

Knock Knock (Lionsgate Blu/Digital HD & DVD/Digital)

When a devoted husband and father is left home alone for the weekend, two stranded young women unexpectedly knock on his door for help. What starts out as a kind gesture results in a dangerous seduction and a deadly game of cat and mouse. A sexy new thriller from director Eli Roth, Knock Knock stars Keanu Reeves as the family...

Tomorrow, Scream Factory's giving Bruno Mattei’s cinematic jailbreak its high-def due with their new home media release of Women’s Prison Massacre, and we've been provided with three Blu-ray copies to give away.

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Prize Details: (3) Winners will receive (1) Blu-ray copy of Women’s Prison Massacre.

How to Enter: For a chance to win, email contest@dailydead.com with the subject “Women’s Prison Massacre Contest”. Be sure to include your name and mailing address.

Entry Details: The contest will end at 12:01am Est on December 13th. This contest is only open to those who are eighteen years of age or older that live in the United States. Only one entry per household will be accepted.

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Women’s Prison Massacre Blu-ray: "Featuring master of exploitation Bruno Mattei’s (Cruel Jaws, Rats: Night of Terror) signature flourishes and a script co-written by Claudio Fragasso (Troll 2, Beyond Darkness...

A trashcan from space that's brimming with troublemakers and a life-or-death jailbreak are both coming to Blu-ray next Tuesday from Scream Factory. Ahead of the December 8th Blu-ray releases of The Garbage Pail Kids Movie Collector's Edition and Women’s Prison Massacre, we have high-definition clips from each film.

The Garbage Pail Kids Movie Collector's Edition Blu-ray: "Based on the wildly popular trading cards, The Garbage Pail Kids® Movie stars singer/songwriter Anthony Newley (Doctor Dolittle), Mackenzie Astin (Iron Will, Wyatt Earp), Katie Barberi (The Bronx Zoo). This grossly entertaining cult classic features great makeup effects by John Carl Buechler (Troll, Dolls, Ghoulies).

The Garbage Pail Kids® Movie Collector’s Edition

Special Features:

New The Effects of the Garbage Pail Kids Movie – interviews with special makeup effects creator John Carl Buechler and makeup effects artist Gino Crognale New On the Set – an interview with first assistant director Thomas A. Irvine...

Scream Factory's giving Bruno Mattei’s cinematic jailbreak its high-def due next month when they release Women’s Prison Massacre on Blu-ray. To help hold fans over until the film's December 8th Blu-ray debut, we have official release details and a look at the cover art:

Press Release: Featuring master of exploitation Bruno Mattei’s (Cruel Jaws, Rats: Night of Terror) signature flourishes and a script co-written by Claudio Fragasso (Troll 2, Beyond Darkness), Women’s Prison Massacre is a brutal and uncompromising entry in one of cinema’s most infamous genres. This 1980s Italian exploitation classic makes its Blu-ray debut on December 8th, 2015 courtesy of Scream Factory. Fans can pre-order their copies now by visiting ShoutFactory.com

Mattei hauls his unique cinematic stylings to the slammer in Women’s Prison Massacre! Sultry reporter Emanuelle (Laura Gemser) is on the verge of breaking a big story about a corrupt politician...

It’s time to travel back to the tedious decade that was the 90′s. Looking at a film from a director famed for his adult output in the 70′s and 80′s. Of course, that is Joe D’Amato. We are looking at Top Girl, one of his lesser known films from the 90′s. Does the film have that charm and edge that his films like Porno Holocaust had? Will we get to see a modern day Laura Gemser in this film? Will it be crap? Why don’t you put on your double denim, sit down and watch the video!?...

Back in 1974, classy director Just Jaecklin gave the world Emmanuelle – a tasteful soft core classic for the ages. It remains one of France’s most successful film exports. There were many official sequels but in Italy, the land of ripping off other films, the concept of Black Emanuelle (Emanuelle Nera) came into existence.

She is a globe trotting, uninhibited, sexually liberated photo journalist who gets into sexy capers wherever she goes. Black Emanuelle was played by the exquisite Indonesian Laura Gemser who always injected a touch of carefree classiness into the role. She was just perfect.

The definitive Black Emanuelle films were directed by Italian exploitation supremo Joe D’Amato (Aristide Massacessi) – a man equally at home in horror and in sexploitation. The Black Emanuelle films were heavily influenced by other genres and subgenres in Italian cinema such as the Mondo movie and the cannibal film.

The films were not...

More unsound film reviewing by me, involving a lot of pooh and Japanese sadists among other delights, most of it culled from grindhouse subgenres – as is my natural habitat. If you want something more intellectual, go read my Ingmar Bergman article. As Oscar Wilde said “Some of us may be in the gutter but we are looking at the stars”. With this list you will be looking down a toilet bowl…

Please add your sick scenes below.

10. Violence In A Women’s Prison (1982)

Directed by Italian lumpen hack director Bruno Mattei, and starring the ever delightful Laura Gemser – this film is sort of like Emanuelle in Prison in all but name. As a typical Women in Prison film (Wip) there are the corrupt, tyrannical wardens who brutalise the inmates. There is also a lot of nudity, lesbian affairs, and general seediness.

The absolute barf inducing moment occurs when I guess...

Without a doubt, Suspiria is Dario Argento’s best film (some of you may not feel the same, but I stand behind my choice), and one of the most atmospheric and artistic films ever made in the horror genre. It is the first in Argento’s “The Three Mothers” trilogy, which also includes Inferno and The Mother Of Tears. Argento was at the top of his proverbial game when directing both Suspiria and Inferno as they defy everything you've come to expect from horror films. Not only are they brimming with suspense and incredibly stylized violence, they are absolutely beautifully filmed.

Suspiria defines the horror film as a work of visual art. Scenes are lit with bright reds, greens, and blues making them look more like moving paintings than film. It's a masterpiece of visual filmmaking. Suspiria also includes one of the most memorable soundtracks of all time. Goblin, who...

Italy has frequently been at the forefront of European cinema as a trendsetter in the annals of exploitation cinema. Without Italy, we wouldn’t have the Mondo film or Gialli. Who else would have supplied us with Amazonian cannibals, nasty Nazis or demented nuns in such a pleasing manner?

Italy has always been awash with cinematic talent. And it is a country that doesn’t mind doing sexy, doing off beat, to be a little daring. The amount of wonderful exploitation directors has ensured that Italy has produced some of the most amazing horror films, cult oddities, documentaries and pornos.

I have listed the foremost Italian exploitation film directors that I can think of.. If you have a particular Italian director that you admire that I have missed out, please let’s have a discussion below.

10. Bruno Mattei (1931-1997)

Those of you who read my reviews will know that I...

There are certain subjects in society that are just plain taboo. They don’t make for polite dinner conversation and they are swept under the carpet in a hasty manner. Personally, I have no problem discussing each and every subject under the sun – even the ickiest – and I have from an early age sought out transgressive cinema, music, literature and art.

It has to be said that cinema has provided me with the finest and most memorable moments of transgression. The portrayal of taboo subjects or acts is fascinating in the world of film, even just to see how directors will present the issues and what thought provoking morsels we can take away with the films.

In real life there Are necrophiliacs, coprophiliacs, people into bestiality and incest, as well as the enduring snuff movie myths. and the films that cover such subjects are not necessarily exploitative in their approach to their subject matter.

A Planet Fury-approved selection of notable genre releases for June.

Harold and Maude (1972) Criterion Blu-ray and DVD Available Now

Forty years later, this 1972 Hal Ashby cult favorite remains a lovably eccentric meditation on life. The romance between a death-obsessed youth (an adorable Bud Cort) and a vivacious geriatric (the mythic Ruth Gordon) is still as beguiling and heartfelt as it was upon its original release. Written by Colin Higgins (9 to 5, Foul Play) and featuring an iconic soundtrack with several Cat Stevens hits, this is a must-have release for cult film buffs.

The much-anticipated Criterion release features:

A new high-definition digital restoration with uncompressed monaural soundtrack, optional remastered stereo soundtrack, audio commentary by Hal Ashby, Nick Dawson and Charles B. Mulvehill, illustrated audio excerpts of seminars by Ashby and Colin Higgins, new interview with songwriter Yusuf Islam (formerly Cat Stevens), plus a booklet featuring an essay by critic Michael Wood and more!

Directed by: Riccardo Freda

Written by: Antonio Cesare Corti, Riccardo Freda, Simon Mizrahi, Fabio Piccioni

Cast: Stefano Patrizi, Martine Brochard, Henri Garcin, Laura Gemser, Anita Strindberg, John Richardson, Silvia Dionisio

While shooting a violent murder scene on a horror movie set, actor Michael (Stefano Patrizi) nearly chokes his co-star Beryl (Black Emanuelle Laura Gemser) to death in an uncontrollable rage.

Fortunately for Michael, it's his last scene before taking a break to visit his estranged mother, Glenda (genre vet Anita Strindberg), for a long weekend. The troubled thespian brings along his girlfriend, Deborah (Silvia Dionisio), to the old family mansion, a place he hasn't seen in years. They are greeted by creepy butler Oliver (John Richardson), who divulges to Michael that his mother is very ill but doesn't want him to know.

Once the pair have been shown to their separate rooms, Michael is reunited with sickly Glenda, who seems...

Pam Grier (Jackie Brown), Michael Madsen (Reservoir Dogs) and Brigitte Nielsen (Red Sonja) have joined the comic exploitation movie "Skinny Dip." Frankie Latina is directing from a screenplay by Norman Lasca. Danny Trejo and porn star Sasha Grey are already aboard to star in the story of a girl who takes an innocent dare, ends up terribly victimized and then seeks shotgun-wielding revenge while wearing a stolen police uniform. "I grew up on and have always loved the films of the 70's and 80's featuring such on-screen idols as Pam Grier, Laura Gemser and Grace Jones," said Latina. "They contain, in my opinion, some the most powerful female performances in cinema history. 'Skinny Dip' will draw from a new, equally powerful and provocative actress in Sasha Grey. Combining the wild, exploitative sensibility of grindhouse films with strong female characters drawn from the present . these are the kinds of...

Despite the fact that Grindhouse didn’t set the box office on fire and Machete only did middling business, some directors are still convinced that homage-happy exploit-o-flicks can work on screen. One of the true believers is Frankie Latina, who is gearing up Skinny Dip to star Sasha Grey, Danny Trejo, Pam Grier and Brigitte Nielsen.Grey spent her early career as a porn star, but has recently begun to crossover into more mainstream work such as Steven Soderbergh’s The Girlfriend Experience and episodes of Us TV comedy drama Entourage.Skinny Dip will find her as a young woman who goes au natural on a dare and ends up a victim of an attack. But she decides to get a little revenge by stealing a police uniform and dishing out some shotgunishment.“I grew up on and have always loved the films of the 70’s and 80’s featuring such on-screen idols as Pam Grier,...

In what could well be the best grindhouse homage since Machete, Michael Madsen, Danny Trejo, Pam Grier, Brigitte Nielsen and Sasha Grey have signed on to director Frankie Latina's upcoming exploitation flick, Skinny Dip. Let this piece serve as official notice to my FanGirlTastic coworkers that I reserve the right to review this film.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Skinny Dip is "the story of a girl who takes an innocent dare, ends up terribly victimized and then seeks shotgun-wielding revenge while wearing a stolen police uniform."

Word is that Michelle Rodriguez was initially cast in the lead, but was then replaced by Grey, who was considered more age appropriate for the role. While the 10-year difference in their ages is probably a justifiable excuse for the change, I'm betting ex-porn star Grey is a little more comfortable than Rodriguez about gratuitous nudity. And in a movie like this,...

Pam Grier was a ‘70s Blaxploitation queen before rejuvenating her career via Quentin Tarantino’s Jackie Brown. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Grier returned to her grindhouse roots via a role in the upcoming exploitation spoof Skinny Dip starring porn star-turned-legit actress Sasha Grey. Director Frankie Latina announced the news at the Cannes Film Festival while pitching the movie to international buyers. "I grew up on and have always loved the films of the ‘70s and ‘80s featuring such on-screen idols as Pam Grier, Laura Gemser and Grace Jones,” said Latina.

Pam Grier was a ‘70s Blaxploitation queen before rejuvenating her career via Quentin Tarantino’s Jackie Brown. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Grier returned to her grindhouse roots via a role in the upcoming exploitation spoof Skinny Dip starring porn star-turned-legit actress Sasha Grey. Director Frankie Latina announced the news at the Cannes Film Festival while pitching the movie to international buyers. "I grew up on and have always loved the films of the ‘70s and ‘80s featuring such on-screen idols as Pam Grier, Laura Gemser and Grace Jones,” said Latina.

Pam Grier was a ‘70s Blaxploitation queen before rejuvenating her career via Quentin Tarantino’s Jackie Brown. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Grier returned to her grindhouse roots via a role in the upcoming exploitation spoof Skinny Dip starring porn star-turned-legit actress Sasha Grey. Director Frankie Latina announced the news at the Cannes Film Festival while pitching the movie to international buyers. "I grew up on and have always loved the films of the ‘70s and ‘80s featuring such on-screen idols as Pam Grier, Laura Gemser and Grace Jones,” said Latina.

Pam Grier, Michael Madsen and Brigitte Nielsen join the cast of the grindhouse style film, Skinny Dip. The cast already includes Sasha Grey and Danny Trejo in the film about "a girl who takes an innocent dare, ends up terribly victimized and then seeks shotgun-wielding revenge while wearing a stolen police uniform." Frankie Latina is directing from a script by Norman Lasca. The film has the great tagline of “They took her bikini. They took her virginity. She took her revenge.”

Here is what Latina had to say about the film:

“I grew up on and have always loved the films of the 70’s and 80’s featuring such on-screen idols as Pam Grier, Laura Gemser and Grace Jones. They contain, in my opinion, some the most powerful female performances in cinema history. Skinny Dip will draw from a new, equally powerful and provocative actress in Sasha Grey. Combining the wild,...

One of the formative events in my journey toward cinephilia was finding a copy of Cathal Tohill and Pete Tombs' invaluable text on European art film and sexploitation, Immoral Tales.  I would open it randomly to a page almost daily and find some of the most interesting sounding films at my fingertips.  I haven't yet managed to watch all of them, I man never manage that, but it gave me a point of departure for exploring the very specific type of of film really only made in Europe in the late 50's through the 70's.  The auteurs given greatest attention in the boook have turned out to be some of my favorites, the kind of people who could make a sexy horror or fantasy film that felt like a work of art.  Sure, some of them were trashy, many of them were over the top, and some even were pornographic,...

During this month of ghosts, werewolves, vampires, and zombies, it is important to remember that there are other sub-genres of horror films that still make essential viewing. Unbeknownst to a lot of horror fans, there was once a style of film made mostly in Italy during the Seventies and Eighties known as The Third World Cannibal Film, or simply The Cannibal Film genre.

These films gained a certain notoriety for their savage imagery (most notably the onscreen killing of animals) and brutal conventions (predominantly white people being set upon by primitive tribes and being summarily eaten). Due to this, a lot of otherwise intrepid horror audiences shied away from this sub-genre, thinking the filmmakers “out of their minds.” When certain governments caught wind of what was going on, these films soon found their way onto banned lists. Despite the efforts of “morality watchdogs,” the movies are just as much a...

Directed and written by by Steve Balderson

Featuring Karen Black, Mink Stole, Jane Wiedlin, Jeff Dylan Graham, Starina Johnson, Pleasant Gehman, Susan Traylor, Stacy Cunningham,

Review by Andrew Shearer

Unbelievable. Un-fucking-believable. A new women in prison film (Wip for short) starring Karen Black, Mink Stole and one of the Go-Go's was shot less than two hours away from me and I didn't even know about it! I consider it a lost opportunity. I'm currently developing a nice, dark bruise on my left leg from kicking myself repeatedly with my right...

Stuck!, written and directed by Steve Balderson (Pep Squad, Firecracker), is a gorgeous, black-and-white noir character piece that feels less like an homage and more like a newly discovered classic in the babes-behind-bars genre. Whereas Barak Epstein's Prison A Go-go opted to go the route of parody (owing more to Troma than to, say, the late Cirio H. Santiago...

One of the many disadvantages of living in a place like New Hamsphire is that you have to live on the edge vicariously through the lives of people who live closer to the action through correspondence so it was a while before I got into the depths of crazy horror movies. Though I'd been watching horror for years, we never had the convenience of one of those video stores that bought one of everything from their distributors and the horror sections around these parts were woefully understocked. If you wanted to watch A Nightmare on Elm Street 6, you could find it just about anywhere but if you wanted to go out on a limb and see something wildly exotic, you were screwed. Getting your hands on stuff bearing names like Lenzi, D'Amato and Deodato you had to drive into Boston and pay premium prices on factory pre-records and overpriced bootlegs.

Troll 2 is a low budget Italian horror movie devoid of most attributes that are normally associated with good film making. The title is designed to capitalize on an unrelated film, John Buechler’s Troll. In spite of being having the word troll in the title, there movies features no trolls. Characters utter random or obvious statements that stop the film dead in its tracks. Scenes occur with no discernible relationship to the overall narrative. Every single performance from the leads down to the extras in rubber masks and potato sacks is awkward. The lowly costumes, which were designed by Laura Gemser (Black Emmanuelle) are as ugly as their creator is beautiful. All of these elements add up to a goofy movie that has gained a large cult audience through video, late night cable and more recently, a series of well-attended screenings throughout the United States. This swell of fan...

Lovely Laura Gemser stars as a saucy undercover journalist of questionable ethics whose investigations take her on a perilous journey deep in the heart of cannibal country.

It’s safe to say it's not only a good scoop Emanuelle was after when she undertook the brave task of going beyond the call of duty following a nasty breast munching incident involving a girl in a metal hospital. Our intrepid reporter is soon whisked away to the Amazon in search of the cannibals who apparently raised the breast chomping loon in this sex and horror combo from Aristide Massaccesi, better known to most as Joe D'Amato, champion of the Black Emanuelle series.

As you may expect there's less gore and more phwoar in this flesh filled film from the seventies where the libidos are as wild and unchecked as the pubic regions. In keeping with the soft-core genre the story acts...