Reviews

This movie has recently taken a place (alongside such gilded classics as Plan 9 from Outer Space and Manos, Hands of Fate) on my list of the Worst Movies of All Time. But don't let that discourage you! This movie is rarely less than entertaining. Yoko Ono stars (oddly enough, she gets top billing, even though this film was released a good three years before she became widely known) as a young Japanese who comes to the U.S. as the fiancee of a drug-smuggling government agent. And that's about as much sense as one can make of the plot, such as it is. The rest involves homicidal perverts and a succession of deeply unpleasant individuals. Whether you're pro-Yoko or anti-Yoko, you can't help but feel awful for her character in this film. Never before have I seen a pathetically innocent character treated so badly in a film. And that's where the caveat comes in: this movie can be a very nasty experience in places. The group of murderous perverts rape and kill a number of women before the film is over, and Yoko's character is frequently subjected to the nonconsensual sexual attentions of a portly, greasy-looking gentleman. It makes one wonder how anyone could have seen this film as genuine, unironic entertainment. The frequent nudity is barely titillating, and the nonstop sexual nastiness ought to be enough to remove any hope of arousal. That being said, this film is useful as an historical relic of the grindhouse market and is sufficient to whet your B-movie appetite.

Although some might call this film predictable, or its effects primitive, one must keep in mind that this film was released in 1962 and made for very little money by largely independent filmmakers. As such, this is an amazing little film that was ahead of its time. Truly atmospheric, creepy, and haunting (by the way, I didn't find the ending all *that* predictable). The make-up and effects are actually very effective, as their low-budget nature adds to a sense of surrealism and an "off center"-ness that wonderfully complements the tone and plot. For fans of independent, low budget, sci-fi, or surreal cinema, I consider this one virtually indispensable.