BLU RAY REVIEW: VIXEN! (1968)

VIXEN!

Directed by:  Russ Meyer

Distributed by:  Severin Films / MVD Entertainment

 I have heard of Russ Meyer for as long as I can remember, but I have never seen one of his films until now.   I really had no clue what to expect, other than what I knew of his love for the female anatomy, especially the very well endowed ones!  

  Recently, Severin Films reached an agreement with Meyer's estate to distribute three of his most iconic films,  VIXEN!, SUPERVIXENS, and BENEATH THE VALLEY OF THE ULTRAVIXENS in new 4K, BD, and DVD versions scanned in 4K from the original negative and restored by The Museum of Modern Art.  

  While I mainly focus on Horror films for this blog, I do like to branch out from time to time and have covered Exploitation, Sexploitation, and even Nunsploitation films in the past.   These films would definitely fall under the Sexploitation sub-genre and were an interesting batch of films to say the least.   I'll be watching them in order and then doing a review of each one, starting with this first feature, VIXEN!

Here is a little bit about the film from the Severin Films website:

Amid the cultural chaos of 1968 and armed with a budget of only $70,000, producer/director/cinematographer Russ Meyer transcended sexploitation by crafting this “bosomacious melodrama” (Time Magazine) about racism, communism, bush pilots, draft dodgers and a ferociously free-spirited wife named Vixen (the incredible Erica Gavin of BEYOND THE VALLEY OF THE DOLLS and CAGED HEAT). Despite attempts at censorship that included one of the first-ever X ratings and 23 separate U.S. prosecutions for obscenity, it became one of the year’s top-grossing movies, forever transformed independent film and remains the creative template for Meyer’s unapologetic vision of American cinema.

Here is the brief  "plot synopsis" from IMDb:

The free-spirited wife of a Canadian bush pilot seduces a Mountie, a married couple and her biker brother, all while trading blows of racial prejudice with her brother's black friend.

 I put "plot synopsis" in quotes above, because there really wasn't much plot to this film.   It's really just about the pilot's wife seducing anyone she comes into contact with.   That's really about it!  They did try to throw in some subplot at the end about communism, but it felt very out of place with the rest of the film.  

  This film was very uncomfortable to watch at some points, mainly with the scenes of the interactions between Vixen and her brother's African American friend, Niles.   She does not like him and calls him a slew of names, most of  which were crude racial slurs. 

As I stated before, most scenes were just Vixen seducing anyone she comes in contact with.  At one point, Vixen seduces a man at a fish fry by dancing with an uncooked fish and performing simulated oral sex on the fish!   It's a weird one, for sure!

 This film is actually very tame by today's standards.  The sex scenes are simulated and don't show anything too extreme, mainly just breasts.  The fact that this got an "X" rating is laughable by today's standards, but when this came out in 1968, I'm sure it was a bit more shocking.   I'm sure the brother/sister incest scene was a big play in that X rating!   Oh yeah, I guess I failed to mention that earlier!    

 Overall, VIXEN was a film that seems like it doesn't have much of a point, other than just showing off the beautiful actress's bodies and generally trying to shock the audience. 

 One thing to note is the picture quality on these new releases.   I saw grainy screenshots online, and being from 1968 I was expecting not so great picture quality, but boy was I mistaken.  As soon as the film started I was blown away by this new restoration.  The picture was super sharp and the colors were very vibrant!

 VIXEN! is available now from Severin Films and if you know anything about Severin Films, you know they always put some amazing special features on their releases.  This one is no exception, and contains the following Special Features:

1981 Censor Prologue (Theatrical Re-Release)

Archival Audio Commentary With Co-Writer/Producer/Cinematographer/Co-Editor/Director Russ Meyer

Audio Commentary With Actress Erica Gavin

Woman... Or Animal? - Interviews With Actors Erica Gavin And Harrison Page

David Del Valle's The Sinister Image With Guests Russ Meyer And Yvette Vickers

Entertainment... Or Obscenity? - Marc Edward Heuck On The Film's Historic Cincinnati Censorship Battles

Trailer

CLICK HERE to purchase the 2-Disc 4K UHD edition

CLICK HERE to purchase the Blu-ray

CLICK HERE to purchase the DVD

Blu-ray Review: LOVE CAMP 7 (1969)

LOVE CAMP 7
Directed by  Lee Frost
Distributed by Blue Underground & CAV Distributing

 I have seen a lot of sexploitation and more notably, Nazisploitation films in my movie reviewing career, but somehow had never seen this 1969 gem, which actually ushered in the wave of Nazisploitation films of the 1970's.   While later films of this genre might have improved upon this one, you can't deny the impact this film had on an entire decade of film.   Here is the basic plot from the CAV website:

  The story of LOVE CAMP 7 is based on fact! During the darkest days of World War II, two young American WAC officers volunteer to infiltrate a Nazi Love Camp on a desperate rescue mission. Once inside, they are subjected to horrifying humiliations at the hands of their captors. Can they survive long enough to complete their objective and escape with their lives intact?
  Launching the Nazisploitation craze of the 1970s, LOVE CAMP 7 was the dream child of Writer/Producer/Star Bob Cresse (THE SCAVENGERS), Producer Dave Friedman (BLOOD FEAST), and Director/Cinematographer Lee Frost (THE BLACK GESTAPO). Blue Underground presents the original version of LOVE CAMP 7 in a brand-new 4K restoration from its recently discovered camera negative!
 
  This film will probably seem pretty tame by today's standards, and probably even by standards set by later films of the 1970's in this same genre of film.   I can imagine though at the time of it's release back in 1969, this was probably horribly upsetting and shocking to audiences.    There are still some shocking parts to the film, but overall it is one of the tamer exploitation films I have seen.  

  While not horror by any means, the film does have a crazy scene at the end where the women get their revenge on the Nazi officers.  I don't want to give too much away, but lets just say one of the greatest kills comes from the use of a wine bottle opener! 

  While these films were used mainly as an excuse for showing lots of female flesh, I never really understood how or why these types of movies were so popular. As much as I enjoy seeing these beautiful women, I don't enjoy the story line and plot aspect of them being treated as love slaves for the Nazi officers.   I guess that was part of the point of these films, to make you uncomfortable.  It also serves to make the ending more enjoyable when you see the women get their revenge.  

  The film is well made and well paced, with hardly ever a dull moment.   The new transfer from Blue Underground is excellent, with a very crisp and clear picture.  It looks amazing for a film that is 48 years old!  

  LOVE CAMP 7 is available now on a 2-disc limited edition Blu-ray/DVD combo pack from Blue Underground and CAV and contains the following special features:

• NAZITHON: DECADENCE AND DESTRUCTION
• Theatrical Trailer
• Poster & Still Gallery
• BONUS Collectable Booklet featuring The History of Nazi-Exploitation by Paolo Zelati


CLICK HERE to watch the trailer
CLICK HERE to purchase the Blu-ray/DVD combo pack

 
 
 

DVD Review: DEAR GOD NO! (2011)

DEAR GOD NO!
Written & Directed by James Bickert
Produced/Distributed by Big World Pictures

 This film is nasty, and extremely offensive....so needless to say, I loved it!!

 If you are a fan of crazy, weird, and wacky exploitation horror films, then you are in for a treat with the film, DEAR GOD NO!  I've had this one for a while and just realized I had never done a review of it.  I popped it in the DVD player with very low expectations to be honest.  This is a very low budget independent film which we all know can go either way.  Usually these types of films are pretty bad, but I am happy to say that this film doesn't go down that road.  This film goes down a completely different road, one filled with bikers, babes, Nazis, and Sasquatch!   Ha!  It sounds crazy, I know, but somehow it all comes together and works!   Here is the official synopsis from the Big World Pictures website:

  Grab some popcorn, gas up the jalopy and grab your favorite girl. Big World Pictures presents the retro Bikers vs. Bigfoot feature film DEAR GOD NO! A thrill ride here to save cinema by delivering all the carnival fun of a 1970’s drive-in movie.  A vicious gang of thrill-kill bikers invades a home after a bloody shoot-out in a strip club. Humiliation and murder follow, but there is something in the basement and in the woods… Sasquatch! This shot on film politically incorrect exploitation throwback is a fun grab bag of biker film, home invasion flick, Bigfoot monster movie, stag loops, and even some Nazisploitation.

  One thing to take note of here is how well the filmmakers capture the look of an old 70's grindhouse flick.  Upon further research, I found out they shot this movie on 16mm film using vintage cameras, resulting in a sincere and unique dated look to the film.  This is a perfect throwback film and really makes me miss those old sleazy grindhouse films of the 1970's.  Thank goodness filmmakers like James Bickert are around to bring us new films that take us back to this great film era and genre.

  DEAR GOD NO! is not a horror movie per say, but it does have some horror elements throughout it.  It contains a good amount of gore, which all us horror fans love, and all of it seem to be practical effects.  This is crucial in making a throwback film, and the filmmakers did an excellent job with the blood and gore. 

  This film won't be for everyone.  It is pretty tasteless and offensive, so some viewers might be turned off by that.  For me, I loved every second of this film and hope to see more like it in the future.  It looks like that wait wont' be long, as director James Bickert has made a 2nd feature, a sequel to DEAR GOD NO! titled, FRANKENSTEIN CREATED BIKERS!   It just premiered at the 40th annual Atlanta Film Festival, and will be making the festival rounds in the coming months.  Expect a review of this new film right here on the 4H Blog as soon as I can get my hands on a copy of this film.   Until then, check out DEAR GOD NO! available now on DVD and Blu-ray!


CLICK HERE to visit the film's official website
CLICK HERE to purchase the DVD
CLICK HERE to purchase the Blu-ray

 
 

Blu-ray Review: BLACK MAMA, WHITE MAMA (1973)

BLACK MAMA, WHITE MAMA
Directed by:  Eddie Romero
Distributed by Arrow Films / MVD Entertainment Group

 Arrow Films continues to keep putting out some of the greatest releases of classic horror, exploitation, and grindhouse flicks.   One of their latest releases is BLACK MAMA, WHITE MAMA, a great exploitation film from the early 70's.  Here is a synopsis of the film courtesy of the MVD website:

  Before her iconic turn in Coffy, Pam Grier starred alongside Margaret Markov in a grindhouse spin on Stanley Kramer's The Defiant Ones, fusing the Women in Prison film with the emerging Blaxploitation movement for a riotous romp of bullets, babes and blood! Lee (Grier), a tough prostitute and Karen (Markov), a revolutionary, are admitted to a tough women's prison where almost immediately (after some playful showering that prefigures Porky's) they clash. Packed off to a maximum security prison, their transport is ambushed by Karen's guerrilla friends and the two escape into the Filipino jungle. Chained together and with differing escape plans their clash intensifies as Lee wants to retrieve a stash of stolen cash to get her off the island and Karen wants to re-join her revolutionary group. Escape isn't easy as they come up against a series of obstacles including a corrupt cop, a bounty hunter, a sadistic Drug Lord and guerrillas who threaten to turn everything upside down. Chock full of girl fights, gun battles, nudity and humour, Black Mama White Mama, which was also known as Women in Chains and Hot, Hard and Mean, lives up to all its titles as well as featuring a brilliant Sid Haig (Spider Baby, House of 1000 Corpses) as a cowboy bounty hunter and Lynn Borden (Frogs, Dirty Mary Crazy Larry) as a lesbian guard from a script co-written by Jonathan Demme (Caged Heat) and a score sampled by Quentin Tarantino for Kill Bill.

 I have to admit I've always loved the women-in-prison films from the 70's and 80's.   This film is has many elements of that type of film, along with elements of the more extreme ILSA films of the 70's.  The film is also a revenge flick, and an action flick with tons of gun fights and explosions.  Part of this film reminded me of the old Charles Bronson DEATH WISH films.  Pam Grier was excellent as the no holds barred, strong leader of the women.  She never backed down from a fight with fellow prisoners or from the many people after her and her partner once they escaped.

  A special treat for horror fans will be the appearance of genre vet, Sid Haig.   A lot of horror fans these days might only know Haig from his more recent films like HOUSE OF 1000 CORPSES, and THE DEVIL'S REJECTS.   If that's how you know him, you will hardly recognize him as Rueben the bounty hunter in this film.  He is always a great actor and brings a certain charm to any character he portrays, and this is no different.

  While not a horror film by any means, it's an exploitation/sexsploitation film at it's finest.  I highly recommend this one to all genre fans!

  BLACK MAMA, WHITE MAMA is available now from Arrow Video and MVD Entertainment and contains the following special features:

*  High Definition Blu-ray (1080p) and Standard Definition DVD presentations
*  Original mono audio (uncompressed PCM on the Blu-ray)
*  Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
*  Commentary by filmmaker Andrew Leavold, director of The Search for Weng Weng
*  White Mama - An interview with star Margaret Markov
*  Sid’s Filipino Adventure - An interview with star Sid Haig
*  The Mad Director of Blood Island - A previously unseen archive interview with director Eddie Romero
*  Trailer
*  Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Sean Phillips


CLICK HERE to watch the trailer
CLICK HERE to purchase the Blu-ray

Blu-ray Review: ISLAND OF DEATH (1976)

ISLAND OF DEATH
Directed by  Nico Mastorakis
Distributed by Arrow Films / MVD Entertainment

   This might be one of the sleaziest, nastiest, filthiest movies I have ever seen, and I loved every minute of it!  Let's not take too much time thinking about what that says about me, instead lets talk about one of the craziest films to come out of the 1970's, ISLAND OF DEATH.   Here is some plot info from the MVD website:

THE LUCKY ONES GOT THEIR BRAINS BLOWN OUT!! Welcome to Mykonos, the holiday destination of choice for sun, sea and slaughter! From cult director Nico Mastorakis, Island of Death is a travelogue of atrocities with scenes so strong that the British Government was once compelled to ban it as a "video nasty". Arriving on the idyllic Greek island, Christopher and Celia appear to be every inch the perfect, handsome young couple. Little do the welcoming locals realise that they are in fact a pair of murderous degenerates, determined to spread their own particular brand of perversion across the island. DIY crucifixions, opportunistic bestiality, sexual peeing and murder by all conceivable forms ensue - including death by makeshift blowtorch, samurai sword, dump truck and more! Shocking, brutal and totally politically incorrect in its outlook, Island of Death is a gruelling cinematic experience devised by director Mastorakis to out-do the excesses of The Texas Chain Saw Massacre, which he was hugely inspired by. Now fully uncut and newly-restored from the original negative, fans can enjoy Island of Death in all its sleazy, lurid glory.

  This film has been hard to find on DVD lately, only being available in an out of print DVD from Image Entertainment. Luckily, the wonderful folks at Arrow Films have got their hands on this film and have released it as a beautiful Blu-ray/DVD combo pack which is being distributed through MVD Entertainment.  This new 2K restoration of the film is pretty amazing.  From the film quality there is now way you could guess that the film was over 38 years old!  Arrow always does a remarkable job with their releases and this one is no different. 
 
  The film itself is one that is really hard to explain.  The only real story is that a couple go on vacation to a Greek island and then just kill people at random. That's about it!   But, the way they go about it is what makes this movie.  They take pride on killing people in pretty unique ways, many times after just seducing them and/or having sex with them.  To say this is a strange movie would be a remarkable understatement.  

  The movie is very hard to categorize as well.  While it's horror for sure, it has elements of a giallo, exploitation, and sexsploitation film as well.    If you have never had a chance to see this wonderfully messed up film, now is the time to do so with this wonderful Arrow release.

  ISLAND OF DEATH will be released this coming Tuesday, May 26th.   The Blu-ray will be loaded with tons of special features, which include the following:

*  Brand new 2K restoration of the film from the original camera negative, approved by writer-director-producer Nico Mastorakis
*  High Definition Blu-ray (1080p) and Standard Definition DVD presentations
*  Original Mono audio (uncompressed PCM on the Blu-ray)
*  Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
*  Exploring Island of Death – film historian Stephen Thrower on the making of a cult classic
*  Return to Island of Death – Mastorakis returns to the original Mykonos locations
*  Archive interview with Mastorakis
*  Alternative opening titles
*  Island Sounds – five original tracks from the Island of Death soundtrack
*  Original Theatrical Trailer
*  The Films of Nico Mastorakis – four-part documentary charting the director’s filmmaking career [Blu-ray only]
*  Nico Mastorakis Trailer Reel [Blu-ray only]
*  Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Graham Humphreys
*  Fully-illustrated collector’s booklet featuring new writing by academic and film historian Johnny Walker


CLICK HERE to watch the trailer  (WARNING - Red Band Trailer - Contains Nudity - NSFW)
CLICK HERE to purchase the Blu-ray

DVD Review: BLOOD OF 1000 VIRGINS

BLOOD OF 1000 VIRGINS
Distributed by Full Moon Features

  I am loving the Grindhouseflix line of films that Full Moon has put out recently!  BLOOD OF 1000 VIRGINS is another great title from that line of films.  Here is a description of the film from the Full Moon website:

  The young and the innocent have their lives threatened by sick degenerates, evil creatures, and the devil himself! Will they escape with their virginity intact? Will they get revenge on their pervy attackers? Will our host make it out alive?  All these questions and more will be stripped down and explored in the sultriest series of trailers hosted by "Playboy Playmate" Nikki Leigh.
Bare witness as our host guides you through topics like MALE and FEMALE VIRGINS, learn as she explains the many REASONS FOR STAYING A VIRGIN, run in fear while being chased by those WHO HUNT VIRGINS, and watch the blood fly when the tables are turned with the REVENGE OF THE VIRGIN.
So stay intimately close to our host as you wade ankle deep through the BLOOD OF 1000 VIRGINS!

  First off, I was amazed that there were so many films about this subject!  I guess it was a pretty hot topic back in the 70's which is when most of these trailers look like they are from.  There are tons of exploitation films on display here, some you will have heard of probably, but a bunch that I have a feeling you might not have ever known existed.  I know there were plenty on here that I didn't know about.   Some of the films are your mainstream sex comedies, and party/teenager flicks, but there are a few that are just totally out there.  Take for instance the film CHATTER BOX, about a woman with a talking vagina!  Or, DEADLY WEAPONS about a woman with huge, um...weapons, that she uses to kill the bad guys with!  This is crazy stuff that you just don't see anymore these days.   It is awesome to have all of these films preserved in a trailer compilation like this.

  This is one of the most enjoyable of the Grindhouseflix in my opinion.   I love trailer compilations like this.  I enjoy seeing all these old films and discovering new ones that I have never heard of.

  BLOOD OF 1000 VIRGINS is available now on DVD and at fullmoonstreaming.com, and contains the following special features:

Special Features Include: -Charles Band Grindhouse Intro
-Nikki Leigh Interview
-Mike Diva's Grindhouse Megamix
-Blood of 1000 Virgins Trailer
-Six Grindhouse Trailers


CLICK HERE to watch the trailer
CLICK HERE to purchase the DVD

DVD Review: GESTAPO'S LAST ORGY

GESTAPO'S LAST ORGY
Directed by Cesare Canevari
Distributed by Intervision Pictures/Severin Films

  I have always been a huge fan of exploitation films.   I can really appreciate a film that shows something different, something you aren't expecting, and something truly shocking.   There are many different sub-genres to the exploitation films, one of my favorite being the naziploitation films of the later 70's.   GESTAPO'S LAST ORGY is by far one of the craziest of the naziploitation films.  Here is the plot synopsis from the film's imdb.com page:

  Lise Cohen is taken to a special prisoner-of-war camp for female Jews, a camp run as a bordello to entertain the German officers and troops going in to battle. The camp is run with an iron fist by Commandant Starker and his minion Alma. Starker becomes frustrated when Lise demonstrates no fear, and devises cruel experiments to scare her, to no avail. Once she realizes her guilt is unfounded, Lise begins to play Starker's game, but even though she begins living a better life, she doesn't forget the atrocities she has seen and experienced.

  This is one of the better films in the Nazi exploitation film library in every way.  The film is well made and shot well, even if what we are viewing on screen is not a pretty subject.    The movie is hard to watch, of course, and reminds viewers that atrocities such as this actually happened during Hitler's Nazi reign.

  The filmmakers didn't hold anything back when it comes to showing the horrors that the Nazi soldiers put upon the women of the camp.  The women at the camp were basically sex slaves, and were treated very inhumanly, all for the enjoyment of the Nazi Generals and the wicked warden, Alma.   One only has to watch the scene where Alma throws a menstruating woman to a pack of hungry dogs to see just how cruel this woman is.

  The main character Lise figures out quickly that the best way to survive is to form a special sexual relationship with one of the head Generals.  She plays this game the entire time which makes life easier for her inside, even though she has to watch and even participate in some of her fellow inmates deaths.

  GESTAPO'S LAST ORGY is not for the squeamish.  It has some scenes that are extremely hard to watch, but if you like films like SALO, SALON KITTY, and ILSA: SHE WOLF OF THE S.S., you will definitely like this one.

  GESTAPO'S LAST ORGY is available now on DVD from Intervision Pictures and contains the following special features:

*  A Brief History of Sadiconazista- Interview with Film Historian Marcus Stiglegger
*  Theatrical Trailer

  Also, I want to point out the super cool retro looking cover art to this new release.  This DVD cover art is much more fitting to this film than that of previous DVD releases.  This release is totally uncut and uncensored, so you are getting the best cut of the film with this release. 


CLICK HERE to watch the trailer
CLICK HERE to purchase the DVD

DVD Review: ZOOM IN: SEX APARTMENTS (1980)

 
ZOOM IN:  SEX APARTMENTS
Directed by:  Naosuke Kurosawa
Distributed by Impulse Pictures / Synapse Films

 As most of you know, I love Japanese horror films.  Not the mainstream Japanese films (Ringu/Ju-On, ect.), but the lower key, independent films from Japan (THE UNTOLD STORY, EBOLA SYNDROME, etc).  Another horror sub-genre that I love is exploitation films, and once again, the Japanese filmmakers really outdo our American counterparts.  The Japanese always turn it up a  notch and just go a little further than we would here in the States.   Proof of this is  the subject of my latest review, ZOOM IN:  SEX APARTMENTS.   It's a crazy title for an even crazier film.  Here is the basic plot of the film from the Synapse Films website:

Saeko, a woman with a mysterious past, is hit with a rock and brutally raped by a man wearing a dark mask and black gloves. Her life is spared, but soon brutal murders befall the residents of the Kibougahara Apartment building. The victims are beaten, killed, and their genitals are set on fire. Saeko has her suspicions about the killer’s identity, but will she live long enough to unmask the pyromaniac?

  The first thing I realized after watching this film is that I had just watched a Dario Argento movie, had Dario Argento been Japanese.   The movie had that feel to it, like an early giallo film of Argento's from the early 1970's.  Even the killer has the classic look with the black trench coat and black gloves.   Dario Argento would be proud!

 As I mentioned, the Japanese always seem to take it a step further, so instead of a mystery man just killing the women of the apartment complex, he goes one step further and lights their genitals on fire.  Not in the sexy sense of the term, but literally pours lighter fluid on their genitals and ignites them.  Crazy stuff for sure.  

If you are a fan of Japanese horror/exploitation films, this is one you will want to check out for sure.


ZOOM IN:  SEX APARTMENTS is available now on DVD and contains the following special features:

*   Newly Translated Removable English Subtitles
*   Original Theatrical Trailer
*   Liner notes from Japanese film scholar, Jasper Sharp



CLICK HERE to purchase the DVD
 

DVD Review: WOMEN IN PRISON TRIPLE FEATURE

 

WOMEN IN PRISON TRIPLE FEATURE
(CHAINED HEAT/RED HEAT/JUNGLE WARRIORS)
Distributed by Panik House Entertainment/Synapse Films

Panik House Entertainment has put out an excellent release with the WOMEN IN PRISON TRIPLE FEATURE.  This DVD includes 3 classic sexploitation films, all dealing with...well, women in prison!
The DVD includes CHAINED HEAT, RED HEAT, and JUNGLE WARRIORS. Here are the plots of these films from the Synapse Films/Panik House Entertainment website:

CHAINED HEAT
Linda Blair (The Exorcist) stars as Carol Henderson, a woman sentenced to 18 months in federal prison after accidentally killing a man. With the perverted warden (John Vernon, Animal House) seducing the inmates and two rival gangs fighting a race war, Carol struggles to survive her remaining days in the sleazy slammer. Also stars cult film favorites Sybil Danning, Tamara Dobson and Stella Stevens. Newly re-mastered in anamorphic widescreen and presented totally uncut for the first time in North America!

RED HEAT
Linda Blair heads back to prison as American tourist Christine Carlson, a woman wrongly sentenced to three years in a brutal East German penitentiary after being forced to admit to false charges of espionage. Tormented by the evil prisoner Sofia (Sylvia Kristel, Emmanuelle), Christine must fight for her life as her fiancée tries to rescue her from the sadistic hell behind bars. Presented in Anamorphic Widescreen.

JUNGLE WARRIORS
A group of gorgeous models flies to a South American country to scout locations for a photo session. When their plane is shot down, the models are imprisoned and subjected to horrible torture and rape by an evil drug lord. In an effort to escape, the girls grab some firepower, take revenge, and try to shoot their way to freedom! Stars Sybil Danning and John Vernon. Presented in Anamorphic Widescreen.

So far, I have only watched the first film of the three, CHAINED HEAT.  I have always heard about this film but had never seen it until this release.   The film is exactly what you expect from this type of movie.  It is a reminder of the great grindhouse days of the 70's and 80's.  All three of these films are from the mid 80's and boy does it show!   This adds to the nostalgia of the film, though.  Big hair and bad music reminds us just how crazy the 80's really were!  
The acting in CHAINED HEAT is actually pretty good for this type of film.  The film is full of action, there are really no slow parts in it at all which is good.  Another good thing is this film actually has a  pretty good story to it.  A lot of these types of films don't have much of a story and were obviously just made to capitalize on the female nudity, but this film wasn't made just for that...although there is plenty of that as well!   Also, there is some pretty graphic violence in this film, particularly a  cringe worthy scene were a prisoner is  hooked in the neck  in a bathroom stall.  They don't call it the pokey for nothing!! 

Fans of this subgenre of exploitation film should not pass up this great DVD set.  3 Great movies for the price of one!   The DVD is out now from Panik House Entertainment/Synapse Films.

CLICK HERE to watch the trailer for CHAINED HEAT
CLICK HERE to watch the trailer for RED HEAT
CLICK HERE to watch the trailer for JUNGLE WARRIORS
CLICK HERE to purchase the DVD