The second song in the week-long special edition of the “Song of the Day” feature I’ve chosen the main theme to the infamous and controversial Italian horror film Cannibal Holocaust from Italian filmmaker Ruggero Deodato. The song is part of the film score composed wholly by Italian film composer Riz Ortolani.
The main theme to this greatest of film in the cannibal horror subgenre always take new listeners by surprise. For a film which shows some extreme examples of violence towards people and animals the theme is actually quite gentle and serene with just a hint of sadness in the suite. This theme really doesn’t prepare the viewer for what they’re about to see (though anyone watching Cannibal Holocaust for the first time should at least have an inkling what the film will be about just from the title alone).
It’s a testament to Ortolani’s talents that he was able to create a synth-based theme which has only gotten more popular with the passage of time. The theme could almost be considered the unofficial theme to the glory days of grindhouse cinema of the 70’s and 80’s. It’s even become the theme song to the greatest film (both long and short form) ever made: Treevenge. Just watch for yourself right below and you’ll understand why I say it’s the greatest thing ever put on film.
Welcome to the latest installment of Lisa Marie’s Grindhouse Trailers. Since I’ve been battling a pretty bad cold for about a week now, I thought I would use this installment to highlight a few trailers that prove that the rest of the world is just as sick.
I’ve read so much about this 1976 film but — for whatever reason — it has never officially been released on DVD (though there all bootlegs out there as well as an “all-regions” DVD that apparently is not “all-regions.”) From what I’ve read, this is apparently a political satire disguised as a high school revenge film. The trailer has an oddly off feel to it. Maybe it’s just the exploding locker…
I first saw this film (directed by Mark Lester) on DVD about three years ago. I was expecting to see a silly, urban vigilante film from the early 80s so imagine my surprise when I discovered that Class of 1984 is a seriously dark and oddly disturbing movie. Tim Van Patten (he’s the one going, “I am the future…”) is now a pretty succesful television commercial. He actually gives a pretty good performance in this film, something that’s not necessarily obvious from this trailer.
Yes, another high school revenge film. In this one, Linda Blair’s sister is raped so Linda tracks and down and kills the Class of 1985. Usually, this is where I’d make my standard argument that this is a case of exploitation serving to empower. Honestly, though, it would be more empowering if the film’s villains weren’t so silly and stupid (you get the feeling that they’re all going to die soon anyway regardless of what Linda does) and if the avenging angel was played by someone other than Linda Blair.
For extra fun, imagine the “gang” from Savage Streets trying to fight any of the gangs in this trailer.
5) Sweden: Heaven and Hell (not available from Amazon.com)
The previous trailers paint a pretty grim picture of America. According to the “documentary” Sweden: Heaven and Hell, the best thing about America is that it wasn’t Sweden.
Sweden: Heaven and Hell is actually an Italian mondo film, a rather vile form of “documentary” that was big from the mid-60s up until Ruggero Deodato did the world a favor and satirized the genre out of existence with Cannibal Holocaust. It was released in the States in 1968 (I think). This is one of those movies that I know by reputation as I’ve never actually seen the actual film. However, the trailer is grindhouse tackiness at its absolute best. Everything from the narrator’s leering tone to the “shocking” footage (a woman dancing with another woman — gasp!) makes this trailer a perfect time capsule of the Grindhouse Era.
6) Skatetown USA (not available in any format on Amazon. com — how odd)
But, as sick as Sweden apparently was, can it possibly be sicker than whatever it was that was going on at Skatetown, USA? Seriously, what was wrong with this country in the 70s? That said, I do like this ludicrous trailer if just for the sight of a young and dangerous Patrick Swayze. Plus, how can you dislike any trailer that claims to be advertising “the greatest story ever rolled?”
Seriously, what was the deal with people roller skating at a disco? Is that what passed for fun back in the 70s? Weird. Maybe it was all the cocaine. I came across this trailer while I was downloading the Skatetown USA preview and I just had to include it. Not only is the movie called Roller Boogie but it’s directed by the director of Class of 1984 and it stars the star the Savage Streets. So, everything ties together.
8 ) Finally, since I hate to end things on an odd number, here’s a silly little trailer that I made for my DVD collection.
Sadly, this DVD is now out-of-print and the people selling it on Amazon want you to pay something like $80.00 for it. That’s a shame because The Candy Snatchers is, arguably, one of the greatest films ever made. This is one of those movies that I desperately need to review but I’m still struggling to find the right words to express just how brilliant this movie is.
This trailer doesn’t really do justice to Django Kill which, quite frankly, is probably the strangest, most surreal western ever made. Yes, this film is even stranger than El Topo. However, I still like the pop art feel of this trailer.
Also known as The Nights of Terror, this is one of the more infamous examples of the Italian zombie genre. To be honest, this is an amazingly trashy, stupid movie but once you start watching, you can not turn away. This is another film I’ve been meaning to review for a while as I think it’s actually the most political of all the Italian zombie films. People tend to get some caught up with the whole incest subplot that they miss the whole Marxist subtext. And yes, the movie does include a title card that contains the word “profecy.”
I love this trailer. It is such a relic that I almost feel like it should be put in a time capsule. Plus, that whole “She corrupted the morals…” tag line is just so priceless.
When this 1975 movie was released on DVD, it was titled Boss. Well, that’s only half of the original title. I’ve never seen this movie (as the only westerns that interest me are Italian-made) but this trailer has always stuck with me because of the whole “Did I just hear that?” factor. However, after I first saw this trailer, I did some research and discovered that the movie was actually written and produced by the film’s star, Fred Williamson. So, that makes me a bit more comfortable with it.
1) A Black Veil For Lisa— There’s several things that I love about this trailer. I love the faux-noir narration. I love the teasing tone. I love the old school femme fatale attitude of lead actress Lucianna Paluzzi. But, to be honest, the main reason I love it is because it’s all about a redhead named Lisa. That and the line “Every man wants a Lisa…”
2) The Italian Stallion— This is the trailer for the re-release of Sylvester Stallone’s porn debut, A Party At Kitty and Stud’s. I’ve never seen the movie nor do I have much desire to see it but this trailer just amused me to no end. Whether its the awesomely phony line readings of Gail Palmer or the catchy and empty theme song, this trailer feels like a genuine time capsule.
3) The House On The Edge of the Park— Speaking of catchy but empty theme songs, Ruggero Deodato’s The House on the Edge of the Park features my personal favorite, Riz Ortolani’s infamous Do It To Me (Once More). It can be heard at the end of this trailer and once it gets stuck in your head, it’ll stay there forever. As for the trailer itself, it’s a perfect example of how a well-edited trailer can actually make a somewhat draggy film seem exciting (that said, this movie is one of my all-time guilty pleasures, as misogynistic and wrong-headed as it ultimately is). A few things I love about this trailer — the blue-tinted views of New York City, David Hess’s iconic psycho performance, the sight of my man Giovanni Lombardo Radice dancing, and the fact that the trailer actually manages to 1) get the movie’s name wrong and that 2) nobody ever bothered to fix it.
(Author’s note: Whoops! Before you watch this, I have to admit that I’d forgotten just how explicit, violent, and exploitive this trailer really is. So, consider this to be definitely NSFW — not that you should be watching any of these trailers at work, to begin with — and seriously, no joke, don’t watch this trailer if you are easily upset or offended. Honestly, if I saw this trailer without having any knowledge of how silly the actual movie really is, I would probably find this trailer to be deeply offensive. Well, no, actually, I probably wouldn’t. For the most part, I’m only offended by things that happen offscreen in the real world. — Lisa Marie Bowman)
4)The Texas Chainsaw Massacre— Yes, I know everyone’s probably seen this trailer a hundred times but it’s still probably one of the best and most effective trailers of all time. Plus, I’m from Texas so you know I had to mention this movie at some point. (I may have mentioned this in the past, but seriously — try to imagine this movie being as effective if it was called The Vermont Chainsaw Massacre.)
5) Mindwarp (a.k.a. Galaxy of Terror) — I’ve been eagerly awaiting the chance to buy this film on DVD ever since seeing this trailer on the latest 42nd Street Forevercompilation. Rumor has it that this film was actually directed by James Cameron, back when he was still interesting. Supposedly, this film features a very aggressive tentacle but, to be honest, I mostly just want to see Sid Haig’s arm get cut off. (Seriously, who doesn’t? Take that, Capt. Spaulding!)
6)Stage Fright— This is the wonderfully intense and claustrophobic trailer to the great Michele Soavi’s 1st film, Stage Fright, a movie I’m going to watch as soon as I finish up this post. So, with no further delay…
Through the Shattered Lens 