Can't be many films that start with a quote from the Comics Code, but it does kinda sum up the sensibilities here. It's part parody, part homage to horror comics, exploitation movies (David Friedman, producer of Blood Feast and Ilsa, has a cameo), juvenile delinquency, hot-rods, rock 'n' roll and Betty Page - you know the stuff. Blackie (Oblivian, looking like a young Bill Paxton or Kevin Bacon) is an alien sent back to Earth to complete the dozen murders he started in the 1950's. Unfortunately, he racks up 13 corpses, so is ordered to undo the extra, by killing #14 - who just happens to be the world's strongest woman, now on death row. Maker plays his old friend, Elkins channels Tura Satana, and there's enough nudity 'n' violence to keep everyone amused.
Indeed, the film's main problem is perhaps that it crams in too much; its 80 minutes sometimes feels like a lot longer, not least because of lurid cinematography which grabs you by the eyeballs and squeezes hard. Sometimes, less is more, and it's not as if the rest of the film needs distracting from. Technically a little rough, especially in the sound department, but you can't really complain about a film which features a catfight in the electric chair and ends with... No, I shouldn't say. This is all over the place and, while not all of it works, enough does to make for viewing that's never far from entertaining. We saw three films today at TC Towers: although the competition had much bigger budgets, this was the only one for which Chris and I stayed awake throughout. There's no substitute for imagination, even an excess of it.
B-
