The grindhouse is like ballet — truly appreciated by only a few blessed and special individuals. And for those individuals, here’s a picture of my legs…
And, because I really, really love all of you, here’s an added bonus: six more of Lisa Marie’s Favorite Grindhouse and Exploitation trailers…
I’ve got this one on DVD, actually. Considering that it was produced by the notorious Harry Novak, it’s actually fairly entertaining and not just in a “WTF” sorta way. Still, I have to admit that the main reason I like this trailer is because of that “I don’t have to tell you anything,” line because I used to say that a lot when I was a child (actually, I still say it a lot). Unfortunately, I never had undead followers to help back up my words.
Now, admittedly, some claim that I was occasionally a just a tad bit bratty when I was a child. (The running joke, among my sisters, is that LMB stands for Little Mean Brat.) However, I was never quite this bad…
3) A*P*E (1976)
Speaking of being bratty…A*P*E was originally entitled The New King Kong until a lawsuit changed the title. By all reports, A*P*E was meant to be a “serious” film but it was advertised as being a spoof after the film’s distributors saw the final results. A*P*E shows up on AMC occasionally.
While we’re on the amorous monster front…I haven’t seen this one but it appears to be some sort of Swept Away With Big Foot type of film. The vibe here is definitely grindhouse pretentious.
Bigfoot was also one of the stars of Mysterious Monsters, one of the many faux grindhouse/drive-in documentaries of the 70s.
And finally, here’s the grindhouse documentary that started them all — the Italian Mondo Cane! None other than Giovanni Lombardo Radice has described this film as an example of “lingering fascism.” It also inspired Ruggero Deodato’s Cannibal Holocaust. Also, much like An Inconvenient Truth, it was nominated for a best original song Oscar. (Note to self: Write a future post on how much An Inconvenient Truth has in common with Mondo Cane…)
Finally, in conclusion, here’s one final scene from A*P*E…
Through the Shattered Lens 
I was wondering when you were going to get around to picking the Mondo Cane trailer. 🙂
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Originally, I wanted to be all controversial-like and use the trailer for the Mondo Cane follow-up, Addio Zio Tom. But that trailer apparently has a shelf-life of like about 30 minutes on YouTube because as soon as I came across it, it was yanked off.
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Tomorrow is your anniversary. 🙂
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These were all great.
While watching the trailer for “The Children”, I was thinking, “This looks like a typically cheesy low-budget horror film”, until I saw was that it was from the director of “Luther The Geek”. Why didn’t they say so sooner?
I could have sworn while watching the “A*P*E” trailer that I was watching “King Kong”, until I saw that “Not to be confused with ‘King Kong'” disclaimer at the end. I’m glad they cleared that up. (Boy, do I feel foolish.)
Love the final scene. I just recently saw that giving-the-finger part of that at the end of an anti-creationism documentary. I was, of course, amused, but had no idea from where the scene came. Now I know – thank you.
“Lobo”? Well, he is an artist. I am going to try to track “Tanya’s Island” down, simply because Tanya is so incredibly hot. (That’s Vanity, of ‘hangin’ with Prince and the Revolution in the 80’s’ fame, you know. Just beautiful.)
While (sort of) on the subject, I have been meaning to recommend a bigfoot-oriented exploitation film called “Night Of The Demon”. (Not to be confused with at least two other films with the same, possibly alternate title, one from 1957, and the other from 2002.) This one is from 1980. It may be difficult to find – I’m not sure if it has been released in DVD format. It is one of the “so bad it’s good” films. Until today, I had thought that it featured two scenes you would not find in any other film, but after seeing the “Tanya’s Island” trailer, and what seems to be happening in one of its scenes, I will tentatively change that to one scene. (I feel confident that “Night Of The Demon” will retain its claim to exclusivity with that other one.) I think you all would find it to be worth some effort to locate. If you do, please review it. It deserves its due recognition. 🙂
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🙂 I’m glad you enjoyed them.
I actually own a DVD that’s entitled Bigfoot Horror which includes four different Bigfoot movies on it. So far, I’ve only watched one of them — Shriek of the Mutilated which — title aisde — is probably one of the most boring films ever made. (Add to that, “Bigfoot” turns out to be a Satanist wearing a silly costume so it doesn’t even qualify as a real Bigfoot movie.) I’m going to check if Night of the Demon is included on that disk. If it’s not, I’m sure I can find a copy one way or the other. 🙂
This actually reminds me of a documentary that I’ve been meaning to review here — it’s called something like In Search of Sasquatch (?) and even though that probably makes it sound really silly, it’s actually really good and kinda poignant. It’s not so much about whether or not Bigfoot exists as much as it’s about three different men who have dedicated their lives to trying to track him down and prove his existence. It’s a real treat, I’ll have to watch it again and review it soon. 🙂
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Thanks for spoiling the end of “Shriek Of The Mutilated” for me. That was near the top of my “must-sees”. Sigh.
The documentary you described sounds like one I saw called “Not Your Typical Bigfoot Movie” (2008). It chronicles two (maybe three – I can’t remember for sure) guys who have attempted to strike it rich by capturing definitive proof of the existence of Bigfoot. They are of meager means, and at the time of the film, had devoted all of their time to the project. They seem sincere and are very likable, and you do feel sympathy for them.
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Trust me, I didn’t spoil the ending of the film. I spoiled maybe the 1st half-hour of the film. 🙂
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And that’s why we say LMB stands for Little Mean Brat. 😉
❤
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“Adio Zio Tom” is the single-biggest gut punch in movie history. It’s exploitative, deeply racist, insulting, infuriating — and also the the most horrifying and necessary portrayal of slavery ever filmed. I love and loathe it in equal measure and find myself watching it every few months. All the other “mondo” films are tame by comparison, although each is an arresting cinematic experience in its own way. As for the other trailers on here, “The Child” is much more quiet and cerebral than the average Novak production, and while not as good as “Axe,” certainly reminds me of it. “The Children” is a bizarrely awkward little flick that has a surreal flavor to it throughout and remains a long-time personal favorite. The only other I can comment on is “A*P*E,” which is one of those wild mash-ups that was made with one thing in mind and marketed as something else entirely, which gives the whole thing a “do they really mean this or not?”-type of quality.
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I included Axe in one of my previous grindhouse and exploitation film trailer posts. I haven’t seen the actual film yet but I thought the trailer has an atmospheric feel to it. Though I have to admit, the main reason the trailer appealed to me is that it featured a lot of people saying, “Lisa, Lisa,” over and over again. 🙂
The Children, I actually have seen and it actually left me a bit unsettled. You wouldn’t think that black fingernails would be so disturbing but oh my God, those little killer kids freaked me out.
I’ve got Addio Zio Tom on DVD and I have to admit that I ordered it after I read about it in the book “Sleazoid Express.” It was the description of the film’s final Nat Turner recreation that caught my attention because 1) it sounded so out there and 2) I had just recently read William Styron’s The Confessions of Nat Turner and it was fresh on my mind. As soon as I got it, I immediately watched that final sequence and it really did get to me, even when viewed out-of-context. I haven’t watched the rest of the film yet. I’m working up the courage, to be honest.
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If you can handle the end scene, you can handle the rest of the film. Personally, I think the most unsettling scene is one involving a character called “The general” — watch it and you’ll see what I mean. And you’ll look at the ending in a whole new light after seeing it in context. Also, if you’ve got both versions on DVD in the Blue Underground box set, try watching the American version first, then the Italian director’s cut — totally different assemblages of the footage, and totally different experiences!
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