After several gruesome incidents, a priest is sent to investigate an abbey suspected to be haunted by a demon. It is there that he finds something worse then demons.

It’s a Bruno Mattei movie. YAY! Say what you will about the guy, even though his movies are sub par, they sure as hell are entertaining. He’s that bag of white cheddar popcorn you have for the first time and you think it’s pretty good enough that if offered, you wouldn’t mind a handful. The Other Hell is that introductory bag of popcorn. This movie has good pacing and an interesting story. Mattei was working with Claudio Fragasso, who was the young buck back in the day. Claudio is known for his entry in the Zombi series as well as his contributions to Italy cinema. The acting is awesome as well. All around talent from Carlo De Mejo, Franca Stoppi who is big in cult cinema. You even got some decent work from Franco Garafalo (Frankie Garfield!) who’s a fan favorite.

I have to be honest with you, this isn’t really highbrow material. You might be saying this isn’t nunsploitation either. There’s no nudity or lesbianism in it. A lot of the story is a couple movies spliced together. Hell, the soundtrack is borrowed from another movie. In fact, Mattei and Fragasso where doing two movies at the time. So you got a bit of a rushed feel to this movie. Some…eh…let’s be honest. All the f/x on this movie was cheap and easy. I mean, you had flickering lights as an effect. How cheap can you get after that?

Media Blasters put out a great DVD of this movie. The audio is great. There is some pops and hums, but to me, that adds to the experience. The visuals are clean and neat. Even though the extras are meager, they are worth it. The disc gives you a trailer and interviews with Mattei and Carlo De Mejo who was an actor of the set. Both were educating and entertaining. So if you want to get into nunsploitation and you’re looking for a starter kit for your collection, this movie would be a fun one to get.

Three stars.

A nightclub singer is on the run after accidentally killing her boyfriend. She finds herself at the doors of a failing convent where the nuns have habits of their own to bide the time. Soon, the singer finds herself in the middle of a hair brained scheme for a last chance effort in getting the convent funded.

A beautiful little movie by Pedro Almodovar. I really liked it. It’s a movie that’s a lot about acceptance. Acceptance of your past, your faults, your talents and even your future. I also like how the nuns where handled. They’re usually handled in an evil light as dirty sinful creatures. In this movie, their treated like you and I. We know they’re plight and we’re sympathetic to what’s going on with them. You can’t get a convent for wayward women going and your hands are tied thanks to church and law. Are you going to pray and suffer all day until someone plops on your doorstep? Hell no! It’s better to use the time throwing wrists and writing trashy novels while trying to take care of the place. And we relate to that.

I wouldn’t recommend giving this movie to people just starting out on Almodovar. This isn’t an Almodovar virgin movie. A lot of his personal touches and color schemes might look gaudy at first, but it was the sign of the times really. The comedy is real subtle as well. You’re not going to get some of the setups or scenes until you really think about them after a while. i mean, I’m thinking of the movie and I just now got the joke on a couple of things. So, if you want to start on Almodovar. Start at the top. That’s an order soldier.

The disc is barebones. It only gives you the option of subtitles. It has some good audio and video. Do I wish it had more? Well yeah. Almodovar didn’t think this was one of his high ranked pictures. Probably because it was his first studio picture and he felt very restricted at the time. It’s a nice disc. Pick it up when you have a chance.

three stars.

A election for convent abbess in Philadelphia turns ugly when a bungled attempt at theft turns into blackmail, slander and uncovers a severe case of wiretapping.

This movie was a comedy built out of the affects of the Watergate Scandal. Most of the events reflect that. While this parody is good, I can’t help but feel this movie hasn’t aged well. I mean the comedy is great and all, but some of the tricks of camera and editing seem to date it. Not that it’s a bad thing and all. The cast is wonderful with help from Eli Wallach, Jerry Stiller, Ann Meara (she’ll always be our Gerald Ford now.) and Rip Torn even if some of them were on screen for at least a minute..

With that being said, I would not recommend this movie to someone who is a casual fan or who’s just starting out to be part of the hardcore movie fanbase. While even though I’m young, I think I know where the comedy is coming from and going, but for someone who hasn’t grown up around it, it can be quite baffling. Also, no one knows who all these characters portray these days. No one can point out who was Ford or who was Nixon or even G. Gordon Liddy for that matter. While the editing and the camera techniques do age it, I think that the story ages it as well. This was one of those movie that was made because it was “A good idea at the time.” The problem being “…at the time”. it was made on the fly to not reflect but to capture a moment. I don’t fault the director or production company though. It was a hip thing at the time.

Nothing to report about the DVD. It’s bare bones. The video and audio both seem to be ripped of a VHS tape. Rent this if you want to.

Two and a half stars.

A Nun who had brain surgery to extract a tumor goes into drug induced hysteria and tortures the patients of the hospital she serves. All while a string of murders happen in the same mental hospital she works in. But is she behind the killings?

Y’know, out of all the nunsploitation films I’m covering, I think this might be the lightest of them all. I mean, it was pushed here in America as a horror, but it feels more like a giallo. The pacing is as slow as a giallo as is the setup of characterization. The characters aren’t ones the viewer could latch on. there’s no reason to hook on to them in some way. It’s like the director Giulio Berruti was about to take off for flight and then he pulled back the last couple feet.

I mean…it feels like I’m sitting in a waiting room. And it affects the actors as well. The film totally desexualizes former sex symbol Anita Ekberg. I mean, yeah, it’s been fifteen years after La Dolce Vida was filmed when this film was made, but any chance to look the least bit attractive is ruined by the conservative directing of Berruti. It’s nice to see these people earn a paycheck, but this movie didn’t feel worth it from anyone.

Blue Underground did a good job with the DVD of this movie. Audio/Video is acceptable. There was a piece of audio missing, but it’s covered by subtitles. Nothing too bad. The extras are OK. It has a poster/still gallery, a trailer and a small interview with Berruti about the movie. The interview is OK as well. Movie collectors should get this if you just have pocket chance or if you don’t feel like bargain hunting.

2 stars.

trailer brought to you by Nunsploitation.net

Two orphan girls journey into an abandoned crypt and suddenly become possessed by an evil spirit. They then dwelve into devil worship and terrorize the convent they call home.

Now first of all, a lot of people like to call Alucarda a derivative and member of the Exorcist line of horror movies. It’s not. What the director, Montezuma, was trying to do was reinvent Dracula and the vampire myth. Instead of the immortal euro trash male with fangs and a real thirst of blood, we got a “heliophobic demon.” possessing two young girls. Even before the party gets started, we are introduced to Alucarda who comes off as somewhat of an emotional vampire who feeds off those around her. It’s a really interesting picture. It was very atmospheric. Great use of locations as well.

What really makes the film work is the actors. Tina Romero really creeps up the place as Alucarda. Before and after being possessed. Someone who feeds of emotions, You can somewhat say she’s a bit bipolar. She plays the character full to the hilt. You also got the great Claudio Brook doing double duty as the good doctor and what could be the villain. I’m not sure. Brook reminds me of some of the Hammer guys like Lee and Cushing. His acting is very natural. You think he’s just part of the film. A true master.

The Mondo Macabro disc is Divine. It comes with a small documentary about Montezuma, a biography, a filmography, a Montezuma interview, an interview with Guillermo del Toro about how Montezuma influenced him, stills and a kick ass trailer. This disc is a fracking treasure trove. The only complaint is that there is a slight hum in the audio. It’s not annoying. just there. But an awesome DVD none the less.

three and a half stars.

A woman goes undercover in a convent to find out what had happened to her parents. What she finds in the convent is worse then the daily life. And the more deeper she gets, the more uglier it gets.

Holy noogie. If there was any movie representative of the sub genre of Nunsploitation, this is it. It’s got everything. I mean everything. Self flagellation. Flagellation of others. Lesbianism. Witch hunters. Inquisition. Flagellation with roses. Japanese Rasputin. Yes, Japanese Rasputin. That’s how hardcore this movie is. And I’ve just hit the tip of the iceberg. It’s that good.

Another thing that makes it good is the cinematography. There is very lush color throughout the film and the angles are awesome. Especially in the start of the film when we’re introduced to the abbey. Long shots of the building cut in with a swirling dust storm gives the effect of a Gothic manor you might see in a Hammer film. One of the Dracula films maybe. The Rose torture is also very excellent. The blocking of the movie makes it as well. It helps to show an idea of ordered chaos vs. chaotic order. Nuns in line like soldiers present a very powerful image.

Cult Epics does and awesome job cleaning this up and shipping it out. Excellent Audio/Video. On the disc is a trailer and interviews with Yumi Takugawa, who played the lead and film critic Risaku Kiridoushi, who talks about the beginnings of sexploitation in Japan. Even though both segments could be edited a bit more, they’re great segments none the less.

Four Stars.

Movie trailer provided by Nunsploitation.net

Flavia, daughter of a nobleman, finds herself in a convent, forced to become a nun. After an escape attempt goes sour, she plans her revenge against mankind and seeks a way out of her enslavement, even when it comes at a high cost.

To say this is an euro exploitation movie is an understatement. While it does make time for the explicit gore, the film is well thought out and the characters are well developed. The story takes somewhat of a feminist feel, but given the times this movie characterizes, it’s not as preachy as it seems. Florinda Bolkan really makes the title character her own. I mean she totally runs the ball. She makes you feel the oppression she’s felt. The film is beautifully shot. Even the surreal and explicit scenes felt like they have a place. And the music. The music is very good. It’s really works with the movie and without. I found myself humming a few bars.

What’s the downside of the film? Well, besides the real horse castration (God, that hurts just typing that. Look away guys. Look away. I’ll be ok. Gimme a sec.). Besides the c-word on a male horse, it did feel a bit overdrawn somewhat. Now, I know everything needed to be set up correctly, but I was finding myself nodding midway through. Not a good sign.

Synapse does a great job cleaning up and putting together the full movie on DVD. The audio and video defiantly gets high marks. The cool thing is they didn’t brighten the colors. They were supposed to be washed out. That’s how it was filmed. They also added a posters and stills gallery that’s nice. There’s also an interview with Ms. Bolkan on how the filming process was and where she was taking the character. This a good DVD that Nunsploitation fans need and general film fans can have as a proud part of the collection.

minus the horse castration.

Three and a half stars.