3/06/06

Abigail Leslie Is Back In Town (1975. USA. Retro-Seduction Cinema/EI. Directed by Joe Sarno. Cast: Rebecca Brooke, Eric Edwards, Jennifer Welles, and Jamie Gillis. 1.78:1 enhanced for 16x9 TVs. Mono. Extras: Interviews with Joe Sarno and Peggy Sarno. Commentary by Joe Sarno. Full color booklet written by Michael Bowen. Trailers). Fans of legendary sexploitation director Joe Sarno should be mighty pleased that Retro Seduction Cinema has released Abigail Leslie Is Back In Town. Long thought lost, not only does this DVD salvage an important missing link in Sarno’s filmography--but for being so rare, it actually looks really nice. Not perfect, mind you, but titles this obscure are usually plagued with imperfections. But what about the movie? Was it worth the wait? Yes, Abigail Leslie Is Back In Town is the tale of the seductive Abigail returning to her small fishing town home, Baypoint. Some, the men, are overjoyed. Others, the women, especially Priscilla, aren’t as pleased. Apparently, Abigail had a history of having sex with everyone in town. As the saying goes, “time changes everything,” unless your Abigail Leslie. She’s back and she’s ready for every man and, even woman, in Baypoint. While this is a softcore sex flick, like the best of Sarno, drama is equally important. There’s an oppressive tone to Abigail Leslie Is Back In Town thanks to the claustrophobic small town setting and that most of the cast seems fairly miserable. Fans of the golden age of porn will certainly enjoy watching adult stars Rebecca Brooke, Eric Edwards, Jennifer Welles, and Jamie Gillis in non-XXX roles. Unlike today’s implanted women and steroid muscle bound men, most of porn’s original stars could act and had distinctive personalities. Abigail Leslie Is Back In Town is essential Sarno and is a worthy addition to the DVD collection of any sexploitation fan.

Divine Emanuelle Love Cult (1980. Italy. Exploitation Digital/Media Blasters. 1.85:1 widescreen. English mono. 88 minutes. Cast: Laura Gemser, Christian Anders, Simone Brahmann, Gabriele Tinti, and Sascha Borysenko. Extras: Deleted scenes, photo gallery, and trailers). Although Love Camp, its original USA title, has plenty of detractors, I’ve always enjoyed this insane Laura Gemser vehicle. Technically speaking this isn’t really an Emanuelle film, as Gemser’s character’s name is simply “The Divine One.” She’s the leader of a sex hippie cult (people, especially young beautiful women, are recruited by a singing love child, Dorian--actually played by director Christian Anders!). Her followers are forced to obey her--which mostly means they have sex all the time. Or they’re severely punished. After they bring into their fold a politician’s daughter, the authorities are looking into the shenanigans of the sex commune. This film is equal parts Emanuelle and the tale of Reverend Jim Jones! It’s twisted, silly, and very sexy (with Laura Gemser in the lead what else could one expect). At times, it’s also depressing. Laura Gemser fans will not be disappointed.

Emanuelle’s Daughter Queen Of Sados (1979. Italy. Exploitation Digital/Media Blasters. Directed by Elia Milonakos as Ilias Milonakos. Cast: Laura Gemser, Gabriele Tinti, Livia Russo, Harris Tryfonas, and Nadia Neri. 1.33:1 anamorphic widescreen. English mono. 90 minutes. Extras: Trailers, photo gallery, and outtakes). I love Laura Gemser and I’m an absolute fan of the entire Black Emanuelle series. However, Emanuelle’s Daughter Queen Of Sados is one title I’m ashamed to admit has eluded me until this DVD surfaced on Exploitation Digital. It’s a nasty one, too. Emanuelle’s Daughter Queen of Sados is the perfect recipe of sex and nasty situations. Things haven’t been going well with Emanuelle--since her husband has turned mean and abusive. Get a divorce? Too easy. Instead Emanuelle has him killed. She inherits his fortune and a very sexy stepdaughter (Livia Russo). Now, Emanuelle must deal with the authorities who don’t feel she’s innocent and her late husband’s ruthless business partners. Plus, there’s her stepdaughter who has a sexual appetite just like mom! For sexploitation addicts Laura Gemser and the very young looking Livia Russo won’t disappoint. Those looking for action and drama as well as sex will also be entertained. Emanuelle’s Daughter Queen Of Sados isn’t essential sleaze (term used lovingly), like Emanulle In America (Blue Underground), Emanuelle And The Last Cannibals aka Trap Them And Kill Them (Shriek Show), or Erotic Nights Of The Living Dead (Shriek Show) but if you own those titles you’ll want to pick up this DVD. One must keep in mind, the best Black Emanuelle movies were those directed by Joe D’amato. Gemser and D’amato worked perfectly together.

Witches Of The Caribbean (2005. USA. Image. Directed by David Decoteau. Cast: Joanna Cassidy, Nicole Cavazos, Kyle Jordan, Nicole Marie Monica, Kelly Giddish, Michael King, Nina Tapanin, and Rick Sarabia. 1.78:1 widescreen. Stereo. 82 minutes. Extras: ). I really wanted to like Witches Of The Caribbean. After all, great location, one of its stars is the wonderful Joanna Cassidy, and the promising premise of a teenager being haunted by nightmares of witches and sent to an island hospital where her problem only escalates. Ultimately, the end result is a rather dull, overly wordy tale involving characters we never care about.

If you have a DVD for review, please send it to Chip Lamey c/o Video Crypt, P.O. Box 54, Stone Harbor, N.J. 08247.