Machete Maidens Unleashed!

A fast moving odyssey into the subterranean world of the rarely explored province of Filipino genre filmmaking.

I love horror films and exploitation films and consider myself both a critic and historian (having now reviewed over 2000 films and written numerous articles). Yet, I must confess, I was not aware of the hundreds -- perhaps thousands -- of films that were made in the Philippines. I knew about some of them, of course, but did not know just how huge the output was.

Wow! This is one of the best documentaries I have ever seen on exploitation films (and I have seen my share). John Landis never disappoints, and some unusual suspects show up, too. R. Lee Ermey? Who knew?

This film is a documentary that celebrates trash cinema--specifically, the terribly cheesy American films made in the Philippines in the 60s and early 70s. Why did they go to this country? Simple--it was dirt cheap! So, cheap film makers like Roger Corman and Eddie Romero went there to create tons of terrible films--and the filmmakers knew it was going to be bad. There was no pretense--the films featured silly monsters, women in prison and the like. And, the films had tons of action, violence and boobies. Ultimately, however, there actually was a GOOD movie made there ("Apocalypse Now") and soon after this, the industry came to a halt due to violence and revolution...and ultimately the fall of the Marcos regime.

So is all this worth seeing and celebrating? Well, it depends on you. If you occasionally LIKE to see a terrible film (such as "Black Mama, White Mama"), then you'll like seeing the documentary (that's me!). You'll relive trashy but fun films or get ideas for movies to rent (though only about half the ones mentioned in the film are available from Netflix). But, if you are sane, you'll probably just wonder why anyone would want to remember these terrible films! Overall, however, the film is worth seeing if you are the type who can appreciate it--and I sure did. Just beware...the film is violent and infused with breasts!

This is a very entertaining look at a specific time and place in the history of exploitation film-making. It documents the rather strange scenario where the Philippines became a hotbed of psychotronic cinema production between the 60's and early 80's. While I haven't seen more than two or three films that were made under these conditions, it didn't stop the film from being interesting and entertaining. In fact, like many similar documentaries Machete Maidens Unleashed! is most probably a lot more enjoyable than the films it features. Instead we get many, many clips from these crazy films, so it's difficult to get bored.

The films themselves range from the schlock horror of the 60's, via the women-in-prison flicks of the 70's to the martial arts action films of the 80's. It takes the form of the talking heads format where many of the participants tell us about their experiences working in the field. And perhaps unsurprisingly very different rules applied in the Philippines. There's a lot of humour in the presentation. No one is under any illusions about the seriousness of the movies, yet you will no doubt come away from this and have two or three new films you want to seek out. And I suppose with all that in mind, Machete Maidens Unleashed! has done its job.

Machete Maidens Unleashed! (2010)

*** 1/2 (out of 4)

Entertaining documentary from Mark Harley discusses the making of countless exploitation films that were shot in the Phillippines. If you read up on the movie is really makes you think that it focuses in on those Phillipean exploitation movies but you're quickly going to realize that it's mainly about American productions that were shot there because producers could get such deals with rights, equipment and of course the jungle locations. Many famous faces like Joe Dante, Roger Corman, Dick Miller, John Landis, Sid Haig and Jack Hill are joined by some faces people haven't seen on screen for thirty-plus years (since they appeared in these movies). For the most part this is an incredibly entertaining film because the director does a great job at mixing in all the film clips with the countless comments being made. By the two-minute mark I actually had to pause the film so that I could get a pen and paper and keep track of some of the amazing clips that were being shown. Naturally, those who appreciate this type of cheap trash are the ones who are going to be the most entertained because once you've seen one of these pictures you're certainly not going to forget it and hearing some of the stories about the making of them are just priceless. Haig tells a hilarious bit about if you're in a strip club after midnight the owner would just lock you in (due to a law) and you'd have to stay there and party all night. Landis talks about the certain type of tolerance you had to have for these films. Many actresses who appeared nude in these films talk about how it made them feel powerful. Eddie Romero is the main focus from the actual Phillipean filmmakers and we get a few comments from him as well. Fans of exploitation are certainly going to enjoy seeing so many faces they recognize and this is certainly a great place to start if you're needing title recommendations.

This was a an absolutely brilliant documentary on the history of film making back in the 70s and 80s in the Philippines.

Why the Philippines? Because it was cheap....very cheap and pretty much no rules with what you could do.

Most of the movies made then were b grade or grindhouse made for the drive ins. Though one big budget classic was made there ..... Apocalypse Now.

This documentary was made by the same people who made Not Quite Hollywood and Electric Boogaloo -The Wild, Untold Story Of Canno Films...both of witch are brilliant documentaries as well.

Great insights from Roger Corman, Pam Grier, John Landis, Joe Dante, R. Lee Emery Sid Haig, Chris Mitchum etc.

If you love 70s, 80s B movies this documentary is a must see!!!