Rock's Cheapo Theatre of the Damned

Twelve hour exploitation film festival that didn't tell you the line-up of what they're showing. Which, keep in mind, the other films were things like 70s martials arts movies, spaghetti westerns, Italian crime movies, blaxploitation movie/etc. So, not the most unsavory of crowds. I think that was also the year where they showed (and was a discovery for me at the time), The Witch that Came from the Sea. No, wait. The sexploitation that year was Gums - an even more traumatizing softcore pore experience.


Crowd size was about 200 to 250 probably.


i.e. I'm guessing this is what you'd want when you said, "in theory I'd like to see this with a crowd."

Ah ok, that sounds pretty fun. Yeah, I was worried that a nazisploitation movie would attract, you know, Nazis, but I guess not announcing the titles beforehand mitigates that. The only grindhouse type fare I've seen in theatre are Shaw Brothers flicks (which definitely benefited from the experience) and The Last House on the Left (the theatre was nearly empty and people were giggling during the climax and the print was in tatters; also Crumbsroom was there IIRC).


Isn't Gums the Jaws porno parody? I think I have it on the watchlist.

I see Terri Hall plays a mermaid. Intriguing.

Shaw Brothers show up a decent amount in those fests.


And, yup, that is what Gums is.
And while there's a few things in it that are visually just kind of disturbing in a warped visual way. There was one scene with a prop that just kind of broke my brain (and I don't think it was intended by the filmmakers). Just to the point that's it's burnt in my memory in such a way, that if I were to revisit it, I suspect there's no way the actual thing could actually live up to my memory of it - I hope.



If you ever get around to it, we'll compare notes. Idk how much seeing it up on a larger screen affected my response.

The first movie took a deathly boring subject like tax accounting and injected it with the energy of a high powered thriller, presented a villain so concerned with running his (criminal) day job that he interrupts a rendezvous with his mistress to order a new set of sheets for his love hotels, and had a heroine who was ultra-competent professionally but childlike in her personal life. These were funny, offbeat choices, but I could also glean a certain satirical element about Japan's notoriously intense work culture. It could have been didactic in lesser hands, but it's a credit to Juzo Itami's light touch and Nobuko Miyamoto's delightful performance that it's a completely breezy watch. Watch Miyamoto swerve from childlike excitement over a video game to bad cop energy when she grills the villain after his supposed tax evasion without missing a beat. The quirky physicality she brings to the role evokes a live action representation of a children's anime character.

In this one, the villains are a religious cult that seems to be a front for an elaborate tax evasion scheme. This concept brings to mind the lavishly wealthy megachurches in the US and is a potential minefield for satire. Yet while there are still funny moments (the followers barging into a room in unison and angrily demanding the tax inspectors leave immediately after Miyamoto tries to do her bad cop routine; Miyamoto trying to fake religious mania with gyrations that bring to mind Martin Short's dance moves in Clifford), I never felt the movie pursued a real satirical angle with this material. (I will concede that as someone who isn't Japanese and has never been to the country, it's possible some of this is going over my head.) It's oddly played relatively straight, and causes a real tonal mismatch with the more lighthearted scenes of Miyamoto and her fellow tax sleuths at work. The movie's biggest miscalculation is the inclusion of a sexual misconduct subplot, which feels at odds with the universe these movies take place in. And where the first movie had Miyamoto and the villain eventually bond over a shared humanity, the cult leaders and members rarely evoke much sympathy.

All that being said, there is fun to be had here whenever Miyamoto is onscreen, even if her fits are not as on point as in the original movie. (I understand her wardrobe in that one was supposed to be an extension of her exacting professional life, but all I saw were a bunch of sharp, slouchy getups that looked equally comfortable and stylish.) This time she's paired with a partner who provides a nice goofy counterpoint to her wiry, cartoonish energy, although he finds ways to impress her through his work as well (like when he gets a bathhouse attendant to divulge some info by bribing her with beer coupons.) Watching these two at work, bouncing off each other, is a delight. I just wish the other parts of the movie had the same energy.

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Wow. Just wow.

That first ad gave me weird nostalgia for Spy Hunter.


Hey Rock, per a request from a friend (for things I show people), are you aware of any homoerotic or contains goods amount of appealing man-flesh in of the 70s euro-horror-erotica you've watched? Not talking lesbian vampires (whenever I try looking for LGBTQ horror films, it's all Nightmare on Elm Street 2 and lesbian vampire films).


I caught wind of something called Sex Demon (all male, adult film take on the Exorcist) that was making the cult cinema circuit a few months ago, but I wasn't able to see it and I've not seen it listed as for sale anywhere (I'm guessing Vinegar Syndrome is doing it since they were looking for a print a while ago) - so I'll be keeping an eye out for that one in the next few years.

ETA: just to give one extra clarification, I mostly prefer movies made from before 20 years ago when showing them stuff.

ETA: corrected typo. Autocorrect originally did Soy Hunter instead of Spy Hunter.
I now wish there was a video game adaptation of that ad called, "Soy Hunter."

Great question. Unfortunately I'm not too aware of any really (male) homoerotic 70s horror. As for man flesh, I remember Joe Dallesandro being naked a lot in Blood for Dracula and maybe Flesh for Frankenstein, but you're probably already aware of those. David DeCoteau's Nightmare Sisters has some hunky underwear dudes, but all the nudity is female. And there are queer themes in the Cannibal Man, but not much in the way of eroticism.


On the hardcore horror front, my experience is limited to straight porn, but The Devil Inside Her and Terri's Revenge might be worth watching. The director Zebedy Colt was gay himself and brings a very different energy you the proceedings as he seems to be getting off on different parts of the material than a straight director might (lots of loving shots of muscular dudes). Fair warning: the latter is a roughie so might not be for all tastes, but is a bit more palatable than most other roughies I've seen.


There are some gay titles in this Letterboxd list (NSFW, don't open on a work computer), although I can't vouch for them personally: https://boxd.it/dSdQg


But yeah, I would suggest checking the descriptions, as a lot of horror porn (at least the straight kind) tends to be in the roughie vein.

I didn't remember that much male nudity in Blood for Dracula; though I remembered frequent stripped down to his skivvies in Flesh for Frankenstein (the latter I've already shown). (Side note, I did show the Japanese blu-rays, which would have blurred out genitals, but I don't remember there being man parts to blur out)


Funnily enough, I put on The Erotic Rites of Frankenstein on in the background because it was on the KinoNow channel, and I turn around and see a good amount of time in a scene with penis. Sure, it wasn't erect and it wasn't on younger stud, but I suspect my friend will appreciate at least getting that when the year comes that I show it.
*makes mental note*
Maybe IMDb was right on its keywords and Alucarda will also have male full frontal nudity, though for the life of me, I don't remember it (granted, I also don't really remember much of the movie at this point).

If I find stuff on that list that I eventually show, I'll let you know, Rock. (side note, I noticed Sex Demon was on that list, which also might be a good way to find additional lists (I mean, how many different types of lists can Sex Demon be on?)).

Whenever I see the chance I have to chime in and remind everyone that "Blood for Dracula" is the second greatest vampire movie ever made.



Also one of the best movies ever made, while we are at it.

Does it bug you that I have a severely OOP criterion dvd of it and just think its just “alright.”

I don't mind the part about you owning it (at least you love movies), as I would still be just as offended as you calling it 'just alright' no matter its scarcity

It is one of the most humane as well as one of the funniest vampire movies ever made. Only Martin understands the soulless life of the damned better (I'll accept you shouting in your answer of Near Dark, it understands this as well). And only What We Do In Shadows is funnier at articulating such a fate as the hilarious kind of tragedy it all is.

The film is also steeped in great, resonant images, so works as a beautiful piece of art on its own.

And still, it completely works as a piece of trash and a naughty bit of exploitation if one doesn't want to engage in it beyond its Joe dick.

It's score is also beautiful.

But I'm sure you've already begun daydreaming about kung fu malignancies poorly rendered like shit John Wick cosplay, so how can I possibly argue against that? I've clearly brought a knife to a cgi gun fight.

I smell Ilsa discussion in here.


I've seen a few Naziploitation flicks, none of them were good. It's actually not the subject matter that ever made me uncomfortable (cause let's be honest, I'm clearly trash) but all up explicit up close torture porn scenes. I believe Ilsa is the only American Naziploitation film as well, all the others I know of are Italian. I have the DVD boxset, but never did watch the other two, not really a fan of Jess Franco either so that didn't have much appeal to it.


I did like Ilsa, the Tigress of Siberia though! It toned down the torture porn and upped the camp. It's been years since I've seen it, but I think the plot also involves the Canada/USSR Summit Series.

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I haven't picked it up just yet, but Severin did recently release a Blu-ray. Perhaps seeing a nicer copy could help you accept that Crumbsroom is correct (on exactly this matter, perhaps no others).

I believe Love Camp 7 is American, but it's substantially more boring than Ilsa. Instead of Dyanne Thorne we get a bunch of guys who look like Dom DeLuise. It's a crap genre, but a half decent lead performance goes a long way.


The Franco one tones down the torture and ups the porn element. I do think the lack of actual nazi content (it's really a WIP flick if we're being technical) makes it a lot more palatable, as does the presence of Lina Romay. I've seen 2 other Franco's WIP movies and this was definitely the best one.

I am open to rewatching this in 4K. Feel free to send me a copy.

I will not send you a copy, but I will empower you to pick one up during the next Severin sale.


Can you feel the power?!?

This is MKS right now.

You’re sending me enough Canadian dollars to buy it?!?