Fulvue Drive-In.com
Current Reviews
In Stores Soon
 
In Stores Now
 
DVD Reviews, SACD Reviews Essays Interviews Contact Us Meet the Staff
An Explanation of Our Rating System Search  
Category:    Home > Reviews > Horror > Action > Exploitation > B-Movies > Grindhouse Experience (Corpse Grinders/Blood Orgy Of The She Devil/Doll Squad/Umbrella Entertainment DVD/Region Zero/0/PAL Format)

Grindhouse Experience (Corpse Grinders/Blood Orgy Of The She Devil/Doll Squad/Umbrella Entertainment DVD/Region Zero/0/PAL Format)

 

Picture: C/C+     Sound: C     Extras: C+     Films: C+

 

 

PLEASE NOTE: This DVD can only be operated on machines capable of playing back DVDs that can handle Region Zero/0/PAL format software, and can be ordered from our friends at Umbrella Entertainment at the website address provided at the end of the review.

 

 

In the era of tired torture porn, the films of Ted V. Mikels (pronounced Michaels) are an amusing nostalgic trip from a simpler time when tales of B-movie terror were not as spiteful of the audience and had some entertainment value.  Though his films are not great, they are interesting and four of them are being issued in a DVD set dubbed the Grindhouse Experience, even if this comes all the from Umbrella Entertainment in Australia.  The indie U.S. productions include three theatrical releases.

 

The Corpse Grinders (1972) is the tale of a cat food company who solves their financial insolvency by stealing bodies form a local graveyard and turning them into a new “secret ingredient” for their cat food.  At 72 minutes, it does not wear out its bad-acting welcome and the production values are a riot.  This was a hit for Mikels who had just directed the amusing (but not on this set) The Astro-Zombies and is worth seeing.  The videotaped 2000 sequel Corpse Grinders 2 is also included on a separate DVD, but it is highly unnecessary.

 

Blood Orgy Of The She Devil (1972) quickly followed and feels rushed, involving female nudity, murder, witches, psychic powers and supernatural occult dealings.  It is not very memorable and is all over the place, though can be an amusing mess while you watch considering they were going for broke to do a follow-up film they thought everyone would like.

 

Doll Squad (1973) is the best of the four films here as a female group of assassins goes on the kill, all dressed in Emma Peel-type tights, they handle firearms as well as they can do karate, which in this case is amusingly mixed.  Can they stop plague-infested rats from destroying the U.S.?  Well, in one fight scene, one of the dolls puts down a male villain opponent with several karate kicks while holding a gun, then shoots him!  That gives you an idea of their efficiency and what you get here.  Actresses featured include Lisa Todd, Francine York, Leigh Christian, Carol Terry, Judith McConnell and Tura Sanata.  Michael Ansara, Anthony Eisley and Rafael Campos are the male principals.

 

The anamorphically enhanced 1.78 X 1 on Grinders 1 and Squad are the best two in the set, while the 1.33 X 1 on Grinders 2 is the worst of all with poor analog NTSC videotaping, while Devil is weak, but not as bad.  Grinders 1 and Devil may lack color fidelity and look worn, but still look like films versus Grinders 2 with its poor video look that makes it look like a 1980s shoot unintentionally.  That leaves Squad having better fidelity, detail and depth, with limits, but is still soft too often.

 

The Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono on all the films show their age and the 2000 sequel sounds as bad as the early 1970s soundtracks simply by having bad location and in studio recording from the poor video production.  Extras include very good Mikels feature-length audio commentaries on all four films, making of featurettes on all but Devil and trailers on all but Grinders 2 which rightly went straight to VHS.

 

 

As noted above, you can order this import exclusively from Umbrella at:

 

http://www.umbrellaent.com.au/

 

 

-   Nicholas Sheffo


Marketplace


 
 Copyright © MMIII through MMX fulvuedrive-in.com