(1971)
Dir - Don Barton/Arnold Stevens
Overall: WOOF
Inexplicably made for $75,000 and not the $0 that it looks like, Zaat, (Blood Waters of Dr. Z, Attack of the Swamp Creatures), is textbook regional garbage and deservedly regarded as one of cinema's worst offenders of the medium. Shot in Florida because of course it was, directors Don Barton and Arnold Stevens never made another feature-length after this, so at least we were sparred anything else that they could have come up with. Full of abysmal acting, abysmal pacing, and one of the all time worst monster suits, it tells the brain dead story of a mad scientist that deliberately turns himself into a Creature from the Black Lagoon knock-off in order to get revenge on people who did not think that he could turn himself into a Creature from the Black Lagoon knock-off. Flimsy stuff to hinge a hundred minute-long movie on, the inept production wears thin within its opening and baffling first act which features fish stock footage, unhurried narration, and a lazy transformation scene where Marshall Grauer lowers himself into a vat of water and instantaneously turns into another actor in a rubber suit. Said creature is given plenty of screen time, (when the other poor thespians are not sleepwalking through dialog scenes), showcasing its laughable design in fully-lit and unimaginative cinematography. There is also a musical hippy scene because goddammit, this movie was determined to be worse than cancer.
(1972)
Dir - Hollingsworth Morse
Overall: MEH
Tom Selleck and Vic Diaz, together at last! Daughters of Satan is just as D-rent and lousy as every other exploitation horror movie that was made in the Philippines during the 1970s, but it does have the distinction of having an actual charismatic actor in the lead. Selleck manages to maintain his dignity and delivers a performance that dwarfs the either stiff or scenery-chewing exploits of his co-stars, but this is hardly enough to make the resulting film watchable. Screenwriter John C. Higgins had been working steadily since the 1930s, but his story about a coven of witches and a painting that features a woman who looks exactly like Selleck's on-screen wife Barra Grant burning at the stake is poorly handled by television director Hollingsworth Morse. It is difficult to lay the fault solely at the man behind the lens though since Filipino trash heaps like this were never equipped with proper funds and were generally shot in a rush. Still, there is a steady lack of atmosphere and long stretches of zero action, with some shots of sadistic nudity only arriving an hour apart from each other to spice things up. Just like Sellek's glorious mustache though, this is not enough.
(1977)
Dir - Ralph Bakshi
Overall: MEH
A significant work from writer/director/producer/animator Ralph Bakshi, Wizards was his first fantasy film and one that made early use out of rotoscoping. Bakshi would use the latter technique with his Lord of the Rings adaptation as well as Fire and Ice and here it is combined with his distinctive and cartoony style that was previously exemplified in his debut Fritz the Cat. The story was allegedly cobbled together in a manner of weeks and it is in fact bare bones, pitting two ancient sibling wizards against each other as clear good and evil counterpoints. Set in a distant future where humankind has evolved into elves, fairies, and trolls and the like, the bad guy has discovered Nazi footage from World War II, which he utilizes to rally his troops and strike fear into his enemies. This provides the film with a clear metaphor for the rise of fascism and use of technological propaganda for unwholesome means, but the film is more light on its feet than heady. While the live action and animation styles create a visually fetching mix, (helped by backgrounds designed by acclaimed artists Ian Miller and Mike Ploog), the contemporary voice slang, dopey humor, and slack pacing leave something to be desired.
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