50 Cult Obscurities -
The Big Lebowski may these days be considered a cult movie, but it's much too mainstream. Here are some obscure flicks to track down that will be well worth the effort.
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- DirectorAlfred E. GreenStarsBarbara StanwyckGeorge BrentDonald CookA young woman, sexually exploited all her life, decides to turn the tables and exploit the hapless men at a big city bank by gleefully seducing her way to the top.Baby Face is without equal as the finest example of unrestrained pre-code amorality and sexuality. And that’s the censored version! Exceptionally revealing and of historical importance is the opportunity to screen the pre-release and censored versions back-to-back and see what was trimmed and how it completely altered the final product.
- DirectorAlfred CheungStarsBiao YuenPatricia HaCharlie ChinWhen his wife, also working for the the police, but in a different department, is being brutally murdered, a police officer begins to investigate the case on his own. Soon he has the hitwoman, who did it arrested, but must find out that things are not as easy as he thought. He has knocked at the wrong door and it turns out that the woman he has hold of may be his only ally.On The Run. Even with the presence of Yeun Biao, the star is actually Pat Ha (An Amorous Woman of Tang Dynasty) as a female assassin. Now, besides possessing deadly cunning, she is absolutely ruthless, pragmatic, and an ace sharpshooter. And there’s no haw haw I was wearing a bullet proof vest stuff with her – two bullets in the brain pain.
- DirectorChih-Hung KueiStarsBirte ToveLieh LoHsieh WangA nurse in a Japanese women's POW camp during World War II masterminds an escapee.Bamboo House Of Dolls. Despite and because it mixes every convention in the WIP genre with drama, epic action, and plot twists galore, this is THE contender for title of #1 Best WIP Feature Film. Is it Bamboo House Of Dolls, or Female Prisoner #701 Scorpion? May I have the envelope please . . .
- DirectorJoseph H. LewisStarsJohn DallPeggy CumminsBerry KroegerTwo disturbed young people release their fascination with guns through a crime spree.Obviously not as violent as the later Bonnie And Clyde, nor as melodramatic as They Live By Night, Gun Crazy / Deadly Is The Female is a top contender for best criminal couple on the lam movie. Essential viewing.
- DirectorHoward HawksRichard RossonStarsPaul MuniAnn DvorakKaren MorleyAn ambitious and nearly insane violent gangster climbs the ladder of success in the mob, but his weaknesses prove to be his downfall.One of the most violent films of pre-modern cinema, Scarface is one of the most important, influential, and unfortunately obscure as well. You must see it, after all, for YOU are to blame!
- DirectorPaul NaschyStarsPaul NaschyJulia SalySilvia AguilarAn evil witch brings back to life the infamous Elizabeth Bathory, who was executed several hundred years previously for murdering young woman and bathing in their blood.Night Of The Werewolf presents a classic Gothic horror with high production values [for a European genre film], enthralling locations, and an excellent cast. Spanish Castle Magic, indeed.
- DirectorHerbert L. StrockStarsRobert H. HarrisPaul BrinegarGary ConwayWhen a master monster make-up artist is sacked by the new bosses of American International studios, he uses his creations to exact revenge.This is an exceptional example of fifties teenage monster mania with a witty script and excellent performances. Tight pacing, lots of props and memorabilia from prior AIP horrors, this movie manages to be satire, homage, and thriller all at once.
- DirectorJonathan KaplanStarsIsaac HayesYaphet KottoAlan WeeksWhile tracking a strong-armed pimp who has skipped bail, a bounty hunter discovers a contract has been put out on him and must go on the run.Truck Turner starts off fast and furious and then hits the supercharger. This a film that could never be made today, so revel in this fine piece of “specialty” filmmaking.
- DirectorPaul MorrisseyStarsJoe DallesandroSylvia MilesAndrea FeldmanSpoof of the casual sexual adventures of a one-time child actor in Hollywood. It also involves a bratty on-again, off-again lesbian character.Many Warhol / Morrissey fans don’t appreciate Heat because it is too professional and not ‘underground’ enough. It’s actually a very accomplished film with excellent performances, witty dialog, and good pacing. This is still an outlandish film in the John Waters mold, so it’s not for everyone. For those with a taste for bizarre and absurd humor, Heat is highly recommended.
- DirectorJean YarbroughStarsRondo HattonTom NealJan WileyA facially-deformed and mentally-unhinged man wreaks his revenge, with a series of brutal murders, on those who deformed him.This 1946 Universal programmer is Rondo Hatton’s only starring role and last film, and he makes the most of it. He takes the character of a mad killer who murders everyone he comes in contact with and makes him endearingly sympathetic.
- DirectorWilliam J. CowenStarsWalter HustonLupe VelezConrad NagelThis remake of West of Zanzibar (1928) made four years later tries to outdo the Lon Chaney original in morbidity. From a wheelchair a handicapped white man rules an area of Africa as a living god. He rules the local natives through superstition and stage magic and he rules the few white people through sadism, keeping them virtual prisoners. He lives for the day he can avenge himself horribly on the man who stole his wife and crushed his spine. Strong and macabre stuff in a nearly forgotten horror film.Both film versions of West Of Zanzibar are laudable and have their merits, but Kongo emerges as more compelling and audacious. Depraved, sadistic, and utterly lacking in redeemable qualities, this is one of the films that drove the Catholic Legion Of Decency into a frenzy. Great stuff!
- DirectorDavid L. CorleyStarsJim BelushiSheryl LeeKyle ChandlerA young hitman is asked to prove himself by killing an innocent woman.Get Shorty was a tongue in cheek gangster tale; Angel’s Dance plays it straight but hard on the twist. Criminally overlooked and obscure, see this one if you can.
- DirectorPaul NicholasStarsLinda BlairJohn VernonSybil DanningYoung Carol Henderson ends up in prison, where she must learn how to survive in an environment plagued by violence, murder, rape, racism, drugs, and staff corruption and brutality.This is the epitome of the Women In Prison cycle. Seldom has such overt sleaze been presented in such a quality and enthusiastic presentation.
- DirectorRicky LauStarsChing-Ying LamSiu-Ho ChinRicky HuiThe planned reburial of a town elder goes awry as the corpse resurrects into a hopping, bloodthirsty vampire, targeting everyone responsible for digging the grave. A Taoist Priest and his two disciples attempt to stop the terror.Mr. Vampire builds upon the earlier Sammo Hung film Encounter Of The Spooky Kind, but is slicker and with more emphasis on thrills and chills than martial arts while still mainting a high level of (sometimes low) comedy.
- DirectorJack HillJohn LambStarsNick MoriartyAdele ReinCarol BaughmanHoward Thorne is a rapist in Los Angeles: he meets women at work and at parties or he sees them walking down the street, and he follows them, terrifies them, and assaults them. He also dreams about these assaults, and he's unclear how much of what he's done is real and how much is fantasy. He ignores his heroin-using wife, Vicki, who tries everything she can think of to get his sexual attention. Howard and Vicki go separately to a costume party where she learns the full truth about his nature and where he is stalked by one of his recent victims. Individualized versions of Hell await Howard and Vicki.Thematically this is a roughie, but that’s the setup, not really the emphasis. Fully realizing what every exploitation low budget film of the time promised but seldom delivered is the point!
- DirectorÁlex de la IglesiaStarsCarmen MauraEduardo AntuñaMaría AsquerinoThe accidental discovery of a big fortune hidden in the apartment of a deceased man will fill the heart of a real estate agent with greed and dreams of a luxurious life, but the neighbours think otherwise.Although it contains a good amount of humor, Common Wealth is at core a psychological dark comedy thriller which gets progressively violent as events unfold.
- DirectorPaul BartelStarsAyn RuymenLucille BensonJohn VentantonioYoung Cheryl moves into her estranged aunt Martha's rundown King Edward Hotel. One of its offbeat residents, disturbed photographer George, takes special interest in her. Cheryl begins suspecting that a resident was murdered.This is an American giallo with perverse black humor and a rogues gallery of demented characters. If you like Paul Bartel's other features (Death Race 2000, Eating Raoul) this is a must see.
- DirectorNgai Choi LamStarsAmy YipHitomi KudôSo ManThree women who are Taoist devotees are tricked by the Wu-Tung demon god into following their sexual desires.Erotic Ghost Story. The basic structure is classic Cat III exploitation: a little back story and setup, then rather explicit sex scenes, and finally gonzo over-the-top violence and cheesy but effective special effects. Much superior to the sequels.
- DirectorTun-Fei MouStarsHung YenFeng ChiMing ChenIllegal immigrants from mainland China are smuggled into Hong Kong. They are captured by a gang, then raped, tortured, and murdered.Lost Souls is not intended to be enjoyable, and the viewer’s loyalties and motivations are betrayed just as the characters are. A powerful work that will leave an impression – that doesn’t mean you will appreciate or even tolerate it. But you will remember it.
- DirectorCharles BailStarsTamara DobsonStella StevensNi TienWhen fellow operatives (and childhood friends) Matthew Johnson and Melvin Johnson disappear during an undercover mission in Hong Kong, Cleopatra Jones (Tamara Dobson) travels there to find them. With the help of local detective Mi Ling, Cleopatra discovers that her friends' disappearance has to do with The Dragon Lady, a much-feared blonde "lipstick lesbian" who runs a Macao casino and controls a major chunk of the local drug trade.Wrongly regarded as ‘just a sequel’ to an average blaxploitationer, Cleopatra Jones and the Casino of gold brings international talent to tell a tale with international implications. It’s a great ‘B’ action film that deserves far more attention than it gets.
- DirectorKuen YeungStarsNorman ChuPhillip KoMaria JoA Hong Kong taxi driver's life horribly falls apart after accidentally hitting a sorcerer with his cab. He decides to seek the sorcerer's help to turn the curse on his enemies at the expense of his own life.Seeding Of A Ghost is an excellent entertainment that presents excessive exploitation in a deadly serious fashion. The sheer over-the-top exuberance of this feature makes it a kissing cousin to Re-Animator, Evil Dead II, and Return Of The Living Dead. And it preceeded all these.
- DirectorWilliam BeaudineTom McNamaraStarsMary PickfordRoy StewartMary Louise MillerMolly, the eldest child at a baby farm hidden deep in a swamp, must rescue the others when their cruel master decides that one of them will be disposed of.This film sent patrons screaming from the theaters in 1926. It is one of the most effective horror shockers of the silent era – at least the equal of Phantom Of The Opera. Even if you don’t usually partake of silent cinema, this film is so visually and thematically captivating you should never notice the absence of sound. A timeless masterpiece.
- DirectorRene DaalderStarsDerrel MauryAndrew StevensRobert CarradineA high-school transfer student pushed to the edge by a trio of brutal bullies resorts to murder to reclaim the school from oppression, and later turns against the students wanting to fill the vacuum of their oppressors.Massacre At Central High is a complex and allegorical film that mixes sex, violence, murder, and madness with social commentary. This unjustly obscure film is well worth seeking out and highly recommended.
- DirectorEdward D. Wood Jr.StarsBela LugosiTor JohnsonTony McCoyA mad doctor attempts to create atomic supermen.The film has been enshrined by the excellent Tim Burton biopic Ed Wood. Roughly half that film is concerned with Bride of the Monster and various legends surrounding the financing, casting, production, premiere, and film itself. Many scenes are lovingly recreated in great detail, but with some exaggerations.
- DirectorMichael FindlayStarsJanet BanzetUta EricksonMichael FindlayHenpecked misogynist Richard Davis murders his shrewish wife and goes out to dispose of her corpse. However, things go awry for Richard after he's abducted by a pair of insane lesbians who take him to their house where they keep a grown woman called Baby in a crib.The central theme throughout the ‘Julian Marsh’ cycle seems to be that women wrongfully excite men who cannot have them because they really all want to be lesbians. A Thousand Pleasures and Kiss of Her Flesh are the ultimate products in the evolution of the Findlay B&W roughie.