Student Bodies (1981)

Student Bodies (1981)

IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0083133/

Plot: A killer named the Breather terrorizes students at a high school. Whenever the killer finds students having sex, he kills them. He has some intense issues with which to deal. He likes to breathe heavily, and he likes to make prank calls while talking through a rubber chicken

Review: "Studen Bodies" is the movie that started the Horror parody movies. The winning formula of the movie is a mix between sexual/scatological humor and cheesy/teenager humor.

I had to dig into a rare video store's catacombs and after researching and finding some atrocities, I found "Student Bodies". I searched for this movie for years and finally the time came. The VSH copy I found to my surprise had good sound (although Mono) and decent image. I prepared myself pop corns and sat to enjoy this hidden gem.

The Slasher genre has a lot of clichès and "Student Bodies" makes the adequate and necessary parody of them. Sex being the motive for death scenes, gore, dumb characters and a lack of logic are the elements that this movie makes fun of.

The movie makes fun of "Friday the 13th", "When A Stranger Calls" and "Prom Night" mostly (also, look for the "Carrie" ending spoof). I wonder if Wes Craven was inspired by this movie to create "Scream" because most of it's scenes are very similar (including plot!).

The situations are very funny and perfectly mix with the funny lines and one-liners. With some discriminatory jokes towards a black guy, a minus-valid guy, a foreign student, etc. the movie works without being very rude. The script is clever and asks for the jokes and parodies. They don't make movies like this anymore. I prefer 10 times "Student Bodies" than the "Scary Movie" trilogy.

The actors do what they have to do. "The Stick" is a great comedian! and a cult classic character of the 80's cheesiness. The body count meter is another classic moment in the genre. I watched this movie under the name "Thirteen corpses and a half"; the title is explained because of the body count meter. My only beef with the movie is it's silly ending. I know the movie is a Horror Comedy but still the ending left a lot to desire. With a dumb explanation the events get resolved although I felt good for Malvert!

I wonder if they re released this movie in these days, would it be a hit? I think yes. It's a cheesy but funny movie and a good way to kill 80 minutes.

http://torrents.thepiratebay.org/4544241/Student_Bodies_(1981)--AVI--vikingsfreak.4544241.TPB.torrent

Tech Tags: Exploitation films Movies Student+Bodies Horror Comedy

The Big Doll House (1971)

The Big Doll House

IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0066830/

Plot: Female prisoners in a Phillippine jail are being subjected to sadistic torture. Five of the women--along with the help of two men--plot an escape

Director:
Jack Hill

REVIEW:
Beautiful women, catfights, food fights, torture, lesbianism, mud wrestling and nudity are the highlights of this cult classic Women in Prison film from Jack Hill. There's always a slight bit of sleaze that makes this interesting but overall it's pretty dull without enough story and the dramatic moments don't work. Judy Brown and Pam Grier star.

It should also be noted that I prefer the rougher women in prison films by the likes of Jess Franco. Franco started this genre with 99 Women but I prefer his darker WIP films like Barbed Wire Dolls, Women in Cell Block 9 and Sadomania.

http://www.mininova.org/get/1545898

Tech Tags: Exploitation films Movies Blaxploitation The+Big+doll+house Jack+hill

Goyôkiba - Hanzo the Razor 2: The Snare *1973*

Goyôkiba - Hanzo the Razor 2: The Snare *1973*

IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0174707/

Plot: Against the backdrop of the Edo treasury devaluing currency and driving many into poverty, Hanzo Itami enforces the law without regard to status. He shows inadequate respect to the treasurer, who wants him dead. He finds a young woman dead following an abortion, and he enters a temple without permission looking for evidence. He tortures and then sexually assaults the temple's priestess to get information. He's then assigned to protect the mint from a notorious thief. There he closets himself in the bedroom of the mint's mistress. He waits. The thief arrives - but other crimes are afoot. Devalued currency, white slavery, and government corruption lead Hanzo to one conclusion.

Director:
Yasuzo Masumura

Review:
It is hard to believe that this film was made in 1974 as it mirrors the circumstances of the US in the last 16 years. The abortion rate under Clinton's Presidency was lower than under the Bush administration. Why the difference? Read the quote above. If the poor can't buy rice, they don't have more children.

This all comes out as Hanzo (Shintarô Katsu) is investigating the death of a woman after an abortion. This investigation leads him Monk-style to a Temple where young girls are sold to wealthy businessmen for torture and rape, with an abortion business on the side. He captures the Priestess and tortures her before using the Hanzo technique to get her to talk.

His investigation is delayed while he is assigned to find Japan's greatest thief, who rapes and murders his victims. The thief is heading toward Hanzo's village. he hides in the mint to snare him. While there he manages to gather further evidence against the person benefiting from the Temple.

A big showdown with many dead at the hands of his sword, and both thieves are captured in fine Hanzo fashion.

Can't wait for the next adventure.

http://torrents.thepiratebay.org/4351452/Goy__kiba_-_Hanzo_the_Razor_2__The_Snare__1973__[DVDRip].4351452.TPB.torrent

Tech Tags: Exploitation films Movies Goyôkiba Hanzo+the+Razor Yasuzo+Masumura

Schlock! The Secret History of American Movies (2001)

Schlock! The Secret History of American Movies (2001)

IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0286944/

Plot: You've heard of Hollywood, a town of tinsel and glamour, the town of Paramount, Columbia and MGM. But there is another Hollywood, a place where maverick independent EXPLOITATION FILMMAKERS went toe to toe with the big guys and came out on top! "SCHLOCK! THE SECRET HISTORY OF AMERICAN MOVIES" takes you behind the scenes with the legendary EXPLOITATION and SEXPLOITATION filmmakers of those golden "DRIVE-IN" MOVIE days. It's sexy! It's strange! And every word is true!

Director:
Ray Greene

Review:
For longtime exploitation buffs, "Schlock" may not tell you anything you weren't already aware of, but its highly entertaining nonetheless. The interviews with many legends in the field will be interesting. For novices interested in the cult genre, it is highly recommended. By covering the basics, "Schlock" provides everything you need to know to become interested in the topic of vintage exploitation films.

The main reason why this documentary works so well is ts explanation of just why these films are so important to American cinema and pop culture. While viewed as simple exploitation, they often reflect the more morbid fascinations of America and broke new ground in discussing taboo subject matter before Hollywood would even dare. The release of "Easy Rider" in 1969 proved that these films could be more than just exploitation. The interviews with Michael Bowen explains this.

Some may complain that this documentary only skims the surface. It is true that there is much more to the topic than is documented in this film. Scanning through the video catalog of Something Weird will prove this. However, its combination of archival footage and interviews with key figures makes it into an ideal introduction. (8/10)

http://torrents.thepiratebay.org/4710606/Schlock__The_Secret_History_of_American_Movies_(2001).4710606.TPB.torrent

Tech Tags: Exploitation films Schlock Shocumentary

Grindhouse - Death Proof

IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1028528/

Director:
Quentin Tarantino

Plot:
Two separate sets of voluptuous women are stalked at different times by a scarred stuntman who uses his "death proof" cars to execute his murderous plans.

Review:
This is an absolutely brilliant film and a film that I could watch over and over. Written and directed by Quentin Tarantino this film seems to have divided audiences like no other, it has been adored and despised in many quarters and there seems to be no middle ground for opinion. It is cited, by Tarantino himself, as being a remembrance to the B movies of the 60s and 70s through the guise of Grindhouse cinema. In order to fully appreciate what Tarantino has done then I would agree that you must be at least familiar (on some level) with the films of that genre and era and familiar with Grindhouse cinema and its workings. It is not an absolute necessity to be fully aware of this type of film-making but it helps if you want to completely appreciate this film.

Grindhouse cinema was never revered in its day and many have questioned its reprisal. For an audience to require adequate knowledge of such a minnow in cinema history is regarded by many critics as asking too much and is adduced as being a major factor in its downfall. This is due to the belief that Tarantino has made a film for too niche a market, and as a consequence it should be of no surprise that it flopped at the box office. This is something that I whole heartedly disagree with because, to the contrary, I believe that Tarantino has made his most selfish film to date, he has made something that he wanted to... that no studio dictated... no executive planned and no audience asked for, this film is 100 percent his and it just so happens that not that many people like it, all great directors make films that fit into this category.

A major critique of Death Proof has been that it contains a lot of dialogue, but I feel that this should be expected as it is a remembrance to Grindhouse cinema and these types of movies are notorious for the amount of talk they can contain and the amount of "build up" they might have and Tarantino himself is recognised as being a writer that emphasises the dialogue in his films. Modern cinema goers are likely to not have the patience for such an offering and thus dismiss its significance and become agitated at a lack of "action" and this is evident from some of the reviews on this website.

The film is about two separate sets of voluptuous women who are stalked by a stuntman called Mike that uses his death proof cars to execute the women. The essence of the story at the heart of Death Proof is that it's impeccably nostalgic as it insinuates to the very essence of cult, it is a forged story because of its countless renditions and numerous re-tellings by the way of novels, films and tales. Being familiar with such a story allows for an ease in understanding and following of narrative – a common attribute in cult films. The voluptuous women, or female characters, in the film are all so similar in appearance yet all so different in disposition, because the film is essentially split into two parts we witness the floundering of one set of female characters and the resurgence in dominance of another. The female empowerment in Death Proof is symbolic to a desire for masculinity which is so wonderfully conveyed by their attempt in "taming" the car (I shouldn't need to mention what the car is symbolic of). It's often perceived that in these films masculinity must be achieved in order to succeed, which in itself is a direct reference to the inspired B movies of Russ Meyer.

On a personal level I was happy to watch a film that accomplishes its stunt work without any CGI and re-live many of the films I dismissed too eagerly in my youth. Being a homage the film is littered with references, the most notable of which being the casting of Kurt Russell – a deliberate nod to the master of cult (and horror) John Carpenter (the shirt worn by Jack Burton, from Big Trouble In Little China, is visible on the wall in the bar), The Dodge Challenger driven by Stuntman Mike has the plate numbers OA5599, which correspond to the white Dodge Challenger from the heavily referenced film Vanishing Point. The film also contains lots of Tarantino-esquire moments, from the copious amount of foot shots to re-appearance of Sheriff Earl McGraw, and there are some moments of pure Tarantino ingenuity i.e. the four-shot death scene, the reversed hospital set, the lap dance, the shot of the car in the rain, Stuntman Mikes nod to the third person and the wonderfully constructed soundtrack. Upon seeing Death Proof I immediately watched it again as I felt it deserved it. Enjoy.

http://www.mininova.org/get/867117

Tech Tags: Exploitation films Grindhouse Death+Proof Quentin+Tarantino

Grindhouse - Planet Terror

IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1077258/

Plot:
After an experimental bio-weapon is released, turning thousands into zombie-like creatures, it's up to a rag-tag group of survivors to stop the infected and those behind its release.

Director:
Robert Rodriguez

Review:
While Quentin Tarantino's Death Proof seems to be a much more authentic representation of 1970s grindhouse pictures, Robert Rodriguez' Planet Terror is more of a loving caricature of 1980s zombie splatter films. Nothing in the film is played straight, and virtually every scene is accompanied by a wink and a grin at the audience.

If Tarantino's effort is accused of being slow (or deliberately paced, depending on your opinion), Planet Terror never even thinks about slowing down. From the exploitative opening credits through to the final frames of the film, this is a roller coaster ride of a film that doesn't let up.

With Planet Terror, Robert Rodriguez continues his "everything and the kitchen sink" mentality when it comes to his film-making by throwing everything at the wall just to see what sticks. While it sometimes feels like this technique gets in the way of Rodriguez finding a true film-making voice, it works quite well for a film like Planet Terror where there's no room for subtlety.

The cast that Rodriguez assembled is a glorious ensemble of bygone action heroes, horror icons, and Rodriguez stock actors. They all bring their parts to life in a cartoonish sort of way that fits the tone of the movie beautifully.

While the uncut DVD edition of Planet Terror doesn't change the film drastically in any way, it definitely improves the film. It gives the film smoother transitions and fills in some gaps in the plot (though that missing reel is still there and will always remain there as one of the many comical winks at the audience). The large cast of characters are also given more beats here and there that help fill out their personas a little more. All in all, this uncut version simply allows the film to breathe a little more, rather than having to jump frantically from scene to scene in an effort to make the 84 minute running time.

At the end of the day, Planet Terror isn't going to win any awards, and it's certainly not meant to. It's simply an extremely enjoyable guilty pleasure of a film that virtually anyone with the stomach for it can probably have a good time with, especially if you're a horror fan. Take a couple of classic John Carpenter films like The Fog and Escape From New York and throw them into a blender with a couple of classic zombie splatter films like Evil Dead 2 and Dawn of the Dead and you've got a pretty good idea of what Planet Terror is like. And at the end of the day, you could definitely have a worse combination of films to pay loving homage to.

http://www.mininova.org/get/916524

Tech Tags: Exploitation Films Planet+Terror Grindhouse Robert+Rodríguez

Cannibal Holocaust Best Horror Film

The greatest horror film of all time, if you can find the uncut version and have the brain to understand the story, you will too agree there stands no other horror film quite as high.

Tech Tags: Exploitation+films cannibal holocaust horror movies

Exploitation Trailers - Revenge Horror Uncut Grindhouse!

A small taste of Glorious Grindhouse Grit and Grime, Horror and Slime Cinema from the folks at RevengeHorror. Get your fill of Sleaze and Skeez for you and your mameey!!

Tech Tags: Exploitation+films revengehorror