Video Nasty: I Spit On Your Grave (1978)

This woman has just chopped, crippled, mutilated, etc, you know how it goes, cause she was the victim of what's said to be the longest rape scene in film history at 25 minutes long, so we're about to dig into one of the few rape/revenge flicks to become a prosecuted video nasty.

A movie that's said to have crew members quit during filming cause they couldn't stomach the violence, and it was rejected by censors worldwide until they cut it heavily, but as the gorehound I am, I of course have the fully uncut version, so time to break out the trusty old Elite Entertainment millennium edition DVD of what was first titled Day Of The Woman, but with little box office action, it switched to I Spit On Your Grave, and became one of the most infamous video nasties, so let's find out if it lives up to the hype, and off to Camp Crystal Lake we go! What?..This isn't a Friday The 13th. movie! No, but it was shot at the same location as Friday The 13th. Part 2:

Plot:
The plot is quite simple. A female author named Jennifer leaves city life for what she thinks will be an inspirational, relaxing  time in the country. Unfortunately for her a gang of rapists are prowling about on the look out for fresh meat, and of course Jennifer has a run in with them of the most brutal kind, and is violently gang raped again, and again, and...

So she decides to take revenge, and get way more than even with the dirty rotten scoundrels.

What's Good:
The best thing here is the good feeling you get when the rapists get their just due. I bet all of us either had, or has someone who's wronged us so hard we'd like to take revenge, and get 'em back in the most brutal ways possible.

Of course, most of us don't act out on that so movies like this is a good way to deal with it without hurting anyone. In other words, you'll be rooting for Jennifer as the rapists feel the pain of her wrath, and more so because of her nasty ways of revenge.

The revenge kills are bloody, and super violent, and it's just right that if someone raped you, then why not cut their dicks off, right-right?...Right-RIGHT!

The actors performed their own stunts cause that's all the film makers could afford, and the zoom shots were achieved by placing the camera on a shopping cart. Way to go! When you have little, make the most out of what you got, that's the spirit! Especially when the results are great, like in this one.

What's Bad:
No soundtrack 'cept for some background music. Don't know if that's a bad thing though as the movie sorta becomes more realistic without a score.

Some bad fx, and acting here, and there, but nothing too shabby.

Must've recieved it's video nasty award because of sexualized violence, but I guess more so because the powers that be were afraid this film would spawn vigilantism. Best thing about it though is exactly that.

Even better examples of the rape/revenge genre is Last House On The Left, or House On The Edge Of The Park, and especially Abel Ferrara's MS. 45: Angel Of Vengeance that's the best ever rape/revenge flick in my opinion. The Swedish cult flick, Thriller: They Call Her One Eye,  comes to mind as well, but it isn't as good as I Spit On Your Grave that I'll give a strong...

Rating:
4/6 

Video Nasty: Love Camp 7 (1969)

Back again with another nazisploitation flick so time to hop on that train, not that I have a choice with a gun pointed at my nose by some skull cap wearing sergeant, and join the over crowded compartment on a one way ticket ride to Nazi Love Camp 7. Yup, my ass is grass this time! But at least it has Love in the title so might not be such a bad experience after all,  and maybe there'll even be some hot women there, we shall see.

Plot:
Before I arrived at the camp, the british sent two female infiltrators on a mission to find out what really went down at those love camps.

So like me, off they go, and once (t)here it's rags off, and time to join the "fun" as LC7 is an experiment camp of the sexual kind where the inmates only purpose is to please soldiers in every way possible, so wtf am I doin' here!?

They should've sent me to the frontlines instead I guess, but for now I'm here hiding out in a soldiers uniform disguise, and lurking.

What's Good:
Crazy sexual violence carried out by sadistic officers. Well, that's not a good thing though, but it is after all what's expected when watching a video nasty.

Believable WW2 era sets, and the acting's not bad for a C grade flick like this one.

Cool blood splattered opening titles.

Funny portrayals of demented nazi soldiers, and officers that are more than slightly over the top.

It's an American film but looks exactly like an Italian nazi exploitation film, and predated those.

Controversial. Even now. Makes you think, and that's a good thing despite all the atrocities goin' down here.

What's Bad:
As always with the nazisploitation flix I have a hard time considering what went down at concentration camps during the big one entertainment no matter how unintentionally funny some scenes are, and no matter if this is a horror movie, or not, and is it really?

No. More of a shockumentary in a way. Either ways this one isn't really gory enough to have been labeled a video nasty, but it's as usual the sexualized violence that did the trick, and this is hard to sit through, and actually quite disgusting at it's worst, so it's only for the most jaded. I know you'll watch it anyway, but don't say I didn't warn you.

The Verdict:
The filmmakers did a decent job here showing some of what possibly happened in camps during WW2. The Nazis are as always portrayed as super sadistic, violent, sexual degenerates, and I have some what a hard time believing that all of them were super psychotic all of the time in real life but then again this is only a movie.

Finally, I managed to escape LC7, so did all the prisoners, and the nazis got what they deserved in the end. My brief stay at the Nazi Love Camp "Hotel" lacked love whatsoever though, so I'd rate it:

Rating:
3/6

Video Nasty: Madhouse (1981)

Watching so many video nasties in a row has left me mentally scared, so I have no choice but to go to the MADHOUSE!!!

I had a brief visit there back in the early 80's too when I saw this film for the first time as it was one of the nastiest I could rent at a local vid store with this cover artwork:

I remember it as being quite good, but haven't seen it since, so now for my re-visit nurses force feed me tranquilizer's as doctors, and shrinks strap me down to the electric chair to fry my brain...bzzzzzzzzzzz @ the Madhouse.

Plot:
No time wasted as we kick it off right away with one demented little girl hitting her sister with a rock 'til she looks like this:

Aaaw, sisterly love, how cute. Fast fwd. to their adulthood when one's living a normal life, and the other's at the psych ward in a hospital locked up for life....til she escapes!

From there it's the story of the crazy sister with her companion, a blood thirsty, savage Rottweiler, terrorizing the other sister, killing several others along the way, but what sister's the killer? The one who got hit by the rock, the one with the rock, or someone else?

What's Good:
This is an American style Italian horror flick as the director, Ovidio Assonatis, and the composer, Riz Ortolani are Italian. Riz has done countless great scores, but is perhaps best known for Cannibal Holocaust, and the Madhouse score sounds a lot like CH.

Extremely dark, sinister feel makes this visit to the Madhouse quite creepy, and the tech stuff's well done too, so way above average video nasty standards here.

Some brutal, bloody violent scenes with the rottweiler, and psycho havin' fun.

Some twisted twists that I won't spoil for you, and an unexpected final jump scare.

What's Bad:
I hate repeating myself but this one's also a bit of a slow burn. Not so much that one falls asleep though as maniac, and rottweiler makes sure of that.

Most of the dog attack scenes are so dark, and messy that I had big problems getting good screenshots of them, as you can see here:

The maniac's a little too crazy so it becomes funny in a comedy type way sometimes.

The Madhouse title is misleading as there's none of that in it at all, so the original title, There Was A Little Girl, or better yet the US title Scared To Death would be better choices, but I guess Madhouse was more marketable.

The Verdict:
Some people have problems seeing why this became a video nasty as there were films with a lot nastier scenes than Madhouse that didn't become one, but I guess it had to do with the opening, and reputedly the harsh treatment of the poor rottweiler is said to have actually happened for real, but it's still argued whether or not that was true, or a publicity stunt.

In general a solid pro made horror film that will appeal to the horror fiends, no less, no more, but a slow burn most of the time, and not quite as good as I thought back in the day, but I guess I was easier to impress back then, so it's a...

Rating:
4/6

Video Nasty: Mardi Gras Massacre (1978)

The feeling of house cleaning, and shoveling out driveways, and how "fun" it is, is what I have now before my review of a movie I've heard so many bad things about that I know it's gonna suck even before I watch it, so what to do?

That's right. Scream, and get to it cause ain't nuthin' to it but to do it, and must be at the least a little fun at the Mardi Gras...Massacre none the less which actually looks like a lot of fun from the poster artwork, and I've heard there's Disco in it, so it can't be all bad, right?

Plot:
And Sho' nuff. We start at a sleazy strip joint to the sound of Dennis Coffey's porn funk classic High On Love setting the right mood for some hot fun I bet, and yes, girls arrive being asked "How's tricks?" by the bartender.

An appearantly stylish gentleman enters claiming he's new in town, telling the hookers he's looking for some evil fun, so one goes with him. If she only knew this:

I guess it goes without saying now that dude kills girls to sacrifice them to an Aztec God, and there's your basic plot for MGM.

What's Good:
First of all the funky Disco soundtrack courtesy of Westbound Records which is most likely unofficial, but we're treated to great tracks by Dennis Coffey, Mike Theodore Orchestra, and CJ & Co. so it's some of the finest Westbound Disco artists right there.

Gore, and then some more gore...

...and then some more...

...but sexy at the same time, and everything done to Disco music!

What's Bad:
That's all peaches, and cream when something does happen as it's far in between. Most of this movie goes by switching between scenes at the aforementioned bar, hookers, and strippers dancing, clubbing (the Disco kind), and investigation of the murders.

The killer picks up several girls at the same bar, and gets away with it despite the investigation going on there, and he does just about the same thing to all the girls.

As cool as the Disco music is, using it as the only soundtrack in a Horror movie's not a good idea, and MGM does just that!

Also, it tries very hard to be H.G. Lewis' gore classic Blood Feast, and fails.

The fighting coreography's however the most laughable as it looks like something out of a silent movie from the 1910's or around there.

The Verdict:
Most everything you need to see happens within the first ten minutes, then it's a repeat of that for the rest of the movie. The best thing about it is the soundtrack which was never released as an accual soundtrack album, but all the songs used in the movie are easy to get anyway on their respective albums, or better yet twelve inch singles since we're talkin' Disco here.

Other than that, I doubt I'll watch this film ever again as it's mostly a crappy snooze-fest, but the great music, sex & violence makes MGM deserving of a...

Rating: 
2/6