4 Shots From 4 Films: Coffy, They Call Her One Eye, Cleopatra Jones, Ms. 45

Posted on March 8, 2017 by Lisa Marie Bowman

4 Shots From 4 Films is just what it says it is, 4 shots from 4 of our favorite films. As opposed to the reviews and recaps that we usually post, 4 Shots From 4 Films is all about letting the visuals do the talking.

I was going to use four other shots for today but then I was inspired by my sister’s pick for artwork of the day.

For those who might question my decision to highlight four grindhouse films on International Women’s Day, I kindly refer them to my essay, Too Sordid To Ever Be Corrupted.

4 Shots From 4 Films

Coffy (1973, dir by Jack Hill)

Thriller, A Cruel Picture a.k.a. They Call Her One Eye (1973, dir by Bo Arne Vibenius)

Cleopatra Jones (1973, dir by Jack Starrett)

Ms. 45 (1981, dir by Abel Ferrara)

6 Grindhouse Films That Should Have Been Nominated For Best Picture

Posted on February 26, 2017 by Lisa Marie Bowman

If it’s difficult for a horror film to be nominated for best picture, it was next to impossible for a grindhouse film to it.

And really, that’s the way it should be. The whole appeal of the grindhouse was that it existed on the fringes. The grindhouse was not a part of the establishment. The grindhouse had no desire to be a part of the establishment.

That said, here are six grindhouse films that I think could and perhaps should have been nominated for best picture:

I Drink Your Blood (1970)

This film is about what happens when a group of already odd hippie Satanists get infected with rabies. It’s perhaps one of the best examinations of the culture war ever filmed. In the role of Horace Bones, Bhaskar Roy Chowdhury gives one of the most arrestingly strange performances of all time.

2. An American Hippie In Israel (1972)

Literally one of the greatest films of all time. Now, I’m not saying that American Hippie would have won. 1972 was the year of The Godfather, Cabaret, and Deliverance. But surely, a nomination could have been arranged. “You fools. You fools. Stop pushing buttons. You fools…”

3. The Candy Snatchers (1973)

Agck! This crime thriller still freaks me out. And that ending … OH MY GOD! The Sting may be good but The Candy Snatchers sticks with you forever.

4. They Call Her One-Eye (1973)

The Candy Snatchers wasn’t the only great grindhouse film to be released in 1973. Why nominate A Touch of Class (has anyone ever watched — or heard of — this nominee?) when you could nominate They Call Her One-Eye?

5. Night of the Hunted (1980)

This French classic, from director Jean Rollin, never got a U.S. release so technically, it was not eligible to be nominated for Best Picture. But what about Best Foreign Language Film?

6. Ms. 45 (1981)

The greatest revenge flick ever!

Artwork of the Day: They Call Her One Eye

Posted on November 23, 2016 by Lisa Marie Bowman

They call her One Eye.

Of course, her name was originally Frigga. It was only after she was kidnapped, forced into prostitution, and had her eye removed as a punishment that Frigga became known as One Eye.

And, in much the same way, They Call Her One Eye was originally known as Thriller, A Cruel Picture. It was a Swedish picture, a feminist-themed revenge flick that had been banned for both its brutal violence and its explicit sexual content. In 1974, when American International Pictures brought Thriller to America, they cut out the hardcore sex scenes, left the violence untouched, and gave the film a new name: They Call Her One Eye.

They also came up with the absolutely brilliant artwork seen above! Even if They Call Her One Eye wasn’t one of the best and most subversive grindhouse films ever made, it would still deserve a place of honor just because of this poster.

It’s a classic in every sense of the word.

(And after looking at the poster, why not check out this list of Arleigh’s nine favorite revenge films?)