When is Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Black Cat” not Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Black Cat”? When it’s Luigi Cozzi’s The Black Cat, of course. Nary a soul should be startled by that, given the director’s history with others’ intellectual property. (This is where you Google “cozzilla.”) However, with Poe’s bibliography residing whole-hog in the public … Continue reading The Black Cat (1989)→
Within the first few minutes of Shining Sex, we find Jess Franco’s muse Lina Romay (Revenge in the House of Usher) plumping up her breasts and vagina to a tune that sounds like Procol Harum’s Matthew Fisher jamming on the Hammond. As her bare pubis humps the heck out of some shag carpeting, an emotionless … Continue reading Shining Sex (1977)→
Right away, Revenge in the House of Usher renders itself suspect due to three things: • referring to its source material, an Edgar Allan Poe short story of about two dozen pages, as a “novel” • misspelling that legendary author’s name as “Edgard Allan Poë” • being written and directed by Jess Franco Book ’em, Dano. … Continue reading Revenge in the House of Usher (1983)→
The Jess Franco film Night of Open Sex is purported to be an adaptation of Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Gold-Bug.” While I’ve always found that short story to be quite boring, the nonstop parade of black rugs in this movie does enliven the tale, even if it’s a bit much after the third or fourth … Continue reading Night of Open Sex (1983)→
In this Belgian waffler, sex symbol Sybil Danning assembles a team of six tough ladies to help take out an eco-terrorist group. Together, they form … The Panther Squad! Individually, they have … no names — one of a bounty of cues director Pierre Chevalier (Orloff Against the Invisible Man) put less effort into the … Continue reading The Panther Squad (1984)→