'Necromania': A Tale of Weird Love!

It is my sincere personal opinion that Ed Wood made some of the greatest, most imaginative, heartfelt and memorable films ever made. Ed was the original DIY filmmaker, and while he lacked technical skill, he more than made up for it with enthusiasm, plots, and especially dialog phoned in directly from Alpha Centauri.

Having said that, "Necromania" will only interest the already-converted Wood fan trying to fill in the gaps between the end of Ed's "official" filmography and the unfortunate end of his life. The casual or first-time Wood viewer should stay away from this one like the plague. For Wood fans, there are items of interest here, not least of which is Ed's (apparent) final appearance in a feature-length film. There are plot elements (and here I use the word "plot" in the most generous of senses) reminiscent of Ed's 50s classics, set pieces that recall (and may indeed have been used in) "Bride of the Monster" and "Plan 9", a way-out score, and echoes of the trademark Ed Wood dialog that to this day puts Hal Hartley and David Lynch to shame. There's also more than a little tragedy on display here; the truly sincere fan of Ed Wood (and there are about five of us) has to watch this hugely creative and tremendously life-loving soul in near total decay, ravaged by the wasting effects of too much alcohol and too little self-respect. One can't help but wish he had lived long enough to revel in the anti-hero status that was just a few years off. He would have taken the derision gleefully, knowing that somewhere out there, one viewer in a million would see his films and "get it." That's the one he was making movies for. Who knows, maybe it's you.

(Disclaimer: despite what is presented in "Necromania," there is no established scientific or medical evidence linking necromancy to increased male potency.)

I am a lover of "Trash Cinema", including some other Wood movies (i.e. Plan 9, Glen or Glenda...) but this one disappointed me. I bought the copy of the film offered by Something Weird Video with high hopes. As another review posted here said, this was supposed to be an erotic movie, but it is almost anti-erotic. The soft core sex scenes go on for way too long and not too much goes on in between them either unfortunately. It is not a complete waste of time for true trash movie fans or die hard Ed Wood fans but I wouldn't go out of my way to see it either... My rating is 5 out of 10

I like bad movies. Some of my favorite films are really awful. This film is way beyond that. If you are an Ed Wood fan like myself this final chapter in the man's life is truly heartbreaking. "Necromania" was intended to be a dirty movie, it is certainly the most anti-erotic thing I have ever seen. Like most "erotic" films the plot seems like an afterthought. Something about a necromancer curing a guy of impotence?! The video released by SWV also includes footage from another Ed Wood nudie picture called "Flesh Feast". This one, starring Ed himself, is even worse; nothing but shameless exhibitionism. (Although Ed never takes off his boxers, thank God.) Apparently shot over the course of one day, we see Ed becoming increasingly drunk as the day goes on. Most telling line: "I can't make it! How much longer can this go on?" A very sad document. See it if you must, but don't even plan on getting any laughs, it's too pathetic.

As most Ed Wood fans know, he made sex movies during his final days. It was the only way he could get work (he also wrote sex novels), which is truly sad. NECROMANIA is unlike TAKE IT OUT IN TRADE (another "lost" Wood sleazy) in that it actually resembles a completed feature. All that's missing from the videotape are the hardcore sex scenes that were originally in the movie. As with most movies of this type, I didn't catch the plot. Basically there's a couple who visit a weird old house for some kind of "sex therapy". They switch partners a couple times, and the sex scenes are pretty much a lot of licking and kissing (but nothing x-rated). I'm not certain what NECROMANIA has to do with the story, but a woman dances with a skull in one scene, and there's a part where they stuff a living man in a coffin. It never manages to be scary, funny, or sexy. It only serves as a document of the unfortunate last years of a mad genius's life.

This film was considered lost for many years, but eventually turned up in an abridged, 43-minute version (minus the hardcore scenes). The "plot" involves a young couple who try to persuade a female necromancer to help them resolve their sexual problems with witchcraft. Apparently the male partner is unable to get an erection (ironic in a film written by a guy named Wood). Porn star Rene Bond's false eyelashes are so thick, she goes through most of the film with her eyes actually closed. The film abounds with close-up shots of erect nipples and hairy crotches, but the sex scenes consist mostly of naked people licking each other's bellies and thighs, and moaning in ecstasy. There's quite a bit of lesbian action as well, as the unsatisfied females in the film resort to getting it on with each other. But I don't think anyone actually gets LAID in this film! The witch performs a ritual that involves rubbing a skull against her naughty bits, and at the end of the film, the impotent hero is stripped naked and forced to have sex with her in a coffin! The coffin was the same one Criswell used in Ed Wood's "NIGHT OF THE GHOULS" (1958). Ed Wood allegedly asked the famed 1950's horror host Vampira to play the part of the nude witch in the coffin scene, but she turned him down since at the time, she was wheelchair-bound, recovering from a stroke! The storyline in this film is so thin, it's hard to believe Ed Wood would even want to take credit for writing a piece of trash like this. While you might find the squirming crotch shots mesmerizing, this film is certainly NOT a good example of Ed Wood's scriptwriting ability. In fact, it might have been better if it had stayed lost.