Customer Reviews

Grindhouse Occult Double Feature

5 star:		(0)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Not so much "occult" as "religious cult". There I was, hoping to see some al fresco naked prancing deep in the woods along with some gratuitous satanic sacrifices, but it was not to be. What we actually have here are a couple of fairly routine hardcore flicks. Although both films are listed as 1976 productions, there are some doubts as to the accuracy of this in the case of `The Sins of Reverend Star'.

`The Sins of Reverend Star' is the first offering in this two DVD set. We all know that the prints that some of these DVDs are taken from in After Hours' `Grindhouse' series can be pretty poor. This one has a pulsing red glow throughout most of the film. According to the accompanying liner notes, it's not known whether this was deliberate, or just a result of the deterioration of the film stock. Either way, it's extremely annoying.

The Reverend Star has a medallion that enables him and his male followers to mesmerize any woman who takes their fancy. While under their spell, these ladies take part in various couplings and the occasional ritual for new initiates. But don't worry: our hero, a detective (sorry, this film carries no credits), is on the case. He discovers that the whole set-up is just a debauched front for a drugs racket. The hilariously awful denouement is accompanied on screen by the red glow which has now reached radioactive level.

Joseph Davian's `Night of Submission' has a couple of positives going for it. The wonderful Annie Sprinkle and Vanessa Del Rio both appear in this slightly edgier offering. There's some mild S & M and in some scenes, the men appear to be wearing prototypes for Borat's mankini. Again, the quality of the film print is variable with lines and splotches heavily ingrained.

A magazine editor (Carter Stevens) is chasing a story about voodoo. He is aware that there are some local practitioners who, along with sticking pins into pieces of wax, like to stick their body parts into, well, other people's body parts. Orgies, light whips, crops, chains? All part of the ritual, don't you know.

The sexual content in both of these films is of the hardcore variety; watchable, but, for the most part, quite dull. It's always good to see Annie Sprinkle, but her appearance in `Night of Submission' is disappointingly brief; we only see her with Carter Stevens and she takes no part in the ritualistic part of the story. Nevertheless, she puts in a typically energetic performance and is easily the best reason for purchasing this set.

I grew up with all types of Grindhouse theaters in my neighborhood back in the day, and LOVED checking out the current crop of sleaze with my friends and various girlfriends when Hollywood wasn't offering anything of substance for our age group, which was most of the time then.
As a result, I was witness to an infinite amount of both good and bad grindhouse /adult /cult /ex- and sexploitation flicks, and have never committed a sex crime, gotten arrested, killed or tortured anyone, love animals and have had many enjoyable, healthy relationships with various women through the decades, so these movies DON'T rot our minds and make us perverse predators as some would have you believe. I just want to go on record with that thought before I trash these two abominations of cinematic sewage.
These, as well as the other 'Grindhouse Double/Triple Features' available on Amazon and elsewhere that I've seen are among the WORST of the genre, bar none. They tend to portray people in the most unfavorable light imaginable, and folks are way more screwed up today then they were then, though the seeds were probably planted and took root by the end of the 'me' decade.
'A Night Of Submission' has something to do with a Voodoo cult in New York City and features an early appearance by Vanessa Del Rio, but there's nary a plot and the sex scenes are forgettable.
'The Sins Of Reverend Star' is about a cult leader who takes control of women's minds with some cheesy amulet that makes them looser than a pair of 5 year-old jeans on Marie Osmond, as long as we're dwelling on the 70's. Again, the sex scenes are boring, forgettable and suffer from a red pulsating glow that makes the bad seem intolerable.
At the prices asked for these clunkers, you couldn't possibly throw your cash away on anything worse... donate the cash to a local animal shelter and watch some proper porn on your computer for free - you'll feel better about yourself after squeezing one off...

This Dvd Movie is very Poor as well
half way thu it its dark and black and you could not see what was going on in the dvd they story line was great to read on th box how ever could not see what was going on in the film of the dvd. now that I am stick with this dvd I wish I could send both dvd's back and get my money back it the poor of a dvd