(1973)
Dir - Christopher Speeth
Overall: WOOF
On the long list of bizarre regional horror films made by clueless unprofessionals, Malatesta's Carnival of Blood ranks high up there as far as reckless incoherence and sleazy ghoulishness goes. The lone directorial effort from director Christopher Speeth and screenwriter/co-producer Werner Liepolt, it was filmed on location in William Grove, Pennsylvania and takes a cue from the state's most famous horror proprietor George A. Romero by loading the movie with one unphotogenic non-actor after the other. Hervé Villechaize even shows up for a couple of seconds, but his inclusion is only one of all of the head-scratching components here. Even giving a plot synopsis is problematic since there hardly is one; instead it is just a series of nonsensical set pieces that come one after the other, centering around the carnival of the title that is overrun by either ghouls or just ugly people. Jerome Dempsey kind of leads the lot of them with his embarrassingly melodramatic line-readings and he is on some kind of quest to hire people to work for him and then have them run around all of the rides at night until he gets bored with this and has them murdered in order to drink their blood or whatever. The performances are pathetic and the budget is non-existent, but it goes hard with the head-scratching atmosphere and comes off like a Messiah of Evil/Carnival of Souls knock-off except done with no talent.
(1975)
Dir - J.C. Crickett
Overall: MEH
Two things were bound to collide in the mid 1970s and this would be gay underground pornography and The Exorcist. Enter Sex Demon, a long-thought lost debut from non-filmmaker/manager of The Gaiety Theatre in Times Square J.C. Crickett who shot his own knock-off of William Friedkin's frequently knocked-off masterpiece with no money, yet with a whole lot of hardcore man-on-man action instead. Be warned, even those who champion porn's Golden Era may not be prepared to see hardcore fisting, men's mouth getting filled up with urine, and screwdrivers being shoved into butt-holes. At least the camera cuts away during the latter moment's penetration and we only see the bloody post-insertion. It is all filmed with abysmal cinematography, gnarly-looking actors who are clearly not actors, and a slap-dash story that is barely present on account of the many unflattering sex scenes. Like some of the seedier adult films from the era that were not there to glamorize the decade's free sex and X-rated censorship freedoms, Crickett's work here is deliberately ugly and it fits right in with a story about a young man who gets taken over by evil forces and acts out his most rapey and animalistic impulses accordingly. It is a rough yet fascinating watch, representing a unique detour for two genre's that seldom meet and even if they do, never with such bizarre and unflinching determination.
(1977)
Dir - Joseph Mazzuca
Overall: MEH
Filmed in 1972 though not released until five years later, Sisters of Death was the last movie to be directed by Joseph Mazzuca, who predominantly worked as a production manager before and afterwards. Not that his work here shows much future promise, but given the circumstances, who could blame him? The story kicks off ominously with a sorority in blue robes looking all alms to Satan like who instead do a game of Russian roulette as an initiation, which goes about as not good as you would imagine. Fast forward several years, the surviving sisters of the title are mysteriously invited to a reunion in a swanky mansion with a pool, and then the actual story kicks into gear which is both preposterous and lame. By "kicks into gear" we mean "grinds to a halt" of course, with everyone trapped via an electric fence and just kind of crying, arguing, and ultimately accepting their mini-vacation while their crazy host immediately makes his presence known and bides his time in picking them off, for no other reason than to get the movie close enough to ninety-minutes. It all has a made-for-TV vibe that is void of nudity and bloodshed, making this a failure even on the exploitation front.
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