SS EXPERIMENT LOVE CAMP - 4KUHD / BD REVIEW

Lifting rudimentary plot points from both Don Edmonds’ notorious ILSA, SHE WOLF OF THE SS (1974) and Tinto Brass’ upscale SALON KITTY (1975), two of the better-known examples of Naziploitation, Sergio Garrone’s SS EXPERIMENT LOVE CAMP (1976) was one of the primary titles that helped set off the Video Nasties furor in the U.K during the ’80s. Thanks to this infamy, it became one of the most recognized titles in this dubious and short-lived facet of Italian exploitation cinema, which also included similarly sordid entries such as Cesare Canevari’s THE GESTAPO’S LAST ORGY (1976) and Luigi Batzella’s THE BEAST IN HEAT (a.k.a. SS HELL CAMP, 1977), both of which also landed on the Department of Public Prosecutions (DPP) list in the U.K. That being said, with its occasionally moody lighting, fits of gritty realism and nasty pulp violenza, Garrone does produce several strikingly explicit visuals, which are greatly enhanced on 88 Films’ recent 4K overhaul. 

Shot back-to-back with Garrone’s follow-up SS CAMP 5 – WOMEN’S HELL (1976), a far more distressful picture which includes much of this film’s cast and crew members, SS EXPERIMENT LOVE CAMP also opens on a disturbing note with SS officers meting out electroshock torture on a pair of trussed-up women all in the name of the German Empire. Amid this experiment camp led by Colonel Kleiben (Giorgio Cerioni), women are forced to participate in various medical tests or are ordered to “raise the moral” of the soldiers in the adjoining brothel. When Helmut (Mircha Carven), one of the new enlistees from the frontlines, falls in love with one of the female prisoners (THE CHILDREN OF VIOLENT ROME’s [1975] Paola Corazzi), his actions eventually lead to an outrageous sub-plot, and by film’s end, it unexpectedly succeeds in being of the funniest examples in the entire Italian exploitation film canon, if largely by accident. 

 

While SSELC lacks the visceral punch of other such films, much of it’s still suitably lurid, just like the dialogue (e.g., “You stink like a bunch of sheep!” – “This is just the beginning you puritanical, frigid bitch!” – “It’s all shit!” [etc]), and considering the sexploitation context, Garrone inserts the usual communal shower scene while many of the ‘experiments’ quickly manifest into softcore grope sessions. Not surprisingly, the periodical forays into brutality carry the most conviction with Dr. Renke (Patrizia Melega) and a cackling SS officer (Serafino Profumo) overseeing eardrum pressure tests and cold-soak research, while a quietly mortified Dr. Steiner (EVA MAN’s [1980] Attilio Dottesio) implements dodgy surgeries. In keeping with Garrone’s downbeat premise here, much of the characters’ psychological torment is well-refracted by Roberto Pregadio’s and Vassil Kojucharov’s ominous score (one of the film’s strongest assets), even as much of the stilted dialogue and frequent lapses into utter dramatic implausibility threaten to derail the entire picture. 

 

Although banned in the U.K., Garrone’s film was readily available on VHS/Beta videocassettes in the U.S. and Canada thanks to Charles Band’s Wizard Video imprint. Released as SS EXPERIMENT in one of those snazzy, eye-catching big boxes, this was a popular rental (one video store in the west-end of Toronto rented this tape well over 400 times by the early ’90s!), which somehow never got caught up in Ontario’s very own censorship issues with the OFRB (Ontario Film Review Board). As part of Media Blasters’ Exploitation Digital line, the film made the jump to DVD in 2005, which showcased a fine-looking presentation of the film. Although dated by today’s standards, this was a very welcome upgrade for the time, which also included a brief interview with Garrone (9m44s) and the film’s spoiler-laden trailer (3m). Ten years later, it surprisingly turned up on U.K. Blu-ray thanks to 88 Films and their popular Italian Collection line, which this time included both English and Italian audio options in LPCM 2.0 mono (the latter with optional English subtitles), the film’s Italian opening and closing credits, and trailers for some of 88 Films’ other product. 

 

Jumping ahead another ten years, 88 Films decided to revisit this tawdry little flick yet again with their new 4KUHD/BD combo, which is hands down the best it has ever looked. Featuring a “brand new 4K remaster from the original negatives,” 88 Films’ new UHD (which also includes HDR-10 Dolby Vision [!]) is quite exceptional providing superb detail and a more pronounced colour palette, which also retains the necessary deep blacks and shadowy detail of Maurizio Centini’s better-than-average photography. 88 Films’ new restoration far surpasses any release that came before it. There is also nothing to complain about the film’s audio as well, which once again features both English and Italian audio in LPCM mono. While it’s always nice to have both audio options, it’s hard to resist the film’s more familiar English-language option, which includes several prominent voice talent artists such as Larry Dolgin, Carolyn De Fonseca, and a suitably over-the-top Robert Spafford filling in for Serafino Profumo. 

 

Following their virtually bare bones BD from 2015, the folks at 88 Films have redoubled their efforts for this UHD, which includes a nice selection of special features beginning with a comprehensive audio commentary with Italian cinema gurus Eugenio Ercolani and Nanni Cobretti. In this well-researched track, they discuss the specific mood and tones of this sub-genre and explore the “influences and meanings” tied to it. While many of these films attempted to give audiences “something strong” when Italian cinema saw a “loosening” of censorship, both men agree that many of them are “tacky” and badly made, which were ultimately harmless in their “corrupting power.” They also go over Garrone’s stop-and-start career beginning with his string of westerns, his numerous back-to-back productions and the very different career path of his brother, actor Riccardo Garrone. Other topics discussed include extensive information on most of the cast members, the theatrical history of these films in Italy, the obvious controversies, and much more in this extensive deep-dive analysis.

 

Ercolani also returns to direct a quartet of featurettes beginning with Sadistically Yours, Sergio G. (30m24s), an on-camera interview with the director who discusses the productivity of Italian cinema during the ’70s, the always changing market, and its eventually demise (“We were not able to profit from our inventions.”). Needless to say, he also has plenty to say about the film in question including its origins, his research into the project, the film’s many compromises, and much more. In SSadist Sound (28m26s), Four Flies Records’ CEO Pierpaolo De Sanctis gives a fantastically detailed history on the “underestimated” Roberto Pregadio who worked “almost exclusively for lowbrow, cheap productions.” He also discusses Pregadio’s time on the long-running television show LA CORRIDA (1968 – 1977) where he was the orchestra conductor, his love of jazz, and his collaboration with director Silvio Amadio. Although De Sanctis believes his score for said film is merely “serviceable”, he does appreciate co-composer Kojucharov’s “baroque approach” to the material. In The Alabiso Dynasty(25m52s), editor Eugenio Alabiso talks warmly about all of his brothers and their involvement in the film business beginning Salvatore who was the oldest and “born to make films” whose eventual breakthrough came with several early westerns. Eugenio on the other hand entered the industry “by luck” via his other brother Daniele, another talented editor who showed him the ropes, whereas Mario was a film producer who “over-estimated his own skills,” and put together several “sleazy and gory things” including both of Garrone’s death camp films, and a pair of southern plantation pictures that fell far short of Richard Fleischer’s MANDINGO (1975). Lastly, DOP Maurizio Centini sheds light on his career in Framing Exploitation (11m42s) who got his start working at the 1960 Summer Olympic Games in Rome, his apprenticeship with fellow DOP Ennio Guarnieri, his “formative experience” working with director Carmelo Bene, and his extensive collaborations with Elo Pannaccio and Alberto Cavallone, two of the more iconoclastic exploitation film directors working in Italy at the time. Other extras include the aforementioned Italian opening and closing titles (2m50s), the film’s trailer (3m), which includes music cribbed from Kojucharov’s score for Luigi Batzella’s THE DEVIL’S WEDDING NIGHT (1973), and an 11-page liner notes booklet featuring a new essay by Tim Murray.

 

In the end, Sergio Garrone’s SS EXPERIMENT LOVE CAMP shall forever remain more popular for its past controversy, and despite a beautiful 4K restoration and a wealth of first-rate special features, 88 Films’ new disc is probably only of interest to more resolute fans of Italian exploitation cinema. Order directly from 88 Films or DiabolikDVD. 

HOUSE ON THE EDGE OF THE PARK - 4KUHD / BD REVIEW

Through his alliance with scriptwriters Gianfranco Clerici and Vincenzo Mannino, director Ruggero Deodato made CANNIBAL HOLOCAUST (1979), which not only turned out to be the pinnacle of his career, but one of the most harrowing pictures to emerge out of Italy. Evidently serving as a quickie follow-up to that towering achievement, more nadirs of human behaviour are plumbed in HOUSE ON THE EDGE OF THE PARK (1980) than in any number of Italian sleaze epics, but then seasoned director Deodato was arguably many times more talented than most of his contemporaries. Capitalizing on the presence of star David A. Hess, who essentially reprised his ruthless - and now-legendary - character from Wes Craven’s seminal, THE LAST HOUSE ON THE LEFT (1972), Clerici and Mannino partially based their story on the real-life Circeo Massacre along with some minor – and ingenious – variations on Craven’s film. Once again breaking boundaries and shattering taboos, this was another unique adventure for Deodato that truly stands out in a career full of interesting pictures, which gets the definitive treatment via Severin Films’ outstanding and fully-loaded 4KUHD / BD.  

Hess stars as Alex, who we first see driving on the streets of New York City, and even before the credits roll, he rapes and kills a woman (Karoline Mardeck) after running her off the road. In stark contrast to this brutal act of ultraviolence, Riz Ortolani’s gentle compositions (further amplified by Diana Corsini’s angelic vocals) well convey what to expect for the next ninety-or-so minutes. Next, we see Alex at work (he’s supposed to be an auto mechanic, but his place of work more closely resembles a parking garage) while preparing to go out for the night with his often bullied but good friend, Ricky (Giovanni Lombardo Radice). As they ready themselves for a “boogie,” a young well-to-do couple (Annie Belle [a.k.a. Annie Brilland] and Christian Borromeo) pull into the garage with unexpected car trouble, but after Ricky promptly fixes their car, Alex insinuates his way into having a party with the couple and their friends at a luxurious “cottage” in New Jersey, where they soon discover in no uncertain terms Alex’s true sociopathic nature.

 

As expected from such a connoisseur of the form as Deodato, violence is frequent, brutal, and often bloody in this straightforward and briskly-paced film. Filmed on a very tight budget using money saved from CANNIBAL HOLOCAUST, much of HOUSE ON THE EDGE OF THE PARK’s longevity must be given to Hess’ central performance as the boorish Alex. Realizing these rich “bastards” are actually taking he and Ricky for a “ride,” he quickly turns the tables on his snobbish hosts unleashing a torrent of derogatory one-liners (“You heard me, twat!”) and sexually tormenting his female captors whenever the whim takes him, which is often. Even though the two other men do attempt to fight back, Hess stops at nothing to put them in their place, and even quips sardonically, “Street-fighting you don’t learn watching Savalas on TV!” which possibly refers to his time in the military; in one scene brief scene, his dog tags are clearly visible shimmering against his bright yellow waistcoat. After this, all of the women (which also includes Lorraine De Selle and French model Marie Claude Joseph) must continually fend-off Alex’s and Ricky’s aggressive sexual overtures. As played by Belle – one of the sexiest actors seen in Eurotrash movies - the ballsy Lisa character firmly establishes herself with plenty of dignity even as Alex continually paws at her and whose warped idea of a spontaneous seduction is nothing more than all-out rape. Knowing precisely what buttons to push, Lisa boldly attempts to give Alex what he wants, but if this irredeemable scumbag can’t take it by force (“She likes it! Go take a shower!”), he’s simply not interested. When Cindy (Brigitte Petronio), the next door neighbour turns up at the door ready to party, she is instead stripped and repeatedly slashed with Alex’s straight razor, a truly stomach-churning scene which also pushes everyone over the edge. Considering all of HOUSE ON THE EDGE OF THE PARK’s nihilism and the sheer vileness of Hess’ character, the film’s final revelation is a solid surprise, which ultimately stresses the never-ending chain reaction of violence.

 

Even though the film was successfully prosecuted for obscenity and labeled a Video Nasty in the UK, HOUSE ON THE EDGE OF THE PARK was easily available on U.S. and Canadian home video thanks to Vestron Video’s 1985 Beta and VHS videocassettes (“Anything could happen… Everything did!”). Eventually making its way to Laserdisc, CED, DVD and Blu-ray the world over with varying degrees of picture quality and special features, all of these different editions paled in comparison to Severin Films’ 3-disc limited edition released in 2021. Featuring a new 4K restoration scanned from the original camera negative, Severin’s work herein really brings out the best in Sergio D’Offizi’s impressive photography with solid black levels and sharp detail. Both English and Italian DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 mono tracks are included, minus any subtitle options for the latter. Although the Italian track is an interesting listen, which includes more music interspersed throughout the film (a detriment, really), the English track is the only way to go with David Hess dubbing his own voice alongside such veterans as Frank Von Kuegelgen and Pat Starke doing the duties for Lombardo Radice and De Selle, respectively. Incidentally, both Von Kuegelgen and Starke provided voice talent for Lombardo Radice and De Selle a year later in Umberto Lenzi’s cannibal caper, MAKE THEM DIE SLOWLY (1981). 

 

Extras on this 3-disc set begin with a new – and very entertaining - audio commentary with Cinema Arcana’s Bruce Holecheck and Ultra Violent’s Art Ettinger who pull out all the stops and attempt to cover every last detail of this Italian exploitation classic, which Mr. Ettinger regards as one of the “all-time greatest films.” They discuss everything from the film’s strong opening, the “Cannibal Holocaust font” reused here for the opening and closing credits, the Italian location doubling for New Jersey, David Hess’ lengthy singing and songwriting career, which even included writing music for Elvis Presley, their time spent with Hess at various horror conventions, the “genre-bender” aspects of the film, it’s various rip-offs, it’s limited use of music, the history of Vestron Video, Deodato’s career and filmography, and of course, all of the cast members. Whether you’re a fan of the film or just Eurocult films in general, you definitely don’t want to miss this comprehensive and engaging listen.

 

Given the film’s long history on home video, Severin still managed to assemble several new extra features beginning The Man Who Loved Women (31m40s), an excellent on-camera interview with director Deodato. In it, he covers the film’s aforementioned and “most incredible” genesis, which also included shooting the NYC scenes during the making of CANNIBAL HOLOCAUST, how they got Hess (“A hulking man and a good actor.”) to appear in the film and how it was originally based on an old idea about the infamous Circeo Massacre, an incident which spawned other – and inferior – films like Renato Savino’s THE CHILDREN OF VIOLENT ROME (1976). Lastly, he talks about his initial hatred of the film (“It terrorized me!”), Hess’s charisma, which carries the entire film, and lots of details about the mostly game cast in what was a lightning-fast shoot. Director of photography Sergio D’Offizi also discusses this film’s back-to-back filming with CANNIBAL HOLOCAUST (“We didn’t even have the time to think!”) in Lights On (12m03s) as well as the film’s location, and the challenges of lighting the picture. Despite the many challenges involved with the project, actor Giovanni Lombardo Radice enjoyed the “theatrical nature of the film,” which he discusses at length in the very frank interview Like a Prairie Dog (37m08s). Having studied ballet, he decided to focus on acting after injuring his back and landed this role almost by accident through his agent at the time, Maria Spaziano (“If there is any money in it, I’ll do it!”). Although being his film debut, he clicked immediately with most of the cast including Hess who was “larger than life,” while at the same time developing a very close relationship with Lorraine De Selle (“She was very cultivated.”). He also talks about his many personal hardships including his drug problems and the film’s proposed sequel, which never materialized. Originally appearing on Shriek Show’s 2002 DVD, the late David A. Hess is interviewed in External Beauty & Internal Ugliness (22m53s), a re-edited archival piece wherein he discusses his time making the film and his many fond memories of his fellow cast members including his then wife Karoline Mardeck. Last of all, the ubiquitous Massimo Antonello Geleng goes over his costume and production design work in House Sweet House (26m12s) and admits to many “embarrassing mistakes,” the challenges of working so quickly, and the film’s similarities to Larry Peerce’s THE INCIDENT (1967). Finishing off the extras are an extensive gallery (6m34s) of posters, stills, lobby cards and video artwork (including several autographed samples), most of which were provided by Art Ettinger who also adds a nice little surprise at the end. The film’s misspelled English-language trailer is also included (2m41s), and for those willing to look for it, there is also a nice Easter Egg. And if that wasn’t enough, disc two includes Felipe M. Guerra’s feature-length documentary DEODATO HOLOCAUST (71m33s), which covers the director’s entire career with a solid focus on many of his earlier, and less-talked about films, while disc three is a soundtrack CD of Riz Ortolani’s complete score (6 tracks, 25m31s).

 

It’s difficult to imagine Severin’s Blu-ray looking any better than it already did, but in 2025, they decided to issue a truly stunning 2-disc limited edition UHD, complete with HDR10 Dolby Vision, which reveals even more detail alongside some striking colour reproduction without ever destroying the film’s natural film grain. It’s a beautiful upgrade and well worth adding to your collection. Once again, DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 mono tracks are included in both English and Italian, but this time around, properly translated English subtitles for the latter, which is a nice bonus. As expected, the UHD features the Bruce Holecheck and Art Ettinger audio commentary and the film’s trailer, while the Blu-ray includes the five aforementioned on-camera interviews and the extensive press material gallery. Unlike the 3-disc edition, the feature-length documentary and soundtrack CD have not been included, so some viewers may want to hold on to their 3-disc set. 

 

While Ruggero Deodato’s CANNIBAL HOLOCAUST is impossible to live down or even live up to, HOUSE ON THE EDGE OF THE PARK is a prime example of lean, mean filmmaking at its best, which, thanks to Severin Films’ pristine restoration and amazing supplements, proves that it can definitely stand on its own merits alongside his magmun opus. Highly recommended!

THE CULT OF AGFA TRAILER SHOW - BLU-RAY REVIEW

Eagerly delivering another assortment of drive-in intermissions, fast-food snipes, commercial ads, and loads of amazing film trailers, this direct follow-up to THE AGFA HORROR TRAILER SHOW from 2021 quickly establishes another high-energy party landscape, and as anyone familiar with AGFA’s previous Mystery Mixtapes, this is much more than just a collection of coming attractions. Moving at lightning-fast intensity, this is without a doubt AGFA’s most heavily stylized effort, which is given an extra jolt of adrenalin (“There’s something special in the air. Something magical. Can you feel it? Magic… everywhere!”) by way of some ingenious – and very dynamic – cutting. Weaving together the usual showtime countdowns (“Show Starts in 3 minutes!”) alongside commercials for Lee designer jeans, Activision video games, and some of the most infamous PSAs from the ’Eighties (“This stuff is crack. The most addictive form of cocaine.”), this extraordinary tapestry of pop culture obsession brilliantly succeeds in attaining a terrific audiovisual harmony, which is every bit as eye-popping and ear-shattering as you might expect.  

Fascinating to watch, the integration of the film trailers is also exceptional whose excesses are frequently interwoven into the nostalgically dated proceedings (the complete trailers are also present elsewhere on the disc) beginning with Jamie Luk’s ROBOTRIX (1991), an insane Hong Kong take on ROBOCOP (1987), which is immediately followed by the family-friendly C.H.O.M.P.S. (“A bite-sized, motorized, transistorized, computerized, bundle of teeth!”, 1979) about a mechanical guard dog. Of course, being an ’Eighties-centric compilation, it’s not surprising to see Penelope Spheeris’ THE DECLINE OF WESTERN CIVILIZATION: THE METAL YEARS (1988) get some love, which nicely segues into another decibel shattering preview for The Shaw Brothers’ SEX BEYOND THE GRAVE (1984), one of the studio’s many wild horror outings from the period. Quickly switching gears yet again, Peter Jackson’s one-of-a-kind MEET THE FEEBLES (“The adult puppet movie with something to offend everyone!”, 1989) is up next, while Gregg Araki’s rather polarizing ’Nineties indie THE DOOM GENERATION (1995) perfectly summarizes AGFA’s creatively courageous aesthetic in their wild comingling of art and trash. 

 

Bolstered by additional overly-keen big budget commercials for the likes of General Electric (which features an entire slew of new wave styled characters from Gary Numan’s worst fucking nightmare), Dr. Pepper (“Out of the ordinary. Like you.”) and Worlds of Wonder’s Lazer Tag, other no less significant trailers include a highly-condensed – and far-better – preview for the Showtime stinker THE BIRDS II: LANDS END (1994), Frank Henenlotter’s BRAIN DAMAGE (“It will turn you inside out!”, 1988), another condensed cut of Sun Classics’ THE MYSTERIOUS MONSTERS (1975), the Jerry Lewis misfire SLAPSTICK OF ANOTHER KIND (1982), the Something Weird Video obscurity THE SINS OF RACHEL (“The oldest, newest, dirtiest, cleanest, detective story you’ve seen in years!”, 1972), MEATBALLS 4: TO THE RESCUE (1992), which features Corey Feldman and Jack (ERASERHEAD) Nance (!), Marcelo Epstein’s breakdancing extravaganza BODY ROCK (1984) with Lorenzo Lamas, the ludicrously-titled Hong Kong action film TOUGH BEAUTY AND THE SLOPPY SLOP (1995), Hal Needham’s endearingly popular RAD (1986), Adrian Lyne’s superb directorial debut FOXES (1980), more ’Eighties nostalgia with Fritz Kiersch’s TUFF TURF (1985), a couple of Manson family previews, Tina Hirsch’s MUNCHIES (“They’re Cute. They’re Cuddly. They’re Out For Blood.”, 1987), and a very amusing trailer for Jackie Kong’s BLOOD DINER (1987) hosted by the world famous “Gore-Met, Phil A. Mignon.” Reworked with the utmost style, this is just a smattering of delights which await viewers in this jumble of fast-moving clips, making this one of AGFA’s most prestigious and enjoyable trailer compilations yet.

 

Preserved from a “newly struck 35mm theatrical print of the show,” all of the inherent flaws in the various trailers and clips include the usual speckles of dirt and debris, and some occasional faded colour, but everything still looks nicely detailed and very strong. Adding plenty of aural intensity, the DTS HD 2.0 mono audio also sounds terrific, even with all the customary pops and crackles. Special features begin with an audio commentary from the entire team at AGFA who enthusiastically discuss these “incredible time capsules” alongside their recollections of first seeing these films via cable-TV, film festivals, and videocassette. They also go into great detail on how everything was pieced together, their many interesting editing choices, and why many of the trailers have been abbreviated. Like the show itself, this is briskly-paced listen with everyone having lots to say about the production and the films themselves. Additional special features include Rated R (8m35s), another quick-fire mix of TV-spot title cards from a wide variety of films, the hallucinogenic The Day The Earth Got Free Richard Pryor’s Photos (3m26s), and the entirely bizarre Just When You Thought It Was Safe (3m30s), ensure that THE CULT OF AGFA TRAILER SHOW is yet another consistently enjoyable must-have disc! Order it from Vinegar Syndrome. 

THE SEWER RATS - DVD REVIEW

Based on a story by the film’s star Richard Harrison, Roberto Montero’s seldom-seen crime melodrama THE SEWER RATS (1973), which was released in Italy under the far more fitting title UNA DONNA PER SETTE BASTARDI (trans: “A Woman for Seven Bastards”), is one of those oddball hybrids that defies adequate categorization. In keeping with the time and place in which it was made, the film merely transposes a rudimentary spaghetti western premise into a contemporary, cost-efficient setting, and like its predecessors, is also inhabited with the usual assortment of implacable characters. Simultaneously amateurish yet entertaining, Montero’s grubby little picture provides a convenient – if impoverished - bridge between the once fashionable spaghetti western trend and the grittier ’70s crime films, which at the time, were just gaining popularity on Italian cinema screens.

 

A veteran of numerous Italian westerns himself, Harrison stars as the eponymous stranger who arrives at a decrepit old mining town after his battered Volkswagen Beetle breaks down on a desolate dirt road. Burdened with a game leg (he is later referred to as simply “the cripple”), he immediately gains the distrust of the town’s deprived populace (which consists of six people in total!), and told to promptly, “Move it on outta here, like a cat with its tail on fire!” As if to recall his former days as a Clint Eastwood impersonator, Harrison (he was in fact offered the role in Sergio Leone’s trailblazing Italian western A FISTFUL OF DOLLARS [1964] before Eastwood) commits himself with the proper panache as the antiheroic lead, squinting his eyes and grasping at his one crutch (which serves as his weapon of choice in these here parts), as if he were about to take part in a quick-draw showdown. 

 

It doesn’t take Harrison long to realize that the reptilian Carl (Antonio Casale, who also appeared in Sergio Martino’s solid Italocrime picture THE VIOLENT PROFESSIONALS the same year) holds “the knife by the handle around this joint”, which consists of several “pigsty shacks” in the middle of nowhere. And to make matters worse, Carl is also the owner of the town’s only vehicle, which he uses to bring back supplies like “beer and whiskey”, but it’s Carl’s insatiably adulterous wife Rita (Dagmar Lassander), the town’s only woman who, with her bedroom glances, causes further distrust and dissention among this group of scoundrels (“She’s worse than drugs that woman!”). 

 

But despite the double-crossing inclinations of the entire cast, it is the brooding Gordon (Gordon Mitchell, nicely dubbed on English prints by prolific voice actor Robert Sommer), an ex-Army vet, who manages to keep most of the town in check. It is revealed early on that both Carl and Gordon have, unbeknownst to everyone else, stashed a substantial amount of gold mined by an earlier interloper, who was also done away with during the film’s cryptic prologue. However, when the gold suddenly goes missing, Gordon’s caginess soon escalates into hatred for his purely coincidental enemies, which leads to the expected, violent collision, and a none-too surprising revelation…

 

Utilizing Gordon Mitchell’s second-rate Cave Film Studios backlot (seen in umpteen Demofilo Fidani westerns and a sure-fire sign of the film’s cheapjack origins), the threadbare locale does serve the film well, lending further weight to its already claustrophobic atmosphere. Featuring plenty of underhanded behavior, the highly talkative script is rather light on action, but makes up for it with plenty of scuzzy sexploitation. Co-written by Leila Buongiorno (who also co-wrote the script for Brunello Rondi’s WOMEN’S PRISON [1974], yet another lurid sexploitation film), Dagmar Lassander is exploited to the max and seems to enjoy taking advantage of her smoldering sexuality (“Stop your playin’ around, or one day you’ll have to pay for it!”), but when Smith (Ivano Staccioli), one of the more unbalanced miscreants in the group, attempts to rape her (“I’m gonna get mine!”), she fights him off with a broken J&B bottle. However, this doesn’t stop her from continually teasing and taunting all the sexually frustrated men, much to the chagrin of her abusive husband Carl, whereupon he viciously rapes her in an extended bit of brutality. 

 

Considering all the film’s nihilism, much of the colorful B-movie cast (which also includes the always reliable Luciano Rossi as a mute, harmonica-playing hunchback and Andrea Checchi, who is a long way from his role alongside Barbara Steele in Mario Bava’s gothic masterpiece BLACK SUNDAY [1960]), is rather poorly developed and given very little to do other than loiter around their ramshackle surroundings, which, for the most part generates little suspense. Unlike the westerns it draws inspiration from, not a single gun is seen or used in the entire film, which is most certainly a novel approach to the material, but for the scrappy conclusion, THE SEWER RATS still serves up a couple of gory demises via a switchblade to the neck and a pitchfork to the gut, with Harrison utilizing his trusty walking aid most effectively. 

 

Montero (who is sometimes credited under his full name, Roberto Bianchi Montero), a more commercially-inclined filmmaker, who’s career goes all the way back to ’40s, worked in just about every conceivable genre the industry had to offer, but for whatever reason he never directed an all-out crime film. However, his earlier giallo-style hybrid THE EYE OF THE SPIDER (1972) and his subsequent softcore sex romp LA BRAVATA (1977), were set against the shadowy criminal underworld, but offer no such thrills seen in other, more prominent Eurocrime efforts. Despite its obvious financial limitations and somewhat leisurely pace, Montero wrings as much as possible from Harrison’s thin foundation, which is also helped along by the film’s enthusiastic cast, but the overall cheapness just about overwhelms everything. 

 

Never released on North American home video, THE SEWER RATS made the rounds via several home video labels throughout Europe, including a few English-friendly options such as Sunrise Video’s Greek VHS videocassette, which was widescreen, but also slightly cut. Although decent quality for the time, this tape was missing a part of the fight between Casale and Staccioli, but was intact on the exceedingly rare Venezuelan VHS videotape (as UNA MUJER PARA SIETE MACHOS). Outside of the grey market, it has remained difficult to see even during the digital age, but thanks to Germany’s Mr. Banker Films, THE SEWER RATS was quietly released on DVD in 2022. Distributed under its German title DAS RATTENNEST (trans: The Rats Nest) and limited to only 500 copies, this PAL region 2 DVD contains German, Italian and English audio options, and also retains the film’s original 1.85 framing (with 16x9 enhancement, to boot!), which definitely helps better appreciate Mario Mancini’s widescreen compositions. On the other hand, anyone expecting a pristine restoration may be disappointed. Taken from a slightly faded Italian print (which actually helps better accentuate the bleak desert locales), the usual scratches, dirt and debris are frequent, as are some occasional missing frames, but for the most part, it is completely watchable. Unsurprisingly, the audio is also full of imperfections and saddled with a lo-fi, VHS-like hiss, but given the film’s rarity, it’s still great to finally see this film get some attention, which, despite its many shortcomings, amounts to a decent little programmer. Order THE SEWER RATS from Amazon Germany.  

 

[Author’s Note: Many Thanks to Michael Anderson for some additional video info, and also to the late Bill Barounis for finding me a copy of the rare Greek VHS videocassette of THE SEWER RATS all those years ago.—DC]

2020 TEXAS GLADIATORS - 4K UHD REVIEW

Video blurb from Media Home Entertainment’s 1985 VHS videocassette: “In the year 2020, hordes of road warriors swarmed across our shattered world, it was a time in need for heroes, it was time for… 2020 TEXAS GLADIATORS.”

Made hot on the heels of Aristide Massaccesi’s way-above-par ENDGAME (1983), yet other dystopian adventure with star Al Cliver, 2020 TEXAS GLADIATORS (1983) continued to further over-extend the popularity of George Miller’s THE ROAD WARRIOR (a.k.a. MAD MAX 2, 1982), and basically just dusted-off and revamped a leftover spaghetti western script, morphing it into a one-of-a-kind post-apocalyptic actioner instead. And if we’re to believe the familiar Anglicized ‘Kevin Mancuso’ byline, the film was also directed by maestro Massaccesi (better known to most Italosleaze devotees as Joe D’Amato), but it has since been revealed that the film is the unofficial directorial debut of Italian actor - and frequent Massaccesi collaborator - ‘George Eastman’/Luigi Montefiori, who also penned the screenplay. Although easily accessible during the ’80s via Media Home Entertainment’s VHS and Beta videocassettes, this unapologetically trashy film has remained stubbornly unavailable on disc in North America, but thanks to Severin Films’ impressive UHD(!)/BD combo, Italian trash fans can finally rejoice and see the film at its absolute best.

 

Following a raid on a group of marauding, green-faced mutants who have taken control of a local outpost, Nisus (Cliver) and his band of Texas Rangers (complete with colourful monikers like Catch Dog, Jab, Halakron, and Red Wolfe) handily execute everyone, but not before they witness the protracted rape of a nun, the crucifixion of a priest, and witness another nun gorily cut her own throat, scenes which got the film into hot waters at the now-defunct Ontario Film Review Board (OFRB) during the ’80s, who demanded several cuts to Media’s Canadian tape release. When Catch Dog (Daniel Stephen), attempts to rape to Maida (Sabrina Siani), one of the few remaining survivors, he is subsequently banished from the group, but soon thereafter, Nisus joins Maida in a remote colony, a large industrial location that is ostensibly the site of a new source of energy. Years later, the workaday equanimity of Nisus is shattered when the New Order, led by a tyrannical, Nazi-like leader calling himself the Black One (Donal O’Brien), overrun this once peaceful community. 

 

Continuing their abstractly systematic upholding of the law, the remaining Rangers now led by Halakron (Peter Hooten) come across Maida at a local watering hole (which includes video games, pinball machines, and sloppy joes on the menu) where she has been sold to an unscrupulous gambler who likes to play Russian roulette. Winning her back, Halakron does everything in his power to keep her out of harm’s way, even as they team up with a group of Native Americans (“We don’t trust white men!”), which precipitates the violent – and wonderfully schlocky – finale with the New Order.

 

Ignoring the film’s obvious imitative streak, 2020 TEXAS GLADIATORS is nonetheless capably enough constructed (ignoring of course the hilariously misspelled “Exsplosive” signposts!), and like the westerns it so gleefully emulates, takes full advantage of the deserted quarries outside of Rome, which serve as the perfect – and economical – backdrop for this Mad Max wannabe. Bolstered by Montefiori’s swift directorial style, the film’s tight budget still manages to cram in sufficient action for at least two lesser post-nuke films, which includes a sloppily-choreographed barroom brawl, freefall dirtbike stunts, car chases, several squib-popping shootouts, and a scantily-clad, shotgun-toting Sabrina Siani. As the New Order’s leader, genre-fave Donal O’Brien, chews more scenery than he did in Marino Girolami’s celebrated gore epic DOCTOR BUTCHER M.D. (a.k.a. ZOMBI HOLOCAUST, 1980), and is easily one of the film’s many highlights. Alongside Hooten, minor-league action stars Harrison Muller and Japanese-born Hal Yamanouchi, (both of whom went on to appear in other post-apocalyptic films such as Romolo Guerrieri’s THE FINAL EXECUTIONER [1984] and Sergio Martino’s2019: AFTER THE FALL OF NEW YORK [1983], respectively), fittingly round-out this briskly-paced bit of enjoyable hokum. And don’t forget to be on the lookout for Geretta Geretta who unexpectedly pops up as an ass-kicking New Order punk!

 

For its North American UHD and BD debut, Severin Films made use of a brand new 4K scan taken from the film’s original negative and the results are exceptional, especially given the film’s low-budget pedigree. Apart from a few instances of softness inherent in the some of the camerawork, everything is clean, crisp and colourful, and a huge improvement over the German New Entertainment DVD from 2009, which was not only edited, but fullscreen as well. The DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Mono audio tracks in English and Italian (the latter with English subtitles) also sound excellent with plenty of nice aggression during the film’s many action scenes, which is nicely backed up by Carlo Maria Cordio’s (here credited as Francis Taylor) pulsating synth score. English subtitles for the hard of hearing are also included.

 

The extra features on Severin’s disc begin with Manlio Gomarasca’s Shoot Me: The Real Story of the Italian Texas Gladiators (16m59s), a terrific featurette, which recounts the making of this troubled production with input from assistant director Michele Soavi (who worked extensively with Massaccesi in between his time working alongside Dario Argento), Luigi Montefiori, Al Cliver (a.k.a. Pier Luigi Conti), and Aristide Massaccesi. In it, they discuss “mimicking hit movies”, Montefiori’s “weaknesses as a director” and his “love/hate relationship” with Massaccesi, but Montefiori also admits “it was fun because it was such bullshit!” It’s great piece, which finally sheds some light on the true ownership of this film. In Gladiator Geretta (10m33), actor Geretta Geretta discusses her time working in Italy and her many memorable roles, and how refreshing it was to be cast as the “tough black one” instead of a “hooker with a heart of gold” or a “gang member.” She also talks warmly of Soavi, who directed most of her scenes in the film and was happy to reunite with him on Lamberto Bava’s DEMONS (1986). The film’s theatrical trailer (2m55s), which is scored with Franco Micalizzi’s title theme from Umberto Lenzi’s THE CYNIC, THE RAT AND THE FIST (1977), finish off the extras. And for those who order directly from the Severin Films webstore, the limited edition also includes the film’s complete and never-before-released CD soundtrack (20 tracks, 48m30s), as well as a reversible wrap, and a slipcover. 

 

Whichever edition you choose, you’re sure to be pleased with Severin Films’ superb UHD/BD combo of this diverting and outrageously colourful post-nuke film, which would be perfectly complimented by a party-size pizza and a six-pack of beers.

TRHAUMA - DVD REVIEW

Although labeled in many genre reference books as a giallo, Gianni Martucci’s TRHAUMA has more similarities to the then popular stalk-and-slash craze, which, thanks to the enormous popularity of John Carpenter’s HALLOWEEN (1978), dominated box office receipts at the time.  If it’s not glaringly obvious by the misspelled title card, TRHAUMA is pretty much the rock-bottom of the genre, albeit with a few odd touches and sleazy characteristics to keep it mildly entertaining.

A disheveled man (Per Holgher – credited as L’Essere / “The Being”) with a disfigured blind eye roams the crypts of a large Italian villa, who, in his spare time, is also constructing a large toy castle made entirely of children’s building blocks.  As he secretly works away, a wailing cat in the background is soon ‘hushed-up’ when he removes its head with a large sickle – but don’t worry, folks, it’s all very unconvincingly done.  In the meantime, a group of well-to-do socialites – including a photographer named Paul (Timothy Wood), his model Olga (Anna Maria Chiatante), a wealthy industrialist (Franco Diogene) and his newest secretary (Gina Mancinelli), and also Carlo and Silvia (Roberto Posse and Silvia Mauri), an unhappily married couple – are all visiting Andrea (“Ronny Russ” / aka Gaetano Russo)’s sizable country estate. But for reasons unknown, this house seems to be a thorn in the side of his wife Lilly (“Dafne Price” / aka Domitilla Cavazza), and as night falls, everyone becomes the target of the aforementioned resident madman, but who is that mysterious figure taunting him with new boxes of building blocks…?

 

As unusual as the above premise sounds, the set-up is about as simplistic as it gets, and the second half is simply one extended stalking sequence à la HALLOWEEN (at one point, our heroine even stabs her attacker in the eye with an arrow!), but without any of that film’s expertly-handled misc en scène and suspense.  Like any low-budget slasher film, characters simply gather together to more conveniently get bumped-off, but Martucci’s film also contains unavoidable gialli elements including an especially unpleasant group of people with plenty of dirty secrets and hidden agendas. At one point, Paul blackmails Silvia with compromising photos of her taken while she was having a lesbian tryst with Olga, while Andrea is probably the most pathetic of the group: a degenerate gambler who is obviously financially supported by his wife (“You’re crazy if you think I’ll continue to finance your megalomania!” exclaims Lilly).  

 

Characterization is certainly not the film’s main impetus with most of the ‘stars’ appearing tired and bored, although Holgher seems to relish his part as the mute killer. In one of the film’s most unexpected scenes, his character has his evil way with Olga’s corpse in an open field, which seems to have strayed in from a completely different film. During TRHAUMA’s extended finale – which is also an obvious nod to Italian Gothics – Lilly is pursued by “The Being” as she endlessly runs through the dark villa in her negligee, all of which adds up to a rather formula pic without much of a personal touch. 

 

Director Martucci only directed a grand total of five films, which also included the entertaining and highly exploitable poliziesco BLAZING FLOWERS (1978) with George Hilton and Marc Porel, and THE RED MONKS (1988), a relatively bland horror cheapie (again with Russo) put together during the fading days of Italo-horror, which gained some unexpected popularity due to the controversial – and confusing – “Lucio Fulci presents” moniker it got saddled with. As for TRHAUMA, it’s inconceivable to think that it took fully three writers (namely Alessandro Capone, director Martucci and star Russo) to slap this story together, and outside of a few fitful spurts of gore and plentiful nudity, most viewers will probably find TRHAUMA pretty dull. 

 

Even during the VHS days, this obscurity was never circulated in an English-friendly version, and despite being released in Italy, French Canada, and even Korea, both the French Canadian (released by Les Plaisirs Vidéo as DÉMENCE) and Korean VHS tape (in Italian with Korean subtitles) featured edited versions of the film. Gone was the film’s entire pre-credit sequence and the brief but rather startling scene of necrophilia, which totaled just over four-and-a-half minutes of footage. Thankfully, CG Entertainment’s Italian DVD from 2009 features the uncut version, and unlike the overly dark and murky VHS tapes, CG’s DVD is a vast improvement in every way, which is significantly sharper, brighter, and more colourful, allowing those more adventurous viewers to better appreciate this sleazy little thriller. Incidentally, the credit sequence on the DVD unfolds over a plain black background unlike the earlier VHS tapes, which open with kaleidoscopic brush-strokes, adding extra fuel to Ubaldo Continiello’s disco-infused score (“Come on, dance…”), which also includes several lengthy excerpts from his earlier work on Ruggero Deodato’s The LAST CANNIBAL WORLD (a.k.a. JUNGLE HOLOCAUST, 1977). Unfortunately, their disc only features an Italian Dolby Digital 2.0 audio track with Italian subtitles for the hard of hearing, and brief Italian biographies (remember those?) for director Martucci, and actors Gaetano Russo and Roberto Posse. 

 

Despite its humbler origins and flimsy plot devices, those even slightly entertained by the trashier gialli movies of the ’70s may find sporadic entertainment value here.