EATEN ALIVE -- Blu-ray Review by Porfle

 Originally posted on 2/10/18

 

Director Umberto Lenzi's gut-munching follow-up to his 1972 cannibal flick THE MAN FROM THE DEEP RIVER, 1980's EATEN ALIVE (Severin Films) is a deliriously deranged jungle tale in which a Jonestown-like religious cult in New Guinea is constantly menaced by a surrounding tribe of ever-famished cannibals.

One woman seduced into the cult, Diana Morris (Paola Senatore), is being tracked down by her concerned sister Sheila (Janet Agren, RED SONJA) with the help of tough guy Mark Butler (Robert Kerman, CANNIBAL HOLOCAUST, THE CONCORDE: AIRPORT '79, Sam Raimi's SPIDER-MAN), a Viet Nam deserter picking up extra dough working as a mercenary.

Thus, we go from a New York setting (where familiar actor Mel Ferrer appears briefly as an expert in primitive cultures) to the savage heart of the jungle where Sheila and Mark barely escape being devoured on their way to finding the secluded compound of charismatic cult leader Jonas (Ivan Rassimov, PLANET OF THE VAMPIRES).  Here, they discover Diana still alive but brainwashed by drugs and mental programming.

What follows is the usual "infiltrating the religious cult" stuff as the good guys plan their escape, which will mean evading both Jonas' henchmen and hordes of hungry savages.  But with Umberto Lenzi at the helm this will also involve softcore sex (mostly of the rapey and/or weird ritualistic variety), lots of gratuitous nudity, and, as is typical of this genre, some rather stomach-churning scenes of actual animal slaughter.

The latter includes the disemboweling of a large iguana after which its entrails are eaten (ditto for several snakes and small alligator as well). This is especially disturbing considering that the extras in these scenes seem to have been hired through a classified ad for carnival geeks.  Another unwelcome sight occurs when a small monkey gets sucked down headfirst by a python. 

On the cannibal front, the scenes of people getting chowed down on are a real treat for those who didn't think BLOOD FEAST went anywhere near far enough.  The effects are pretty decent and at times quite convincing. 

None of this has much to do with the story, but Lenzi seems to enjoy cutting away to such culinary exploits now and then to keep us entertained.  Arms, legs, entrails, and even sexual organs comprise the gory feasts as the film more than earns its title.

Meanwhile, we follow the progress of Sheila and her sister as Mark tries to get them out of Jonas' compound and into the jungle.  It's a case of "out of the frying pan and into the fire" when the religious zealots and the cannibals converge on them from both sides. 

The result is a frenzy of wildly improbable nonsense that's both eventful and, in its own way, quite engaging.  To top it off, Lenzi stages his own version of the real-life end of the Jonestown colony, with Rassimov's screwloose religious guru presiding over it with suitably wild-eyed fanaticism.

After a final blood-soaked atrocity or two, we end up back in New York for more Mel Ferrer (i.e., getting your money's worth out of the film's one big-name actor) and a twist ending that's oddly inconclusive.

Lovely blonde Swedish actress Janet Agren is winsome as Sheila, as is the darkly brunette Paola Senatore as her sister Diana, and those interested will delight in their numerous nude scenes.  It's hard to rate their performances, though, since everyone's badly dubbed (all dialogue is delivered in English and dubbed into English, Spanish, and Italian) and their characters in particular are saddled with some of the most cringeworthy "Southern" accents of all time.

Coming off better in that area is Robert Kerman's passable bad-boy mercenary act (sort of a poor man's Han Solo) and cannibal-film queen Me Me Lai as Mowara, a native girl who risks her life to help. 

Kerman may be familiar to some for his frequent appearances in vintage porn films such as DEBBIE DOES DALLAS and THE SATISFIERS OF ALPHA BLUE under the name R. Bolla.  His acting skills gained him parts in many adult features in which such talent was actually required. 

Umberto Lenzi's skills as a director are rather artless, yet workmanlike and briskly efficient.  The film itself looks and sounds quite good for a low-budget effort of this nature.  Location shooting in both New York and Sri Lanka add much to the production values.  

The screenplay is a hoot and dotted with several priceless lines, as when Jonas describes the cannibals to Mark: "Their idea of lunch is hot, fresh entrails soaked in blood.  But we keep their proteins limited."

The Blu-ray from Severin Films looks and sounds great for a film like this, and the disc's bonus menu is customarily stocked.  "Welcome to the Jungle" is an interview with Umberto Lenzi, followed by a feature-length tribute to the queen of cannibal movies, Me Me Lai.  There's an interview with production designer Antonello Geleng, and then a very entertaining dual interview with Ivan Rassimov ("Jonas") and Robert Kerman ("Mark"). Rounding off the menu is a 2013 Q & A with Lenzi from the UK Festival of Fantastic Films, and a trailer.  The Blu-ray's cover art is reversible (see below).

To assess a film such as EATEN ALIVE one must take into consideration the fact that some will regard it with utter delight while others will find it incomprehensibly appalling.  Those in the latter camp are advised to steer clear--waaaay clear--while the former should consider this review to be a hearty recommendation. 


Pre-order it at Severin Films

Available February 20, 2018


Reversible cover art:

EATEN ALIVE -- Blu-ray Review by Porfle

SO SWEET...SO PERVERSE -- Blu-ray Review by Porfle

 Originally posted on 7/22/20

 

(SO SWEET...SO PERVERSE is part of the "Lenzi/Baker 4-Volume Blu-ray Collection" which also includes ORGASMO, A QUIET PLACE TO KILL, and KNIFE OF ICE.)


Another sumptuous entry in the late 60s 4-film collaboration between Italian director Umberto Lenzi (EATEN ALIVE) and exalted Hollywood actress Carroll Baker, SO SWEET, SO PERVERSE (Severin Films, 1969) takes us to Paris for a giallo tale of dangerous romance and deadly revenge that lives up to its title.

The first half of the story is standard romantic intrigue of the kind that gives the rich and famous something exciting to occupy their time. Wealthy businessman Jean (Jean-Louis Trintignant) is a man's man but endures a loveless marriage with cold fish Danielle (Erika Blanc) until he's driven into the arms of the beautiful but haunted Nicole (Carroll Baker), who just moved into the penthouse suite above their Victorian apartment building.

It's the stuff of naughty pulp romance fiction, as unhappily-married Jean's dalliance with alluring Nicole plays out amidst lavish playgrounds of the wealthy even as her constant fear of violent stalker Klaus (Horst Frank) remains forever between them.

The plot kicks into gear when Jean discovers that Klaus has actually been hired to kill him by person(s) unknown, with Nicole as the unwilling bait in the trap.

Now it's a matter of Jean and Nicole working together to foil the murder plot while finding out who's behind it. Is it Danielle, or is it someone we've yet to meet or suspect?

It all sounds rather predictable, but director Lenzi isn't done yet because there are better and more shocking plot twists to come. This makes the film increasingly involving and suspenseful as it strings us along, not knowing what's going on or who to trust, and at times even unsure who's dead and who's alive.

Dynamic direction and editing create a pleasing visual flow that makes Lenzi's films easy to watch.  As with his previous Baker starrer ORGASMO, production values are fairly lavish and there are some great found locations including that beautiful old apartment building with its cast-iron elevator and winding stairs. Other locations such as the sun-blanched French seaside and the bustling Parisian cityscapes are eye-pleasing.

Jean-Louis Trintignant (THE GREAT SILENCE) makes a likable hero as Jean, while the redoubtable Carroll Baker as Nicole can't help but captivate even in a role that doesn't really stretch her considerable talents all that much.

Needless to say, she attracts attention every moment she's on the screen, especially during her brief nude scenes. Horst Frank as the vile Klaus and Erika Blanc as pathetic Danielle also acquit themselves well.

The 2-disc Blu-ray from Severin Films features a fine-looking print that's fully restored in a new 2k scan from the original negative. Audio is in both Italian and English mono, with English subtitles.

The 2nd disc is a CD containing the musical scores of this and another Lenzi film, A QUIET PLACE TO KILL, as well as the main theme for another of his giallo films KNIFE OF ICE. The usual generous bonus menu contains extras listed below.

More of a dark romantic thriller than the typical bloody, knife-edged giallo (only one stabbing and it's off-camera), SO SWEET...SO PERVERSE keeps us interested thanks to a fine cast and engaging plot that pulls a few nasty but nice surprises on us. And as always, any chance to watch the divine Carroll Baker in action is its own reward.



Disc Specs for So Sweet… So Perverse:

    Aspect ratio: 2.35:1
    Audio: Italian mono DTS, English mono DTS
    Subtitles: Subtitles for Italian audio / SDH for English audio
    Region FREE

Special Features for So Sweet… So Perverse:

    Audio Commentary with Kat Ellinger, Author of ‘All The Colors Of Sergio Martino’
    Lenzi’s Lenses: Backstage Chat with the Director at The 1999 Nocturno Film Festival
    Equilateral Triangle: Screenwriter Ernesto Gastaldi on Lenzi
    Trailers
    Alternate Credit Sequence
    BONUS CD: So Sweet… So Perverse & A Quiet Place To Kill Remastered Soundtracks Plus Bonus Track: Knife Of Ice (Main Title Theme)

SO SWEET...SO PERVERSE -- Blu-ray Review by Porfle

A QUIET PLACE TO KILL -- Blu-ray Review by Porfle

Originally posted on 7/23/20

 

(A QUIET PLACE TO KILL is part of Severin's "Lenzi/Baker 4-Volume Blu-ray Collection" which also includes ORGASMO, SO SWEET...SO PERVERSE, and KNIFE OF ICE.)

You know you've hitched a ride on a fun movie when A QUIET PLACE TO KILL, aka "Paranoia" (Severin Films, 1970) opens with a scene as cool as Hollywood legend Carroll Baker (BABY DOLL, THE CARPETBAGGERS, HARLOW) casually donning a crash helmet and hopping into her souped-up racecar for a few high octane laps around the track.

Director Umberto Lenzi, who also directed Carroll in ORGASMO, SO SWEET...SO PERVERSE, and KNIFE OF ICE, seems to be having fun himself at the helm of this light, colorful giallo that breezes through some of the most outlandish plot twists that a decadent cast of wealthy sophisticates could get themselves into on the scenic seacoast of Spain.

The divine Miss Baker plays Helen, whose unfortunate racecar crack-up lands her in the hospital. There, she gets an invitation to convalesce at her ex-husband Maurice's oceanfront villa.

Despite the fact that she tried to kill the handsome but difficult young cad before their divorce, Helen motors her way there only to discover that Maurice has since gotten remarried to Constance, who was, in fact, the one who sent Helen the invitation.

Why, you may ask, would the current wife of Helen's ex-husband extend such an invitation to a woman for whom he most likely still harbors feelings of love, or, at least, lust?

Well--and this is the only big surprise I'm giving away because it happens fairly early and because I have to have something to talk about--it's because Constance wants to pay the cash-strapped Helen to help her murder Maurice.

While that would be enough story material for most movies to pad out till the fadeout, A QUIET PLACE TO KILL is just bursting out of the gate with this giddy revelation.

What follows is a veritable funhouse of plot twists, double-crosses, and other surprises, all involving Maurice and Constance's inquisitive friends as well as Constance's suspicious young stepdaughter, Susan, who returns home from school at the most inopportune time.

The film's original title, "Paranoia", is especially apt when the web of suspicion begins to weave itself inexorably around the guilty parties.

Lenzi's talent for setting such intrigue against beautiful and opulent backdrops is on full display here as watching the film feels a bit like a vicarious vacation in Spain.

It's a sharp contrast to the deadly events portrayed, although as a giallo this is still much less visceral than we would see in the coming decade.

The script offers some sharp, scintillating dialogue and situations--I love the scene where Helen sits between Maurice and Constance at dinner and they're both playing footsie with her--as well as vivid performances and a suspenseful story whose abrupt twists and turns are exhilarating.

The fact that the beautiful Carroll Baker spends much of her screen time in various states of undress doesn't hurt at all, nor do the fine performances from her and the rest of the cast, especially Jean Sorel (BELLE DU JOUR, A LIZARD IN A WOMAN’S SKIN) as Maurice, Anna Proclemer (ILLUSTRIOUS CORPSES) as Constance, and Marina Coffa (Joe Namath's THE LAST REBEL) as wild card Susan.

The Blu-ray from Severin Films is scanned from the original camera negative for the first time in America. Sound is Italian and English mono with English subtitles. The bonus menu, whose contents are listed below, provides added fun (don't forget to hunt for the Easter egg).

While guessing which characters are secretly in cahoots with each other, which ones aren't at all what they seem to be, and who's trying to kill who, it's best to just hang on to A QUIET PLACE TO KILL and go along for the ride. Fans of Umberto Lenzi, early giallo, and the great Carroll Baker should find it a trip worth taking.




Disc Specs for A Quiet Place to Kill:

    Aspect ratio: 2.35:1
    Audio: Italian mono DTS, English mono DTS
    Subtitles: Subtitles for Italian audio / SDH for English audio
    Region FREE

Special Features for A Quiet Place to Kill:

    Audio Commentary with Author & Critic Samm Deighan
    Sex and Conspiracy: Interview with Director Umberto Lenzi
    Alternate Credit Sequence
    Alternate Clothed Scene
    Short Deleted Scene

A QUIET PLACE TO KILL -- Blu-ray Review by Porfle

KNIFE OF ICE -- Blu-ray Review by Porfle

Originally posted on 7/24/20

 

(KNIFE OF ICE is part of the "Lenzi/Baker 4-Volume Blu-ray Collection which also includes ORGASMO, SO SWEET, SO PERVERSE, and A QUIET PLACE TO KILL.)


The final entry in the four-movie collaboration between director Umberto Lenzi and Hollywood superstar Carroll Baker, KNIFE OF ICE (Severin Films, 1972), moves into territory which, perhaps more than the previous three tales, typifies the popular image of the Italian "giallo" film genre during the 70s.

Rather than being an edgy but picturesque erotic/romantic thriller with minimal horror elements, this tense and sometimes shocking murder mystery is replete with foggy streets, a dark, shadowy mansion next to a cemetery, murder victims with faces frozen in wide-eyed terror, and a black-gloved homicidal maniac stalking a beautiful woman while the police are baffled by multiple suspects, some much more obvious than others.

There's also a possible supernatural element this time, since the murders seem tied to a local Satanic cult whose followers tend to have alarmingly grotesque eyes and hostile dispositions.

We'll see a lot of the main suspect, cult member Mason (Mario Pardo), a feral type who's seen emerging out of the dense fog (which this small Spanish village seems to have piped in from London) or peering from the bushes at a victim's funeral when not actually creeping around the leading lady's villa at night.

The lady in question, of course, is the divine Carroll Baker as Martha Caldwell, who lives with her uncle and his servants and has been mute ever since witnessing the death of her parents in a horrific train crash. 

Baker is fascinating to watch as always, and even more so here as she must emote using only body movements and facial expressions. Even without dialogue, she manages to create a sympathetic character we can care for.

Director Lenzi switches with easy aplomb from the opulent world of wealthy jet-setters to the more simple setting of rural Spain with its lush countryside and Old World architecture as well as simpler folk whose quiet lives are turned upside-down by the brutal murders suddenly taking place in their midst.

Poor Martha seems to be the epicenter of it all, suffering the tragic loss of friends and loved ones before becoming the killer's main target herself. Naturally, just about everyone she knows and trusts becomes a suspect, as an abundance of possible clues and red herrings present themselves to us.

The capable supporting cast includes Evelyn Stewart (THE SWEET BODY OF DEBORAH) as Martha's visiting cousin Jenny, Alan Scott as trusted friend Dr. Laurent, Eduardo Fajardo (NIGHTMARE CITY) as strangely secretive family chauffeur Marcos, George Rigaud (HORROR EXPRESS, EYEBALL) as Uncle Ralph, and Silvia Monelli (YESTERDAY, TODAY & TOMORROW) as stern housekeeper Mrs. Britton, whose possible love affair with Dr. Laurent may have something to do with the murders.

The Blu-ray from Severin Films is scanned in 2K from the original negative and looks great. Sound is in both Italian and English mono, with English subtitles. The bonus menu consists of an interview with Umberto Lenzi himself, an interview with author Stephen Thrower ("Nightmare USA") entitled "Carroll and Umberto’s Final Stab", the film's trailer, and an alternate credit sequence.

Lenzi himself states in the bonus interview that he had tired of making films about the glamorous lives of the rich and wanted to do something more down-to-earth in his final giallo with Carroll Baker. With KNIFE OF ICE he succeeded in creating just the kind of old-fashioned woman-in-peril murder mystery he set out to do, ending his collaboration with the "incredible" (Lenzi's word) Miss Baker with an immensely satisfying twist ending you'll not soon forget.



Disc Specs for Knife of Ice:

    Aspect ratio: 2.35:1
    Audio: Italian mono DTS, English mono DTS
    Subtitles: Subtitles for Italian audio / SDH for English audio
    Region A

Special Features for Knife of Ice:

    Carroll and Umberto’s Final Stab: Interview with Stephen Thrower, Author of ‘Nightmare USA’
    Until the Silence Screams: Interview with Director Umberto Lenzi
    Trailer
    Alternate Credit Sequence

KNIFE OF ICE -- Blu-ray Review by Porfle

ORGASMO -- Blu-ray Review by Porfle

 

Originally posted on 7/22/20

 

(ORGASMO is part of Severin Films' "Lenzi/Baker 4-Volume Blu-ray Collection" which also includes SO SWEET, SO PERVERSE, A QUIET PLACE TO KILL, and KNIFE OF ICE.)


Carroll Baker has been one of my top ten favorite actresses ever since the moment I realized that her performance in BABY DOLL was one of the best in the entire history of cinema. I find her fascinating to watch.

Needless to say, this greatly increased my enjoyment of Italian director Umberto Lenzi's 1969 giallo thriller ORGASMO (Severin Films), in which she stars as the widow of a deceased billionaire who now secludes herself in a lonely mansion in Italy until a handsome young free spirit named Peter (Lou Castel, A BULLET FOR THE GENERAL) suddenly enters her life and teaches her how to live again.

But even without the presence of the divine Carroll (BABY DOLL, GIANT, THE CARPETBAGGERS, HARLOW, CHEYENNE AUTUMN), this edgy exploitation tale would suffice quite nicely as lavish soap-opera trash of the kind that we can wallow in as if guiltily indulging in a Jacqueline Susann novel, with all the colorful ambience with which Italian exploitation cinema of the era can imbue such a story.

Bereft of happiness in her life save that which she derives from her devoted attorney and friend Brian (Tino Carraro, CAT O’ NINE TAILS), Kathryn responds eagerly to the spirited, almost satyr-like Peter, who moves into her mansion after his car breaks down right at her main gate. 

The lonely, repressed widow is easy prey to this charming, handsome, and, to her, irresistibly sexy young bohemian who so effortlessly insinuates himself into every aspect of her life and has her yearning for him even as his flippant, presumptuous attitude often infuriates her.

And when his beautiful young "sister" Eva (Colette Descombes, MONIKA) shows up, she's everything that Peter is but with the added guilty attraction of forbidden and maddeningly seductive lesbian desire.

It isn't long before the rich, spoiled, but emotionally vulnerable Kathryn finds herself as addicted to this intoxicating threesome as she is to the pills that Eva keeps giving her ("this will make you stop being tired") or slipping into her drink.

Where the story goes from there is what finally turns ORGASMO into the full-blooded giallo thriller that we've been expecting, complete with sudden violence (Paul and Eva aren't as devoted to "peace and love" as they pretend to be), blackmail, and other shocking developments that I won't go into, especially since the spoiler-y poster art itself is a strong indication of what poor Kathryn is in for.

Writer/director Lenzi (EATEN ALIVE) does some superlative work here (in what would be one of four collaborations with Baker), capturing a genuine mod 60s ambience in the threesome's wild nights of abandon and contrasting it with Kathryn's formerly staid, repressed existence within the walls of her mansion.

It's all deliciously cinematic, combining formal camera shots with a more free-form visual style that lets Lenzi's imagination run free. While the entire cast is fine, Baker in particular is a constant fascination and a joy to watch for a devotee such as myself, thanks in large part to several teasing glimpses of her in the nude.

The Blu-ray from Severin Films is scanned from the internegative of Lenzi’s Director’s Cut for the first time on Blu-ray. Audio is in both English and Italian mono with English subtitles. In addition to a bonus CD of the remastered musical score, the bonus menu is nicely stocked with choice features that are listed below in their entirety.

Lovers of Italian exploitation cinema and especially the wildly unpredictable giallo genre should have a great time delving into this frantic tale of a troubled woman trapped in a big shadowy mansion with frenzied tormentors inside and a mysterious club-footed stranger prowling around outside. ORGASMO gives us all that and Carroll Baker too, and it's freaky fun from start to finish.





Disc Specs for Orgasmo:

    Aspect ratio: 2.35:1
    Audio: Italian mono on Italian cut, English mono on English cut
    Subtitles: Subtitles for Italian audio / SDH for English audio
    Region A


 
Special Features for Orgasmo:

    Director’s Cut
    Audio Commentary with Film Critic, Author & Academic Alexandra Heller-Nicholas
    US X Rated Version + SDH subtitles
    Audio Commentary with Mondo-Digital’s Nathaniel Thompson & Troy Howarth, Author of ‘So Deadly So Perverse: 50 Years Of Italian Giallo Films’
    Giallo Fever: Interview with Director Umberto Lenzi
    US Trailer
    BONUS CD SOUNDTRACK: Orgasmo Remastered Soundtrack

ORGASMO -- Blu-ray Review by Porfle