Like Rabid Dogs (1976)

Alfred Hitchcock's The Rope was a tale of rich kids murdering just for kicks inspired by real-life murderers, Nathan Leopold and Richard Loeb. Come Cani Arrabbiati (original title) is also a tale of murderous rich kids inspired by a real life event - the Circeo Massacre.

Agent 69 Jensen in the Sign of Sagittarius (1978)

We've covered three in this astrological series so far: In the Sign of the Gemini (1975) In the Sign of the Lion (1976). and Agent 69 in the Sign of Scorpio (1977).  As stated before, these films achieve something pornos from other countries never achieved: they don't feel like pornos.  Add to that, they could probably have done away with the hardcore bits and been better (and more successful).  When porno directors in the seventies dreamed of making hardcore films with big budgets for the masses (as depicted in Dirk Diggler's opus in Boogie Nights) - this is kind of what they were dreaming of: slick production, good acting, well known stars, and a story that can stand on its own right without the hardcore bits.

Let's have a look at the latest one to date in the series. I'm not sure if there are others, so this sadly may be our last one.

Love Me Deadly (1972)

I had heard that this was an extremely warped movie, making it incomprehensible that Lyle Waggoner of Wonder Woman and The Carol Burnett Show would star in it.  But it was the seventies - times were different.

Unmasked Part 25 (1989)

It's a self-referential slasher movie from the UK, complete with pop synth score and dark humor.  The premise is basically - What if Jason had a mid-life crisis?  Sound intriguing?  Let's have a look.

Busty Housewives of Beverly Hills (2012)

It's by my favorite B-movie director from the past couple decades, Fred Olen Ray - AND it's presented in Hypno-Visto.  I'm not sure what this means (other than the DVD has "subliminal" messages inserted.

What intrigued me most about this is that it's from 2012... a time when porn is readily available at the click of a button, for free. How does a movie like this, which would have had a place in the eighties and nineties, even exist?  Is there still a need for late-night cable erotica?  I don't know, but I thought it would be nice to check out what ol' Fred Olen Ray was up to these days... or rather six years ago.  (My god time flies.)

Blue Eyes of the Broken Doll (1974)

Original Title: Los ojos azules de la muñeca rota 
In this Spanish giallo, Paul Naschy is an ex-con who comes to stay with three sisters in a remote homestead.  Upon his arrival, blonde villagers are murdered and their eyeballs stolen.  Who's doing these grisly murders?  Let's find out...

Shirts Up Knickers Down (1972)

Original Title: Liebe durch die Autotür 
Are you ready for talking cars and inflatable sex robots?  Neither was I when I pressed "play" on this sexploitation flick from Austria, expecting it to be your typical sleazy romp.  "Odd" doesn't come close to describing this one.

Undercover Heat (1995)

There were so many erotic thrillers in the late eighties and nineties featuring female cops going undercover at strip clubs.  Everyone knows the Stripped to Kill series, and we encountered it in Dance with Death.  Here, instead of going undercover as a stripper, our hero poses as a prostitute.  Directed by the man behind Animal Instincts II, so we know what to expect...

The Bod Squad (1974)

A group of white girls are abducted by Chinese sex slavers. The ladies learn martial arts and provide a beat down to their oppressors... nude, of course.  If you enjoy your martial arts topless, this is the film for you.

The Beach Girls (1982)

A couple party animals take over their friend's beach house and hold wild parties. It's directed by who had helmed Coach, starring Cathy Lee Crosby in 1978, and Alice in Wonderland: An X-Rated Musical Fantasy in '76.  With credentials like those, it may be worth a look.

Horror House on Highway Five (1985)

Prior to this film, the director Richard Casey had only done a music video for Blue Öyster Cult and Aldo Nova.  I think that's what lends this horror film a very unique and refreshing vibe, with cool music and style that is anything but typical.

Death Mask (1998)

Written by and starring Sheriff Rosco P. Coltrane from The Dukes of Hazzard (James Best).  Plus, it stars Linnea Quigley - so, needless to say, I'm all in...

Daughter of Dracula (1972)

Original title: La fille de Dracula; this is actually the eleventh Franco film reviewed on VZ1.  As much as I complain about his perverted, often incompetent, movies, they are a huge part of seventies Euro-sleaze.  This one falls in the vampire genre - a domain often explored by fellow Euro-sleaze maker, Jean Rollin.  I'm sure it will be much less pretentious than a Rollin picture, but will be just as incomprehensible.  Let's have a look.