Too Hot to Handle, Bikini Clad Assassin

In 1972 Don Schain directed the sultry Cheri Caffaro in one of the greatest sexploitation films of all time, The Abductors . In that film, cheerleaders and models were violently abducted, raped, and sold into white slavery. In 1977, the above duo gave us "Too Hot to Handle." Would it be as sleazy and fun as the "The Abductor." ? Instead of being filmed in New Jersey, this one is filmed in Manila and has a more exotic and Bond-like feel to it. The nudity is gratuitous and much of the plot is revealed while Ms. Caffaro is  in the throes of pre-marital sex.

Samantha Fox (Caffaro) is a bleached blonde assassin. She has been contracted to knock off five of Manila's top crime-lords. Her first hit is a schmuck named Portman. After securing an invite to his mansion, she arrives wearing black leather and the two of them immediately start playing with a whip. BDSM will rule the scene and Samantha will murder him as he is naked and in bondage. Now you get the picture. Uh oh for our hot assassin, Detective Domingo de la Torres (Aharon Ipale) is on the case, and he is The Philippines version of Lt. Columbo...except he is pretty hot himself. He immediately is onto Samantha as a suspect.

More crime-lords are murdered and nudity, sex, and hot tubs figure prominently in these killings. Using the direct approach Domingo approaches Samantha and a cat-and-mouse game is on. Domingo is very direct and him and Samantha have a passionate lust for each other. The two will have lots of pre-marital sex and Samantha will have to be careful to remain a step ahead of her new lover. Sex has everything to do with Samantha's killings and with one victim, she will have to come on to a middle-aged lesbian. As crime-lords fall, Domingo gets closer, but Samantha may have a few lethal surprises for her hunk lover/pursuer.

Will Samantha allow Domingo to gather enough proof or will she be forced to off the good detective? Is the BDSM, lesbian, and passionate heterosexual sex, rampant in this film, a good metaphor for the current behavior of our elected officials? Wild and total sexploitation from the 1970s...what more do you want?  For some prurient fun and frivolous entertainment, see "Too Hot to Handle" (aka "She's Too Hot to Handle").

Out of Frame, Bleed For the Camera

Edgar Allan Poe believed that a beautiful woman was a great subject for his literature, but not as great as a dead beautiful woman.  Erotica in death isn't new for the art world, only not talked about in polite company.  Was Poe sane?  How about the millions that have enjoyed his work?  Fans of the genre will aver that they enjoy the work for its sophistication, passion, and the ability for it to arouse while capturing orgasmic periods in life.  Many will lie to you and tell you this art form is sick and demented, but their phony passion betrays their sincerity. Hence a 40 minute horror short, 2017's "Out of Frame."

Photographer Damien Drake (Herschel Zahnd) newest photo shoot is falling flat at its showing. His agent Lorna (Chrissy Joy) believes in him, and loves him. Yep, Drake just can't capture the magic of his previous spread, in which he captured some beautiful women being murdered.  Bloodied and strangled, we assume these women were merely posing for the camera.  This morbid shoot, while winning praise and admiration from critics, may have taken Damien on a mental voyage which played havoc with his sanity. As his success at capturing women in the throes of murder awakened something scary inside our photographer, it also scared him and almost made him into something evil and twisted.

Enter a couple of bad influences. Allette (Amber Underhill), a nubile and tattooed model who just ate up Damien's dead girl exhibit.  She would love for Damien to photograph her...being murdered. Of course, not really murdered. Then John (Robert Hatfield) arrives. This mysterious sadist is unrelenting in attempting to get Damien to shoot another dead lady photo spread. John is crude and tempting and seems to have some sort of hold on Damien's free will. The more Damien protests, the closer he gets to returning to that misogynistic artistic realm.  Uh oh...the look on Damien's face is changing and he begins looking as a doberman views a lamb-chop.

What happened to Damien in that dark world of death and misogyny?  Is John an art connoisseur or is he in fact part of Damien's psyche?  The women in the photo-shoot, they got up and left after the shoot was over, didn't they? In true Poe fashion, we are seeing Damien deteriorate, but is it his own doing...or outside influences? Director Joseph State does a fine job building the suspense and dread. You'll want to reach into the screen and pull Damien back by the collar from that dark place that beckons him.
Out of Frame Trailer
Out of Frame on Amazon

The Unknown Terror, There Are Fungus Among Us

Ah, 1957's "The Unknown Terror." Yep, this is a flawed film. The biggest strike against it is that the title is so relevant. After the end credits roll, it would be fair to say that the terror is still unknown. Not the scariest work to come out of the 1950s, but we need to be fair. With all its flaws, "The Unknown Terror" has some strong points that make this a worthwhile take. Whatever this one lacks in terror, more than makes up for in damsels in much distress, namely Mala Powers and May Wynn.

While searching for the Cave of the Dead, Jim (Charles H. Gray) finds it. He won't make it back to civilization and after six months, his sultry sister Gina (Powers), and her husband Dan (John Howard) decide to search for him. Enter the pathetic and drunk Peter (Paul Richards). After a crippling spelunking accident, Peter has a bum leg. Out of pity, Dan agrees to allow his old friend to join the search. Our trio head to a Caribbean island inhabited by grouchy and superstitious natives. They refuse to help Dan find the cave but our group does find the estate of the eccentric fungus scientist, Dr. Ramsey (Gerald Milton). Ramsey knows more than he is letting on and the natives believe him some kind of god. The quasi mad-scientist has discovered a fungus that grows so rapidly that...well...you'll see.

Okay, Ramsey used his god status to take the only attractive woman on the island as his bride. The beautiful Concha (Wynn) dresses seductively but endures numerous beatings from her god-husband. A real heal Ramsey doesn't see that the pathetic Peter and Concha are getting quite close. I know, hardly a horrifying plot. Eventually Dan and Peter find the Cave of the Dead, believed to be purgatory by the islanders. There, they make some discoveries that will turn out to be deadly and threaten all life on this planet. Oh yeah, they'll also have to do battle with these creatures that are a cross between the mole people and the Yeti. As this is all happening, Concha and Gina will look really good and at one point, one of the aforementioned creatures will chase the sultry Gina while she is clad in a nice white negligee.

Will the creatures capture our damsels? Any chance that Gina and Concho might engage in a cat-fight? Will Peter and Dan find Gina's missing brother? Could the fellows searching Oak Island learn something from our protagonists? The fungus and creatures will have a lot to say about these questions, but I guarantee you, whatever happens, Concha and Gina will look radiant. Directed by Charles Marquis Warren, "The Unknown Terror" will remain an unknown terror, but certaintly a known vehicle for 1950s cheesecake.

Cold Blooded Beast, Beautiful Nymphomaniacs Die Horribly

Where do I begin? So much to admire, here. An old mansion in Italy converted to a mental asylum. This spacious estate is adorned with medieval weapons and torture devices. The patients? Beautiful Italian women clad in see-through negligees or nothing at all. The doctor?  Klaus Kinski! Asylum activities? A lot of lesbian sex, lesbian messages, heterosexual sex, and a hefty dose of babes pleasuring themselves. Oh yes...the final 60 seconds of this film will be the most gratuitous and bloody conclusions ever put on film. 1971's "Cold Blooded Beast" (aka "La Bestia Uccide a Sangue Freddo").

They're all nymphomaniacs, but in Italy that doesn't land you in a loony-bin. Actually Anne (Rosalba Neri) is confined because her nymphomaniac tendencies center around her brother. Ruth (Gioia Desideri) is a homicidal maniac who attempts to murder anyone withing 20 feet of her...but a beautiful homicidal maniac. Cheryl (Margaret Lee) is suicidal.  Mara (Jane Garrett) is agoraphobic. As our story begins, Ruth has just been dropped off by her husband and Mara is given a beautiful nurse named Helen (Monica Strebel). The pretty red-headed nurse will have much lesbian sex with Mara before Mara gets a crossbow arrow through the neck.

Dr. Clay (Kinski) is hesitant to allow the suicidal Cheryl to leave. Supposedly cured, Clay disagrees and desires to keep the beauty under his care. The murders begin. As Anne has passionate sex with a groundskeeper in the greenhouse, a nurse is beheaded. In quick fashion, the killer arms himself with medieval weapons, which will include an iron maiden. An axe, the aforementioned crossbow, a dagger, a mace, and a noose will also be at his (or her) disposal. As the beauties are shredded everyone still breathing is a suspect.  More nudity and lots more sex (of every kind) fills up most of the second half of this Giallo epic. With the killer on the loose, to survive, a beauty will have to put herself in immense danger.

Could Dr. Clay be the killer, after all he is played by Klaus Kinski? Is one of the sexy patients the fiend, after all they are mental patients? How about the lesbian nurse, Helen? Could she just be a throw-in gratuitous character? I'm not even going to give you a hint about the last 60 seconds of this film. For some very gratuitous and prurient enjoyment, indulge in "Cold Blooded Beast" (directed by Fernando Di Leo).   

The Body Shop, Insaniac Creates Women

Ah, to create the perfect woman.  What would she look like and how would she behave?  You can pick.  The legs of one woman, the face of another, the arms of a third, and the eyes of someone else. Your choice.  Her personality? Her only job will be to serve and pleasure you. Interested? After all, what could go wrong? Hence 1972's "The Body Shop."

Poor Dr. Brandon (J.G. Peterson, Jr.), mad-scientist extraordinaire. His pin-up model wife recently died and he has needs. Like most of us would, the mad doctor embarks on a quest to create a perfect wife in his laboratory. He starts where we would, the graveyard. Corpse body parts just won't do, so Brandon scouts for living babes. With the help of his trusty hunchback assistant, Greg (Roy Mehaffey) he abducts beauties. First up is a bikini babe (Jan Benfield)...he will cut her legs off.  The nubile Ellen (Jeannine Aber) is next...after drugging her he will cut off her arms.  He'll do the same with other beauties and even operate on them while they are awake.  The surgical scenes are quite graphic.

Now, stocked with human body parts from attractive donors, its time to sew the pieces together. We have to give Brandon credit, he has amassed some really nice looking pieces. Its not much of a spoiler to say the endeavor was successful, and Anitra (Jenny Driggers) is born. As a part time hypnotist, Brandon now controls Anitra's thoughts.  He teaches her how to serve his every manly need, how to wear a see through negligee, how to serve his every manly need, how to don a bikini, how to serve his every manly need, etc. He will also keep her locked in his castle and shield her from every other man.  Girls will be girls and when she gets a gander at other men...well...you'll see.

Will Anitra ever free herself from Brandon's control? Will Brandon ever teach her how to wear a smart business suit suitable for finding a job?  How will Brandon ever react when Anitra plies her talents on other men?  Of course, creating your own woman, brainwashing her to serve your every need, and be 100% devoted to your manly needs always goes well.  This is a horror film, however, and where this story lacks in romance and emotional drama, it will succeed in gore and dissection. A metaphor for the modern relationship, perhaps? Directed by the star, J.G. Patterson, Jr., "The Body Shop" is some good 1970s drive-in, exploitation/horror.

Carnosaur 2, Dinosaurs Eat Miners

Not a true sequel, sadly. Of course, a true sequel to "Carnosaur" would have had a few scant survivors on Earth battling a new race of Tyrannosaurus Rex'. The drawback would have been no women in the cast as they were shoved into extinction in the original.  Still, when dinosaurs and humans engage in battle, especially in close quarters, it is still fun. Hence, from Executive Producer Roger Corman, we have 1995's "Carnosaur 2."

At the Yucca Mountain Mine an angry T-Rex shreds all the miners. The monster took everyone by surprise. Little did the plutonium miners realize, the facility also was experimenting on bringing dinosaurs back to life...and it worked!  With the mine/Top Secret lab now off the grid, the government sends in a tactical team to figure out what happened.  Major Tom McQuade (Cliff DeYoung) will accompany this grouchy band of...well...I'm not sure what they are, we'll call them soldiers. The very pretty Galloway (Neith Hunter) will fly them in on a chopper. Galloway is really cute and quite perky, but because this is a Roger Corman film...well...don't get too attached to her as her death will be quite horrible.

Now inside the Yucca Mountain facility, the team, led by the grouch Jack Reed (John Savage) find body parts all over the place. They also find a survivor, a teen aged computer hacker (Ryan Thomas Johnson), in shock.  Almost immediately, our grouchy team starts getting picked off by T-Rex' and Jack and company start fighting back. Meanwhile, our government hack, McQuade,  knows more than he is letting on. The monsters can bust through walls and munch away at Reed's men (...and women). After the perky Galloway gets it, the only other female member of the team, Sarah (Arabella Holzbog) is pulled apart like string-cheese. Just in time, our teenager hacker comes out of shock, and him and Reed must figure a way out of a secret lab under lock-down before the self-destruct program is activated.

Would there have been any harm in letting the perky Galloway survive? Since this is a Roger Corman film, are the two babes in this film better off dead? Is "Carnosaur 2" a metaphor of the difficulty the U.S. mining industry would endure over the next 20 years? More of a straight forward man vs. monster film than the original "Carnosaur," this sequel has plenty of good gore and some great actors yelling a lot. For cheap thrills and good monster acton, take in "Carnosaur 2," directed by Louis Morneau.

WTF!, Gratuitous Nudity and Gore Abound

A sultry, naked, sweaty blonde (Nicolle Blair) runs out of an isolated cabin looking like she has just been in the throes of pre-marital sex.  She yells "What the F---!" She then receives a dagger between her shoulder blades and her nude body writhes around before she dies. I swear, movie makers are producing films with the goal of getting them on this blog.  So opens 2017's "WTF!" There will be lots of gore, nudity, pre-marital sex, skinny dipping, and bongs. This film features a magnum opus performance by Andrea Hunt. As Bonnie, a Paris Hilton wannabe, she is indignant when told an old creepy guy probably wants to rape her two friends Lisa and Rachel. Offended, Bonnie replies,  "Hold on! Why wouldn't he want to rape me too?"

The nubile, but clean-cut Rachel (Callie Ott) is the only survivor of a slasher who killed all of her buddies. Spring Break nears and she reluctantly agrees to go to a secluded cabin in the woods with her college buddies. No cell phone service...a big clue as to what's next. Her buxom buddies Bonnie and Lisa (Sarah Agor) will control the activities which include pre-marital sex and skinny dipping. The hunks who accompany them are into these activities, bongs, and additional pre-marital sex. Rachel is on edge, only Bonnie knows her history with the slasher. Avoiding pre-marital sex, drugs, and skinny dipping, Rachel ticks off her cad boyfriend Sam (Johnny James Fiore).  Sam need not fret, Lisa will oblige.

The slashing starts again.  They will be gory. A throat will be cut, intestines will be yanked out, a hatchet will be thrown...all the good stuff.  How about Bonnie?  As a Paris Hilton clone, will her demise be extra gory and elongated?  That's an easy one.  With another mass murder event underway in Rachel's life, all seems hopeless for her friends.  As the nubile gals and hunks fall, flashbacks fill us in on the events of the first mass murder.  Wait!  Something isn't right, who is....well, never mind...you'll see.

How did Rachel survive the first massacre and what happened to the slasher?  Does participation in skinny dipping spell doom for all of Rachel's pals?  Will Bonnie suffer the same fate as Nicolle Blair's character, or will her's be much worse?  Another easy question.  Experienced slasher fans will see the surprise ending a mile away, but the gore, gratuity, and  and attractive characters will make "WTF!" a worthwhile take. Oh yes, Perez Hilton is also in this film and I have to say, he always makes films enjoyable...thanks Perez!  For some neat slasher film thrills, see Peter Herro's "WTF!"