LOVE CAMP 7 (Blu-Ray Review) - Blue Underground

USA/1969
Directed By: Lee Frost
Written By: Bob Cresse
Starring: Bob Cresse, Maria Lease, Kathy Williams
Color/96 Minutes/Not Rated
Region FREE
Release Date: January 31, 2017
Blu-ray/DVD
Limited Edition

The Film
During WWII two officers of the Women's Army Corps volunteer to go undercover as Jewish prisoners of the SS to infiltrate a Nazi love camp on a rescue mission. Once they arrive they're subjected to beatings, degradations, forced sexual encounters among other tortures that they must try to endure long enough for the Allied Forces to set up their attack on the camp and allow the women to complete their objective and escape with their lives.

Director Lee Frost helps kickstart the Nazisploitation genre that would explode in the 70s with what is perhaps the first sexploitation driven film of the genre. LOVE CAMP 7 is a good example of what to expect from the genre; despicable Nazis, nude women, and various forms of torture. Later films would get sleazier and weirder adding in nastier rape scenes, bestiality and twisted medical experiments as each film tried to outdo the last. Don't sell LOVE CAMP 7 short because it is quite a brutal film that will leave an impression on you and get your blood boiling and ready for the Nazis to get their comeuppance. And that is the driving factor behind these films. We endure, perhaps not completely out of disgust because exploitation films remain entertaining even when they're not the prettiest thing in the world, but we can justify the horrors and atrocities our victims go through to watch them get their revenge.

Similar to the films that would follow, LOVE CAMP 7 has a thin plot that is little more than a silver platter to serve up scenes of torture, nudity and violence. The difference with LOVE CAMP 7 is that it really is a quality production. Lee Frost's direction is solid and at times stylishly gritty, getting right into the face of the brutality. The film largely takes place in only the Commandant's office and the girl's dorm room but Frost makes the film feel bigger than it really is by constantly moving around these two areas and using different angles on them for different scenes. The finale in the Commandant's office is especially well done and makes that particular room feel doubled in size. Frost also benefits from a more than capable cast that bravely puts themselves through embarrassing scenes and moments while giving performances that I never once questioned the validity of. Maria Lease and Kathy Williams are both gold as the undercover officers and get my utmost respect and praise.

If there's a fault in the film it's that the attack on the camp and the escape are low rent and obviously hampered by a small budget. The attack is little more than a few soliders hiding in bushes and firing towards the camera through some barbed wire. We never see anything approaching a big or grandiose battle which would have not only added that extra level of excitement but would have also been another way that Lee Frost made the film look and feel bigger than it really is. Does it hurt the film? Perhaps, but it certainly doesn't make it a failure. Not even close. LOVE CAMP 7 is a really good exploitation film and it's easy to see why other producers and directors took this film and ran with the concept in creating what we think of today when talking about the nazisploitation genre.

The Audio & Video
Blue Underground has given LOVE CAMP 7 a new 4K restoration from the original camera negatives which looks stunning. The 1.66:1 aspect ratio maintains the films original aspect ratio and has incredible detail, highly noticeable in the fabrics of the Nazi uniforms and in other surfaces and textures such as a wooden torture device. Colors are vivid but natural and match the dreary and overcast look and feel to the film. Skin tones are healthy and fleshy which look so good you almost think you can reach out and touch them. The picture has a light film like grain structure that makes it look like a pristine 35mm presentation.

The English audio is presented in a DTS-HD Mono track that is wonderfully crisp and clear with no background noise, distortions, hiccups or other imperfections. It's a simple mix but of the highest quality. There are optional English SDH subtitles and a slew of other language subs as well.

Please note: Screen grabs taken from DVD version of the film and do not represent the Blu-ray quality.

The Extras
-NAZITHON: DECADENCE AND DESTRUCTION - An 80 minute clip show/highlight reel of the nazisploitation genre previously released on DVD by Full Moon.
-Theatrical trailer
-Poster and still gallery
-Booklet featuring "The History of Nazi-Exploitation" by Paolo Zelati

The Bottom Line
Nazisploitation isn't a genre for everyone but LOVE CAMP 7 is exactly how these films should be presented on Blu-ray. I wholeheartedly recommend this release for anyone with even the slightest interest in the film or genre.

LOVE CAMP 7 is available HERE

April Exploitation/B-Movie Challenge 2016 - Days 20, 21, 22

4/20 DUUUUDEEEEEEE. Smoke weed or something. Also, Hitler was born that day. Not worth celebrating the biggest piece of shit of the 20th century but it is a reason to watch Nazisploitation flicks so I watched one - ELSA FRAULEIN SS - This one wasn't as exploitative, violent or offensive as many of films in the genre but it was also a bit better made with solid performances and a decent story and there's still plenty of sex and violence. I was pleasantly surprised by this one.

Cirio Santiago decided to make another visit, this being the fourth film I've watched from the Filipino  director this month and it is yet another winner. DUNE WARRIORS is trashy post-apocalyptic action starring David Carradine. It's packed with cool cars, flame throwers, sword fights, wimpy leaders and the lamest name for a main villain of all time. It's campy, cheap and incredibly fun.

April 21st had no viewings. It was one of those days where I wasn't in a particularly good mood to begin with and then the passings of Chyna who was a major part of WWE during a time that I was growing up with wrestling and Prince who I need not mention how legendary he is but I will say that I think he's somehow underrated in ways, if that's even possible. Those things combined made it so that I wasn't in the mood to sit down and watch anything.

Day 22 was a strong comeback though. The first of three movies on the day was SCHRAMM. Jorg Buttgereit's fourth feature film is my favorite of his and his most polished in my opinion. It has all of the sick shit that his previous films such as Nekromantik and Der Todesking had and raises the level of his writing and the performances he gets from his cast. This is a great film that just got a Blu-ray release and I have reviewed the brand new boxset of Buttgereit's films so you should check out that video right here.

Next up was a movie I've pretty much fallen in love with immediately. While I don't think it's a perfect film it does what many contemporary Gialli fail at - feeling authentic to their original period. Many newer Gialli try to feel authentic without being able to really capture the true look and feel. FRANCESCA is a 2015 film straight from Italy and while it has it's flaws it has a solid story, interesting murder sequences and stylish direction. All of the Giallo tropes are present without it feeling disingenuous. I highly recommend Giallo fans checking out FRANCESCA.

The night ended with NUKIE - The 1987 E.T. ripoff set largely in Africa. Yeah... I have seen a couple scenes from this and the trailer but sitting down to watch this on VHS was really an experience. It's a terrible movie with some of the most obvious and glaring plot holes I've ever seen. Nukie, the main alien character and his twin brother are fairly creepy looking, nothing a child would want to encounter. To be fair I feel that way about E.T. as well. NUKIE is awful but I think everyone should see it once just to know about it.

Today's Rundown
Elsa Fraulein SS - 6/10
Dune Warriors - 7/10
Schramm - 8.5/10
Francesca - 7/10
Nukie - 3/10

BLUE ICE - VINEGAR SYNDROME (Blu-Ray Review)

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Prisoner Of Paradise (DVD Review) - Vinegar Syndrome

USA/1980
Directed By: Bob Chinn, Gail Palmer
Written By: Gail Palmer, Jeffrey Fairbanks
Starring: John Holmes, Seka, Sue Carol
Color/78 Minutes/X
Region FREE
Release Date: September, 9 2014

The Film
John Holmes stars as an American G.I. who gets stranded on a tropical island after his ship is bombed during WWII. He quickly finds out that a small Nazi outpost rand by one SS man along with a couple Nazi women (one named Ilsa... of course) and a Japanese military woman have kidnapped a pair of US women, one a military nurse. Holmes tries to save them but is quickly apprehended. The Americans are tortured, mainly sexually by the Nazi women as the fat, sleazy man of the SS looks on with sick enjoyment. The Japanese woman falls for Holmes and helps him destroy the outpost and escape with the American women.

A war epic, a porno and a piece of Nazisploitation, PRISONER OF PARADISE has it all going on. This is such a crazy idea that totally works. The genres blend perfectly for a sleazy ride. Hell, even the closing credits are ridiculous! John Holmes is the perfect guy for this role and the women are beautiful. The only shortcoming is that I wish there was a bit more Nazi torture going on, but I guess a porno is a porno for a reason and they'd sell more tickets with more sex and less crazy Nazisploitation situations.

The Audio & Video
Vinegar Syndrome does what they do and that is give films that other companies wouldn't touch a top notch presentation. This DVD looks great with a 16x9 anamorphic widescreen transfer taken from a clean print that has been kept in pretty solid condition. Colors look good and there's a nice clarity and sharpness to the overall image. The audio sounds good with a clear track free of any obtrusive background noise like popping or crackling. 

The Extras
The lone special feature is the original theatrical trailer

The Bottom Line
This is one of the more exciting and unique pieces of exploitation and smut that Vinegar Syndrome has released to date. The blend of genres makes for a really fun time and the vintage smut fans and Nazisploitation fans will both enjoy this one.

PRISONER OF PARADISE is available HERE

Exploitation/B-Movie/Drive-In Challenge 2013 - Day 17

Remember Hack Job, and how I said there were 2 more movies from that director? Well I SPILL YOUR GUTS is one of them. After we get by the two minutes of elementary school vocabulary lesson, five separate screens listing the over 30 bands that provided music to the movie and not one but two title screens (I have no idea why there are two), we get to the movie, or what little of a movie there is. Dennis is a soldier who heroically took a bullet for his friend in the war and is on his deathbed when his friend basically shits all over him and tells him that he's going to change the story and take credit for being a hero. I don't really know how letting your friend get shot and die in war is being a hero but hey, I've never served so who am I to say. Dennis gets pissed and comes home, either dead or alive, I'm not sure which, and goes on a killing spree. The movie is basically moving from one kill set up to another without any real story stringing them together. There is a lot of amateur effects, some boobies and butts and an extended metal concert sequence for no real reason. So, yeah, there it is. Is it good? Nope, not even close, but at least it is better than Hack Job.

Next up was SS EXPERIMENT LOVE CAMP, which rounds out the triple feature DVD set that included the previous two nazisploitation flicks that I actually enjoyed earlier in the month. Could SSELC make it a hat trick? Could I actually find 3 Nazi exploit movies that I find good without knowing anything about them prior to viewing!?... No. This one is the story about the Nazis gathering some nice looking women and subjecting them and soldiers to weird sexual experiments together and trying to create the perfect race, even more perfect than the Aryan in their eyes. Well, there are a lot of naked women, and some weird stuff going on, as is the case with most of these movies that I don't find to be worth a second viewing. The last 20 minutes of the movie pick up and become entertaining and really save the movie from being a total bore and turn it into something simply mediocre.

The night rounded out with another first time viewing, and one I'd been wanting to see for a while. CHAINED HEAT is a women in prison movie starring a not so innocent Linda Blair, the never innocent Sybill Danning and John Vernon from Animal House. Blair stars as a first time inmate in a rather nasty and corrupt prison after she accidentally killed a man with her car. Her innocence is slowly stripped away by the drugs, race wars and prostitution run by the guards and the warden himself. Art truly imitates life as this is not the cute little girl that is being possessed by a demon in The Exorcist. Blair is on full display here in her first nude scene and is surrounded by lesbianism, murder and rape. I can easily see why this is considered one of the best Women In Prison flicks around.

Today's Rundown
I Spill Your Guts - 3/10
SS Experiment Love Camp - 5/10
Chained Heat - 8.5/10

Exploitation/B-Movie/Drive-In Challenge 2013 - Day 14

I was unbelievably exhausted all day and I don't really know why. Keeping my eyes open was a struggle so I figured I'd throw on something that is either going to surprise me or be so bad I just fall asleep. And I was surprised. SS CAMP 5 WOMEN'S HELL is a nasty little piece of nazisploitation from Sergio Garrone filled with naked women, conspiracies, whip and branding torture, shoot outs and metal spiked knuckles to the gut, in an especially brutal sequence. Who knew that it was possible to watch 2 nazisploitation flicks back to back and like them both (back to back being earlier this month...). I didn't think it could happen, but it did. Now, that isn't to say this movie is without its drawbacks, because it isn't. It is repetitive and the attempt at bringing real world atrocities into the fictional film just comes off as cheap to me. Maybe that was me being tired and it could change into a positive impact for the film on another viewing. From start to finish this is an above average piece of nazi exploitation.

I followed that up with CYCLONE, a cheesy 80s action flick featuring Jeffrey Combs and Martin Landau. Combs plays a scientist developing a new military motorcycle filled with as much fire power as a F-16 and featuring some laser blasters for good measure. After he is murdered over the device he leaves it in the hands of his girlfriend to take care of and get it into safe hands. CYCLONE is very 80s, in a good way, and pretty entertaining. It is also frustrating that it doesn't go further in the action, sexiness, and overall concept of the movie. If this movie had taken a cycle of steroids before being made it would be a cult classic. As it stands it isn't bad, and is a decent piece of 80s action but it could have been so much more.

Today's Rundown
SS Camp 5 Women's Hell - 6/10
Cyclone - 6/10

Exploitation/B-Movie/Drive-In Challenge 2013 - Day 3

A double feature of Wild Eye Releasing titles were on tap for day number 3

THE BLOODY APE from 1997 was shot on Super 8 and involves a 400 pound circus gorilla going on a killing spree by violently ripping off limbs and faces... oh and dicks. He also likes to molest and full on rape women. And apparently this ape was so nice he could replace your father. If this movie teaches you anything it is that you should never piss off a gorilla handler or else he'll train his giant ape to kill you. The tag line on the cover says "100% Pure underground trash" and that is exactly right! From the ridiculous story and violence to the blatant tongue-in-cheek racism and tits everywhere, this is sleaze of the highest decree. Director Keith J. Crocker and crew obviously had a fucking blast making this movie and I had a lot of fun watching it... next time I think I'll enjoy it with some beers and make it even more fun.

And on the other side of the double feature was NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD: REANIMATED, which is pretty much exactly what it sounds like. This film gathers over 100 artists to recreate George Romero's classic horror film. Each artist used any method of animation they chose to create the scenes. From claymation and puppeteering to comic strips and stop motion. There are simple pen and inks and incredibly detailed paintings all working together to create this piece of work, which I have to say is pretty damn cool. Romero created a masterpiece back in 1968 and unfortunately it ended up in the public domain for all sorts of shitty companies to capitalize on it with their awful DVD presentations and shitty zombie movie "sequels" and "remakes" to use the NOTLD name, it is quite the breath of fresh air to see a project pay proper respect to the Romero classic while using the name.

...And back to the trash. SS GIRLS (aka Private House Of The SS) was next and my expectations were surpassed. It isn't difficult for that to happen within the nazisploitation genre as I find it to be one of the most disappointing genres in all of cinema history. Nazi themed exploitation should be a fucking hit 8 or 9 times out of 10 but instead it is usually a bore filled with lame characters, boring plots and poor filmmaking. SS GIRLS was one of Bruno Mattei's (Hell Of the Living Dead, Rats: Night Of Terror) first feature films and he delivers another entertaining romp in sleazeland. This movie is filled with naked women, a plot to uncover traitors within the 3rd Reich with those naked women, a lead character who is out of his fucking mind and lots of sex and death. As someone mentioned to me before this viewing, these characters are straight from a comic book, and it is pretty much true. The whole damn thing is nuts. And I like it.

MY DEAR KILLER is my first giallo of the challenge but certainly won't be the last. There is no time wasted as the film opens up with a decapitation to lead us into the story and the detectives have to put together the pieces of the case from there. This is a nasty little film. With themes that include unending greed, pedophilia and of course cold blooded murder, this earlier giallo shows no mercy. If you can't handle what director Tonino Valerii is throwing at you he doesn't care. Almost everyone within this film has a secret they're hiding, or is just of questionable character in one way or another and the murder sequences are all great. From decapitation with heavy machinery to a circular saw there is no shortage of brutality on display. The writing is solid and the story pulls together well even if the killer is revealed to not be anyone who you would probably expect it to be. While this isn't a 1st tier giallo, it is a really good one that is worth checking out.

Today's Rundown
The Bloody Ape - 7/10
NOTLD: Reanimated - 7/10
SS Girls - 7.5/10
My Dear Killer - 8/10

GRINDHOUSE EXPERIENCE: An Ongoing Series of Reviews

So I've just busted into this DVD set I have called Grindhouse Experience. Its a 20 movie collection of 70s and 80s films. Some exploitation, horror, spaghetti westerns, action, a little bit for everyone (or no one). I decided it would be fun to go through the movies and review them all through the year (or month or week... however long it takes).

Some of these movies are pretty rare, and don't have much (if any) type of distribution deal anymore and fall into the public domain where anyone can sell them legally.

I figured the easiest way to do this is go right down the list on the box and watch them in successive order.

Without further adieu, I give you chapter 1...

Women's Camp 119 (1977)

This Nazisploitation flick from cult film favorite Bruno Mattei is full of everything you'll come to know while watching movies of this sub-genre. Attractive women being submitted to various tortures and experiments (they often are doing the experiments as well), nudity, gore, usually some sort of rape (again women often forcing themselves on men and vice versa) and of course Nazis. Doesn't sound like you can really mess that up right? Well as I've come to realize it seems like just about every single one of these movies finds a way to do it. Sure there are interesting and even entertaining parts but they are usually few and far between and sometimes for all the wrong reasons.

The plot in Women's Camp 119 is non-existent until the last 20 minutes. Essentially a group of Nazis have orders from Hitler that they need to find new ways to kill the enemy, and help their own cause. This is anything from testing new chemical gases to attempting to set gay men straight by having naked women dance for them and attempt to rape them, to bringing back dead soldiers by having naked women lay all over them and rub on them... basically necrophilia. This one worked, but only when the corpse had a single woman, according to the dialogue during the part he had 2 women, he became too bashful. Yea. Two of the doctors try to sabotage the whole operation and eventually it becomes about a manhunt for escaped prisoners. It actually makes more sense than most of these movies I've seen.

Women's Camp 119 is just as ridiculous as other Nazisploitation flicks I've seen. That is one of the good things it has going, another is that Mattei can actually be a half decent director. The man is responsible for such cult horror hits as Hell of the Living Dead, Rats: Night of Terror, and Zombi 3 & 4 which are all endlessly entertaining to me. The problem with this genre as a whole is that while there is some crazy shit going on, they are beyond boring. I don't know why this is, but I've felt this about many of these movies, and I'm not alone. Many others I've talked to with these feel the same. Perhaps they're presented with too much emphasis on classic exploitation and not enough on the horror side. Maybe they need a more substantial plot, even though many movies have been entertaining with little to no plot... who knows.

4/10