The Curious Dr. Humpp

An extremely strange film in that it is ten times better than it had any right to be. The script and story is usual b-movie rubbish, and the acting is adequate at best (the dubbing is of course terrible), however some genuine talent behind the camera make this watchable throughout. Eschewing the usual b-movie tricks like ludicrous music, fast zooms and an indulgence of s**t acting to advance the story, the director concentrates instead on extended set pieces (in one case a strange lute playing sequence) which he stages extremely well. It reminded me of the French horror movies of Rollin, where extended scenes, slow, languid camera work and a healthy dollop of sex play a large part.

Obviously this is still a b-movie, and when the plot has to kick in at the end it is predictably terrible. They do have a dig at their own crap effects with someone mistaking the monster for a man in a mask, but it's not clear if this was deliberate or just a case of bad scriptwriting. Not good by any stretch of the imagination, but significantly better than the average, usually unwatchable, exploitation film.

Quizzical and somewhat painful Argentinean softcore porn flick has the good quality of being one of the few competent unions of exploitation with mainstream genre film. In this case, sci-fi, and see _Flesh Gordon_ if you have any doubts about how difficult a genre fusion of this kind can be. The movie drags at times, but at others is fabulously bizarre, probably because of the tortured logic Vieyra has to use to establish the (relatively) intricate plot without compromising the explicit scenes. Humpp's legendary sequence -- a weird, mutated critter playing an unidentifiable lutish instrument while people mill about a foggy courtyard -- is strange beyond description.

If you're not into bizarre cinema, you're best off staying away from this cult film; but if you are into cult cinema...you might find something here. The adjective in the title is extremely apt for this film, as it features a plethora of odd and mostly illogical ideas; all of which are at least somewhat 'curious'. This helps the film in a way as there's always enough going on to keep it ticking over; but on the other hand, sometimes there's just too many things going on at the same time, and since not a great deal of it makes sense; the film can be somewhat annoying. That being said, the plot focuses on sex, deformity and very mad science and so it's entertaining throughout, at least. The plot centres on a scientist researching sex. He kidnaps people and feeds them aphrodisiacs so that they'll have sex. He needs them to do so that he can drain some fluid from them, as Dr Humpp is actually a monster and he needs this fluid to stop himself being transformed. You might wonder how all this stuff ended up coming together, but there's a simple explanation for all of it; the doctor is being directed by a talking disembodied brain in a jar!

Despite being silly and not making a lot of sense, the film is very technically competent and the cinematography looks great. The film was obviously shot on a low budget, but the crystal clear black and white picture helps to mask this; which is a very good thing. The set design is good, if a little bare in places; but that's not all that important. There is a lot of sex in the film, which is sure to please anyone with a mind to see a film like this; and the script is fantastic at providing a lot of memorable quotes such as "Sex dominates the world!". The 'monster' that the doctor becomes looks rather silly, but the film ensures that you can just about buy into it as everything is so completely mesmerising. The atmosphere is surreal throughout, and director Emilio Vieyra ensures that it always benefits the tone of the movie. The film doesn't flow too well, as once the basic plot is laid out; we don't get much elaboration on it, but you can't expect too much from a film like this, and for what it is; The Curious Dr Humpp is sure to delight fans of cult cinema that don't mind too many inconsistencies in their films.

Something Weird Video has made a name for itself by resurrecting forgotten exploitation films from the 50's, 60's, 70's and releasing them in restored prints for a modern audience. More than simply b-movies, these films are the most outrageous of the bunch, with one of the most interesting being "The Curious Dr. Humpp," released in its native Argentina under its original title "La Venganza Del Sexo" ("The Vengeance Of Sex"). Part science-fiction, part adult film, part morality tale, this is certainly a curious film that is surprisingly entertaining despite several rather distracting flaws.

In the middle of the night, a hideous monster has been kidnapping people engaged in amorous activities, including a couple making out in a park, a lesbian couple, a quartet of hippie orgiasts, a nymphomaniac, a young man exiting a gay bar, and the beautiful stripper Rachel (Gloria Prat). Ambitious reporter George (Ricardo Bauleo) suspects something the authorities do not, and soon he is investigating the estate of the curious Dr. Humpp (Aldo Barbero) himself. Here he finds the doctor engaged in mad experiments and guided by a disembodied brain kept active in an electrically charged solution. Dr. Humpp believes the secret to eternal life lies in the chemicals produced by the body during sex, and he's been using it to keep himself alive. George is captured, and he must find a way out with Rachel before they become slaves to the doctor's whims.

The film's premise is absurd, yet somehow it manages to sustain itself well given the film's tone and feel. The visuals certainly help, but not in the way you'd expect. While the cast, particularly the leads, are all quite attractive, it's the way the picture is filmed and not the flesh that makes it exciting. Writer/director Emilio Vieyra films the entire picture in a very lovely chiaroscuro that heightens and deepens the black-and-white imagery to levels of art. The direction itself is above average, with a few scenes -- most notably the oddly poetic image of Dr. Humpp's monstrous servant serenading Rachel with a lute -- being quite memorable.

Where the film falls apart has nothing to do with the director, the stars, or even the picture itself. When the film was picked up by an American distrbutor, over 17 minutes of sex-and-nudity footage was inserted into the film not only to pad the length, but to ostensibly heighten the adult-film quotient. These scenes add the lesbians, the hippie orgiasts, and the nymphomaniac to the cast, as well as some highly erotic sexual imagery added during a telepathic copulation between Prat and Bauleo (as part of one of the doctor's experiments). While the scenes fit well in that they aren't too far off from the original's look to be distracting, they often add unnecessary sex to a film that's more interested in other things, such as the ramifications of the doctor's work and the societal attitudes toward sex.

In addition to the scenes being extraneous, they often have the side effect of being unintentionally funny, which also distracts from the main thread of the film. The hippies, in particular, are quite humorous, especially with the exaggerated voice over work common of many erotic films of the time. The entire film has a serviceable, if not above average, English dub (the original was in Spanish) that works more often than it doesn't, at least in terms of language. To the American distributor's credit, the additional scenes are added quite well, and the dub is used quite skillfully to explain their presence.

Despite these flaws, the film is visually entertaining, which is one of the best things one can say about b-movies of this caliber. Definitely one of the finer entries in Something Weird's catalog, alongside classics like "Satan In High Heels" and "Mantis In Lace", and definitely one for b-movie and vintage exploitation enthusiasts. Others may not find as much to enjoy, and for those, I suggest you get in the front row with the robots and start your mocking. So, something for everybody. 6 out of 10.

All over town, people are engaging in aberrant sexual acts. It's all fun and games until they cross the path of Dr. Humpp, a mad scientist who is determined to use the libido power of human beings for his own purposes. As he says: sex dominates man, so he must dominate sex! Along with his sexy nurse assistant and hideous monster henchmen, he tries to do just that.

The film opens up with a variety of sex acts: lesbian sex, female masturbation, an orgy and a woman who strips nude in the middle of a jazz club. There's also a sailor standing outside a bar doing nothing unusual at all (unless you watch the trailer, where it's explained that the sailor suit is a visual cue for us to know he's a flagrant homosexual). The first twenty minutes come off as more of a softcore pornography than anything with a plot. Buttocks, breasts, groping hands and more are all you'll be seeing for a while. If this sounds like your cup of tea, you've picked the right film because it just keeps going from there! Really, when you boil this down and take out the scenes of people screwing like teenage catgirls in heat, I'd estimate you're left with maybe six minutes of actual plot, largely revolving around the newspaper reporter who is trying to uncover the mystery of the town's disappearances. Although, since the people just keep on humping in the laboratory as if they were in their own bedrooms, they don't seem all too upset about having been kidnapped.

We also have the long-standing tradition continued in this movie of having a foul, evil henchman. The monster here is more than just a little deformed. Sure, Humpp could send his sexy nurse out to do his bidding or even do it himself. But for some reason it just makes more sense to try and sneak up on couples copulating when you're a large, freakish beast. Or the drug store scene: Why go through your medical connections to get aphrodisiacs when you can sent a murderous monster into the local drug store to pick up the Spanish fly? That certainly won't draw any attention by the police! There is one downer to the sex scenes (besides the fact you might actually get bored with them after an hour -- according to horror historian and "Basket Case" director Frank Henenlotter, twenty minutes of nudity was actually added, not removed, for the American version). The film is in black and white, which causes hair to stand out against pale, alabaster skin (no blacks or Latinos in Argentina, apparently). I know some guys who love hair, especially 1970s porno hair -- Gary Busey, this means you -- but for me if you're going to have it, you should at least try to play it down. Tufts of hair are cool if you're into that natural thing, but I don't want Buckwheat caught in a headlock between anyone's thighs if it doesn't serve a purpose.

And what's up with George and Rachel? After experimenting on Rachel, Dr. Humpp has transformed her into a nymphomaniac. George becomes alarmed. Rather than welcome this new development, he can't help but wonder if Dr. Humpp plans to use Rachel's nymphomania against them. Poor, sweet George and his one-track mind. All he ever thinks about is getting screwed... by Dr. Humpp.

I think this film gained a growing popularity (though, judging by how unknown it remains, not much of one) thanks to its Rob Zombie connection. One line ("use my body to keep you alive") has now been immortalized in one of Zombie's radio singles. That is also most likely how the man who passed this film on to me stumbled across it, as he also gave me a copy of "Spider Baby" with Sid Haig. Will Zombie fans love "Dr. Humpp"? I think they might. It comes much closer to the kind of film we expected from him prior to "House of 1000 Corpses".

Is "The Curious Dr. Humpp" a great film? Of course not. It' s a low-budget sexploitation film. But if you're into the low budget, 1970s sexploitations films where monsters attack fornicating couples with a bottle of ether, this film is for you. (Some have asked how one rag of ether can knock out a whole room of people doing the orgy thing... I say ask not what the ether can do for the orgy, ask what the orgy can do for this movie!) For a journey into the unknown and, frankly, rather bizarre, this is one film you'll want in your collection.