South Asian Trash Cinema YouTube Mind-Melt-O-Rama!!!

Excellent Bolly/Lolly vid-clip madness!

The New Mondo Macabro: QUEEN OF BLACK MAGIC!!!

If you haven't seen it anywhere else, here's the lowdown on the next release from our favorite DVD company.



• Interview with FX creator El Badrun, produced by Mondo Macabro and exclusive to this disc
• Extensive background information about the film
• Original theatrical trailer
• Mondo Macabro’s ever-popular preview reel

With a new anamorphic transfer from the original negative!

Movie Review: HIS NAME WAS HOLY GHOST

aka Uomo avvisato mezzo ammazzato... Parola di Spirito Santo; Forewarned, Half-Killed... the Word of the Holy Ghost; They Call Him Holy Ghost; Y le llamaban El Halcón
Directed by Giuliano Carnimeo (Anthony Ascott)
Italy/Spain; 1971

“Anybody hurt or killed?”
“Yep. All of you!”

The Mexican government has been overthrown.
The people’s beloved President is out and forced into hiding among them in Morelos while the pompous, self-appointed, cigar-chomping stand-in, General Ubarte, has sent out a search detail to Bring Him the Head of Don Firmino by any means necessary.
Soldiers storm local villages; people are questioned; people are shot; people are stabbed and beaten regardless of age or infirmity; a hungry little boy is the sole witness to his mother’s murder in cold blood.
And all this takes place during the opening credits!

In order to assert themselves among the peasants, and humiliate Firmino in the process, the military string him up alongside his daughter, Juana, in a crucifixion position and force all the villagers to spit in his face, one by one while the officers sit ringside, stuffing their sweaty faces with local rations. All who refuse get an honorable discharge from the Lieutenant’s revolver, right between the eyes.
And just as this salivary processional hits full swing, up jump the Holy Ghost with his trusted companion, Eagle (a white dove with an identity crisis!), and proceeds to mow down the soldiers with his automatic rifle leaving them slumped in a not-so-living portrait of “The Last Supper.”
Why has Holy Ghost (real name “Harold”) come here, of all places, and saved the day? Why, to get the prospecting rights renewed for a goldmine he recently ‘acquired’, of course. And as soon as he learns the President is unable to complete his request at this time, Holy Ghost politely loses interest and rides off to gain audience with the uncooperative Ubarte, who unsuccessfully tries to recruit Spirito Santo into his stable of nitwits.

Soon enough, Don Firmino and Juana are recaptured in the cellar of a saloon, but Holy Ghost (who again pops in out of the blue, this time wanting to ask Firmino directions to his new goldmine) offends the arresting officer by suggesting he fix lunch for everyone since he’s killed the saloon owner! After thwarting his own execution by blinding the firing squad with the mirrored lining of his cape (!), Juana has convinced Holy Ghost to join them in their revolution to take back the state in exchange for help with his goldmine. Holy Ghost agrees, and for additional revolutionary insurance, a one-time hustler and cohort, now a reborn servant of God, joins the party– the Bluto-esque mass of a man, Chicken Little!
Together, they take on the presiding military presence by way of projectile Bibles, fun with corpse animation, bird beak interrogation torture, dynamite-fed chickens which lay explosive eggs used to make OMELETTE BOMBS, tough-as-nails prostitutes, cross-dressing combat tactics (aka the Trojan Whores, with Garko looking like a member of the Cockettes!), angry farmers with machetes, and many a manner of traps, set-ups, and knock-down drag-outs!

This is the second in a brief series of “Holy Ghost” films teaming director Carnimeo with star Gianni Garko, who would also join forces for films in both the SARTANA and HALLELUJAH cycles.
An offbeat comedy-western of the finest variety, the action is horn-a-plenty with mucho gunplay and killings, seasoned with a pinch of acrobatics and crashing camera zooms, while the comedy is integrated in a way which works, but does not overpower nor distract. There are sequences during the big battle scene which perfectly embody a classic 3 Stooges brand of bizarre slapstick.
The ofttimes underrated Garko plays the role perfectly-- nonchalant, sarcastic, charismatic, focused, never missing his target even while not looking in the direction of the danger. The effective Bruno Nicolai score fuses familiar effects with the humble atmosphere of a 10-pew cathedral.
Despite the title’s inference, a supernatural slant to the character is not so prominent. The handful of instances which might qualify could easily be attributed to successfully suspending one’s disbelief. Your choice.

A very nice quality widescreen print exists on DVD in Spain (Spanish language only), but unfortunately it is incomplete. European Trash Cinema carries a good quality dubbed print which appears to be uncut.
Recommended!

Review by Scott "Jealous Pervert" Wallis!

Worldweird Cinema Recommends: The New ELECTRIC LARVAE Store!

There's a new e-store in town, and it's catering to the "worldweird" fan in all of us. From the mean streets of Athens, Greece comes ELECTRIC LARVAE, previously a topnotch "gray market" dealer of all things "world", "weird" and "cinema", it has hence been reborn , in a new straight up manner distributing DVDs, VCDs, and classic OOP VHS tapes. You can search all over the internet for these obscure items or you can one-stop-shop!



The amazingly varied selection is helpfully organized by country or region/language. Ya got Hindi, Turkish, Filipino, Thai, Pakistani, Indonesian, Arabic etc. with a load of rare items filling out each category with the promise of more to come! Certainly our review docket will be shot through with a ton of titles from this bank, so stay tuned for that!



In the meantime, check out the store here! And order lots of stuff!!

Simply Awesome Onar News!!!

If we here at Worldweird Cinema have one overarching goal in mind, it's to aid in the ascent to world dominance of Onar Films! The small Greek one-man DVD operation has been gifting all of us with astoundingly rare and amazing Turkish trash films gems for more than two years now and while global hegemony might as of yet eluded our friends' grasp, we feel confident that these releases will be viewed by future generations as some of the best the medium had ever to offer. Here we present a rundown of the HUGE new developments from Onar. 2008 looks to be a landmark year for this most humble and yet important of digital disc providers.

Firstly, the next blockbusting DVD release!

KIZIL TUG CENGIZ HAN!




ONAR presents the oldest Turkish Historical Peplum Sword film surviving! Made in 1952 and considered lost till now it precedes the Italian Peplums by many years and puts them to shame. A spectacular and epic production proving that the older the better when it comes to Turkish Fantastic Cinema! The only surviving material was unearthed in watchable condition but thanks to Onar's touch the result is now better.

Trailer:



NOW, ON 500 COPIES ONLY!

Country: Turkey
Year: 1952

Director: Aydin Arakon

Actors: Turan Seyfioglu, Mesiha Yelda, Atif Kaptan, Cahit Irgat

FEATURES:

ULTRA-LIMITED EDITION OF 500 numbered copies
Turkish audio with English & Greek subs
Dolby Digital 2.0
Documentary: Turkish Fantastic Cinema - Part 1
Booklet (32 pages): Full Catalog of Turkish Fantastic Films
Photogallery
Biographies
Filmographies
NEW Trailers

Notes on the AMAZING extras for this DVD from Onar Films' blog:

1- Documentary: Turkish Fantastic Cinema - Part 1 :
I have bought a superb Documentary, running 92 minutes, including dozens of interviews and scenes from countless obscure films of all genres. It runs by genre (Western, Historical, Superhero, Cuneyt Arkin, etc etc) so, I decided to offer it in relevant parts, depending on genre.
This DVD is Historical so you'll see the part featuring lots of sequences from cult films/series like TARKAN, KELOGLAN, MALCOCOGLU and many more, plus interviews and explanatory voice-over!

2- Booklet (32 pages): Full Catalog of Turkish Fantastic Films:
I used the best experts and managed to make a huge, complete catalog of ALL Turkish Fantastic Films, by genre and year. With english translation for each title. Plus, intriguing introductions on each genre, with highlights on specific titles and directors.Plus, tons of photos!
I really believe this will be the DEFINITE, ULTIMATE GUIDE on Turkish Cult Cinema!!

3- NEW Trailers
I have bought many NEW films, you know. I'll tell you about the titles at another post, this month. BUT, if you want to check their trailers you better get this DVD.

And in other MINDBLOWING Onar news ... (also from the blog)

Remember a mysterious teaser I uploaded last December?
It was called "Turkish Eerie Lost Gem" and I only had a promo of the first 7 minutes off which I made up a 2 minutes teaser.

Ok now, I just received the screener of the whole movie, watched it carefully and made up a big trailer of about 7 minutes:



The title is CICI CAN (pronnounced CHICHI JAN) and was made in 1963 by the team that later on made the 007 ripoff ALTIN COCUK series.

I was told it was based on a kids comic!! The movie itself ranges from spooky to weird and eerie and nutty and silly and superheroic and metaphysical and nostalgic and romantic and....
Generally I find it to be a truly unprecedented Turkish movie and totally original in every way.
For example, can you tell me of ANY other films of that period that used the "cartoon with real actors" effect?
Here, we have a gross ghost animation among real actors! In Turkey! In 1963!!

On the blog Bill Onar asks that that you VOTE on whether or not he should release this unique and bizarre film. I strongly INSIST that you vote Y-E-S!!!!
You can do so as a comment at the blog itself (just go to the Onar site [link is above and to the right]).

More updates, reviews and other stuff soon - if there is anyone left out there!

The Best of Something Weird Video on the YouTube!!

For your viewing enjoyment, here's a sampling of classic trailers and clips from the cream of the crap offered by your favorite exploitation video providers.

AROUSED!


HOT THRILLS AND WARM CHILLS!


SHE-FREAK!


SOMETHING WEIRD!


GODMONSTER OF INDIAN FLATS!


THE ZODIAC KILLER!


CRYPT OF DARK SECRETS!

DVD Review: CASUS KIRAN

Directed by Yilmaz Atadeniz
Starring Irfan Atasoy and Sevda Ferdag
Turkey; 1968




Woo Hoo! Now this is more like it! While we were a little lukewarm on the last two Onar releases the new one, CASUS KIRAN is real doozy! It’s a rapid-fire super-hero flick with incoherence to burn and style up to its neck. Yilmaz Atadeniz is the mastermind here, who you may (or rather should) know as the genius behind the KILINK films as well as the all time retarded cinema classic DEATHLESS DEVIL, so you know you’re in for a wild time. It’s all action, all movement and no plot, no meaning, an almost existential pop confection that had me hugging myself with barely-contained joy throughout its all-too brief running time. Apparently the movie is based on a WWII era comic book called SPY SMASHER about a masked hero who, well, smashes spies. Atadeniz takes this template and crafts something really immediate and striking. CASUS KIRAN is slapdash nonsense to be sure, but it is altogether glorious nonetheless.



A plot synopsis is not really necessary, nor even really possible. The print provided seems like it might be missing a few scenes and the English subtitles don’t make much sense for most of the time. It doesn’t matter, trust me. Casus Kiran and his hot-chick side-kick Sevda (also the name of the actress playing the role) fight a devious cabal of spies intent on destroying the western world (or something like that) but they hadn’t counted on the tenacity of the Turks! There is a ton of fighting, all of it fake looking, contrived and absolutely thrilling. I honestly could not follow the finer details of the plot, for the reasons enumerated above, but the film’s constant blur of fisticuffs, motorcycles and recycled garage riffs simply pour on the fleeting entertainment. It’s as fine an hour+ of trash movie joy as your likely to find in this fresh new year and so I can do nothing better that recommend you pick up CASUS KIRAN at you soonest opportunity.



I’ll be frank here, in regards to the picture quality: It ain’t hot. BUT. This is the first time it has ever been released on video anywhere in the world. Since its Anatolian theatrical release in the late 60s CASUS has been languishing “in the vaults” just waiting for Onar’s timely discovery. Under those circumstances, this is an utterly beautiful print and we should all praise the efforts of Mr. Barounis for bring it to us. This amazing DVD, one of the best of 2007 for sure, also contains a video interview (conducted by the late, lamented Turkish film historian Metin Demirhan) with director/producer Atadeniz who provides, as usual with the interviews on Onar’s DVDs, many insights into the history of Turkish cinema, covering not only his better know superhero and action films but some of his early more dramatic films as well. Essential viewing for all fans of obscure international pop cinema, to be sure. There is also a nice image gallery of rare press materials for the film which are quite beautiful. Ayman Kole’s usual terrific bios and a smattering of Onar trailers fill up the rest of the disc. The trailer for the next release DEMIR PENCE KORSAN ADAM, is especially tantalizing and makes the disc highly anticipated at least by me, being an early film by my fave Turk Director Cetin Inanc. Gods, I cannot wait for that DVD, due at the end of this very month.



Without a doubt this is a DVD that every trash/exploitation/60s-superhero-film fan needs to have in their collection. If you’ve ever thought about buying an Onar DVD but weren’t sure where to start, this is an excellent place. These more obscure Turkish masked-men features like the upcoming DEMIR PENCE or the previous DEMIR YUMRUK are some of the 21st century’s most amazing and essential cinematic discoveries going. There are no more exciting and entertaining films available on digital disc right now. You owe it to yourself to add this to your collection for, in this humble reviewer’s opinion, your life is a much bleaker and soul-less place without them.



Available from Onar Films!

Movie Review: W IS WAR

aka W
aka WA
Directed by Willie Milan
Philippines; 1983



W is a blast of sleaze and wackiness. It's extremely violent although never really gory or anything. But it piles on the gratuitous action to the point of absurdity. Basically a haphazardly assembled MAD MAX rip, this Filipino production is pretty damned amazing. It's no masterpiece, but what do you want, another CRIES AND WHISPERS? Look elsewhere bub. This is all about vengeance, blood vendettas, pure hate transferred into a pop orgy of mindless fun. I know nothing about the film-makers but this broadcasts the best aspects of z-grade Asian cinema, so I have to assume, as I am wont to do, that they are in-fact unheralded geniuses whose work has been unfairly passed over in favor of stuffy, boring neorealist claptrap that will "uplift your soul" or something. Me, I like to wallow in the celluloid gutter thank you very much. Please, join me ...



Like I said, it's all about revenge. Is there any better subject for a low-budget genre film from the fringes of the "civilized" world? In this blood-thirsty case, the vengeance comes from a cop whose been castrated. Yes, you read that correctly, a castrated cop. How did he come to this emasculated state? Well, he had the gall to take on a particularly nasty drug-ring crime-syndicate/leather-bound skin-head post-apocalyptic death-cult. During one attempted bust, our hero (know only as "W2", why he names himself after a tax form I have no idea) shoots and kills one of the bald baddies in self-defense, incurring the ire of cult's leader. First W2 gets suspended by the those bastard do-nothing police bureaucrats who of course "don't get it" - then, after marrying his hot-tart sweetheart he and his new wifey are kidnapped and horrendously abused by the evil throng. Wifey watches in horror as W2 is stripped and then ripped. Thankfully the act is mostly left to our imagination. It's fairly horrifying nonetheless. Our hero is understandably morose about this plot-twist and finds himself in a crisis of machismo as Wifey continues to squeal and writhe about him in full heat. He can't satisfy her so of course his only course of action is ... Oh yeah, you know it - vengeance!



Lots of fights, both gun and fist, ensue. There's some plot stuff involving a drug bust and the cult/gang's retaliation by kidnapping a group of little kids from a Catholic school. Adds some to the sleaze but not much really to the story. There's a fun bit at the end where Our Hero leads a group of rogue coppers in an assault on Leather Death Cult HQ - they rescue the kiddies but for some reason lead them right into the middle of the battle where they have to dodge bullets, bombs and flying corpses. How incredibly stupid but yet, entertaining. That pretty much sums up the film, which is full of zip and zest despite the bummer details of the plot. OK it's more like "because of" instead of "despite", but you know you like the depravities of humanity spat out in hyper-weird cinematic style, admit it. This is first class, no-budget swill all the way. W plods down only in a few of its expositionary details here and there but otherwise keeps the crazy coming fast and furious. I liked it and so will you. Or maybe you won't, what do I care.

IRON CLAW THE PIRATE! Another Turkish Superhero Brainscrambler from Onar Films!!!

The details have been leaked on another fantastic Onar Films release of a once lost Turkish film fantastique! Here it is: DEMIRE PENCE KORSAN ADAM aka IRON CLAW THE PIRATE! Directed by all-time Turk-trash-movie champ Cetin (MAN WHO SAVED THE WORLD, DEATH WARRIOR, THE BIGGEST FIST) Inanc!



Another LOST Turkish Superhero gem! Our Super-hero Korsan Adam (The Pirate), takes on a legendary villain named... Fantomas! Years before his Cuneyt Arkin epics like Man Who Saves the World, the explosive Cetin Inanc had made this hyper-active and sleazy Mask-Fest.... Featuring massive shoot-out mayhem, bondage, torturing, half-naked babes, cold-blooded executions via strangulation and ritual stabbing, fist 'n kick pandaemonium etc etc! Unseen for decades, it ended up in ONAR's arms that managed to enhance even more the already decent print.
NOW, ON 500 COPIES ONLY!

Country: Turkey
Year: 1969

Director: Cetin Inanc
Actors: Demir Karahan, Yildirim Gencer , Feri Cansel, Huseyin Zan

FEATURES:
ULTRA LTD EDITON OF 500 numbered copies
Turkish audio with English & Greek subs
Dolby Digital 2.0
Documentary on Cetin Inanc
Photogallery
Biographies
Filmographies
Trailers
Poster insert

Spaghetti Western Psychedelia!

Our latest YouTube trailer show is a collection of wild, colorful and noisy previews for some of the greatest Italian westerns. These movies are fucking incredible so awash yourself in these mindscrambling vids and then seek out the movies!

FACE TO FACE


DJANGO, THE LAST KILLER


TEPEPA


MATALO!


DJANGO, KILL ... IF YOU LIVE - SHOOT!


NAVAJO JOE

DVD Review: TARZAN ISTANBULDA

Directed by Orhan Atadeniz
Turkey; 1952

I'm not the biggest Tarzan fan, I must admit. And if it wasn't Turkish I probably wouldn't care one bit about this latest release from Onar Films. But it is Turkish, and so of course I'm curious to check it out. TARZAN ISTANDBULDA is a historic landmark in Turkish popular cinema, for several reasons. It is one of the earliest examples of cinema fantastique to be produced in that country (along with DRACULA INSTANBULDA) and director Orhan Atadeniz was a industry pioneer as well as older brother and seminal influence on Yilmaz Atadeniz, who went on to become one of Turkey's most productive and innovative film-makers. What makes the older Atadeniz so important (according to the priceless bio notes penned by Turkish cinema historian Ayman Kole) was his contributions to the craft of making narrative films, it seems as though he was sort of the 'D.W. Griffith' of Turkey with his innovations cracking the Anatolian film industry into areas before unknown to the burgeoning film-scene. But what about the movie itself? It's pretty fun; silly and inconsequential on its own, interesting mostly due to its utterly primitive cinematic techniques and the facts of its nationality. But without it historical importance, I'm not sure Onar would've released it and therefore we probably wouldn't be reviewing it. But that's OK there's room enough on your shelf for this mid-century cinematic oddity.



There is actually not much Tarzan action going on in this movie. He only really enters the plot it what amounts to the third act of the film. Until then it's a standard jungle adventure story, with a quest for a lost treasure, double crosses, racist depictions of African tribes and stock footage galore. But these elements will keep you happy until the yelping white king of the jungle throws things in third (well, maybe just second) gear for the last half hour.



A journalist is on Safari when he discovers the corpse of a western explorer. He nosily reads with doomed man's journal (which - luck of luck - just happens to be in Turkish!) revealing the details of his gruesome fate at the hands of bloodthirsty tribesman (a flashback shows his son [a young Kunt Tulgar in his first role!] escaping into the wild, soon to become ...) and the whereabouts of a lost treasure. Our hero takes the journal back to Istanbul and gives it to his brother, who seems un-phased by news of his brother's passing. They hatch a plot to grab the treasure, enlisting three pilots (a dude, a chick and a retarded coward who provides the typical Mediterranean cinema comic relief) to fly them to Africa, which only takes only a few minutes seemingly as they soar past stock footage of the pyramids. Their safari continues to grow with a group of trackers and some unfortunate African guys to haul all their stuff. Sure enough, with a treasure up for grabs, the trackers hatch a double cross and the action is on. There are animals from scratchy newsreel footage and from scenes shot in a Turkish zoo where some of the animals actually fight each other! I guess there was no Istanbul branch of PETA in those days. Anyway, Tarzan comes in a while into the movie, impresses the girl pilot and saves (some) of the hapless treasure hunters from the bloodthirsty Africans. There's a bit of tragedy but everything more or less ends up well as Tarzan ends up returning to Istanbul in the end. Yay! Not much plot and really not many of the wacky details that usually make Turkish movies so much fun. But it is diverting enough to keep entertained for an hour and a half, and what more can you ask for than that?



For what was once considered a lost film, TARZAN ISTANBULDA looks fairly good. So many films from this era of Turkish film-making are now gone forever, their negatives sold off for the silver contained therein, so that this one survives is a minor miracle in and of itself. It does look pretty ragged as you might expect, but is never anything less than perfectly watchable. Just be happy it exists, OK? Onar once again piles on the extras for this historic release with the most important being an interview with Kunt Tulgar whose father was a producer for the movie and who even appeared as a young Tarzan early on. While it covers more or less the same ground as the interview featured in the TURKISH SUPERMAN DVD released earlier this year, it is still a highly fascinating and comprehensive look at the history of Turkish fantastic cinema. Onar have also unearthed a brief but interesting little bit of film, a camera “check sequence” featuring some of the actors (including a little Kunt) in more candid poses. Only a few seconds long but a pretty neat extra nonetheless. The aforementioned Ayman Kole’s wonderful and informative bios (for Ohran Atadeniz and Kunt Tulgur) are a standouts as well; someone really needs to get this man a book deal! The usual batch of awesome Onar trailers completes the lineup of features and you should check em all out, especially the one for CASUS KIRAN which is what comes next from our generous friends from Athens.



All in all, TARZAN ISTANBULDA is not nearly as fun or essential as most of their previous DVDs but is certainly a must own for anyone even remotely interested in Turkish cinema. The movie itself is great escapist fun and you will marvel at its primitive hand-made aesthetics. The design for the covers and the menus are just flat out fantastic; slick, humorous and user-friendly. Onar is a top-notch operation and while the movie itself is no great shakes the DVD is totally freakin’ cool. It is a piece of cinematic history and its very existence is reason enough to track it down and lay down your hard earned cash. Soon enough: CASUS KIRAN! We can’t wait!!

Available from Onar Films!

Movie Review: THUNDER WARRIOR I-III

aka THUNDER (I-III)
Directed by Fabrizio De Angelis
Italy; 1983/1985/1988

The THUNDER series of loopy 80s Italian action films represent the initial directorial work of long-time exploito producer Fabrizio De Angelis (he begat Lucio Fulci’s string of classic 80s horror flicks) and are utterly half-baked and dangerously close to being bafflingly inept. But then why are they so damned fun? Well, they posses that wacky and wonderful ineptitude that permeates most of the genre output of Italy's failing 1980s film industry, a creaky, barely-held-together accidental aesthetic that time has proven to be overwhelmingly entertaining. There are few examples from this decade and this country that do not entertain so it should come as no surprise that these obscure titles fit that bill to a tee, despite their seeming cinematic retardation. The first, and to varying degrees it's sequels, is total blatant rip on the then recent action hit FIRST BLOOD but also looks back to such 70s revenge thrillers as BILLY JACK and WALKING TALL. That the hero is a Native American also suggests comparisons to legendary exploitation producer Dave Friedman's wonderful JOHNNY FIRECLOUD, but it would seem if anything that that fly-by-night production had a much greater budget and overall better acting talent to drive it onto Drive-In screens than this series, which is plagued by a "one take and go" mise-en-scene approach and horrendously bland acting from basically the entire cast. But as noted above these limitations bloom into something rather exiting if one is willing to let go of Hollywood and Arthouse born artistic expectations. But then if you are reading this, chances are you aren't that engaged by these particular aesthetic prejudices. So let's get it on, Thunder is waiting!

The opening film in this loose trilogy is entirely structured to match the narratives of the previously mentioned movies. Thunder is a wandering Native American tough guy, a warrior like his esteemed ancestors, who returns to his Arizonian homeland in order to marry his childhood sweetheart. Unfortunately he finds the situation there brimming with racial and cultural conflicts as a development project dooms his ancestral burial grounds. His defense of this territory leads him into open violent conflict with the developers as well as the local police force, all of whom are of course rabid racists intent on keeping the "redskin" in his place. Basically they "push him too far" and his reaction is devastating. This is the most successful aspect of all these movies, the protracted and fairly elaborate action scenes which boil over with sensational (if not entirely realistic looking, not a problem for me) violence. The bad guys are really, really bad. I mean cartoonishly bad. Only sheriff Bo Svenson shows any aptitude for honor, and even he gets in on the race-hate action here and there as Thunder keeps getting the best of his overmatched, buffoonish deputies. Loose narrative threads and willfully illogical situations abound as the movie steams ahead. The climax is particularly daffy as Thunder steals and drives a bulldozer from the desert and into the town at a snails pace. And yet somehow the impotent coppers never seem to be able to catch up with him. By the time they do reach him he's already destroyed both the bank that funded the blasphemous construction project as well as police HQ. Meanwhile Thunder escapes easily unscathed to fight another day. Wow. By no means a "good" movie this first entry is nonetheless an entirely satisfactory trash cinema experience and I was never less than entertained throughout. On the other hand there's the second film ...

In this brainscramblingly goofy sequel Thunder returns to the town he nearly destroyed and joins the very police force he fought tooth and nail in the first movie! What the ... ? Did I miss something? How did this happen? We'll never know. Like the first movie we aren't privilege to the backstory details as to how Thunder comes to return to this dusty, intolerant scrap of earth. But does it even matter? Not really, if you just laugh along and look to have a good, albeit stupid, time. Sadly, this one falters a bit with the slam-bang action stuff, bogging down with a silly plot about drug dealing punks and the corrupt cops they have underhanded dealings with. One of the cops, a particularly nasty number named Rusty (one of the few actors reprising a role from the first film) has really got it out for our hero and so frames him for his own crimes. Before we can even process this plot twist Thunder is rotting away in a harsh isolated desert prison and giving the diamond-tough prison guards none too easy a time dealing with his innocent ass. But the movie doesn’t really capitalize on these potentially juicy machinations, and again before we know it Thunder has broken out and is out looking for town-wide vengeance. The destruction he inflicts isn’t nearly as fantastic as in the first film and unfortunately the climax just kind of peters out without giving us enough of the mayhem we are jonesin’ for . But needless to say, Thunder comes out on top, with even Sheriff Bo Svenson offering a sympathetic viewpoint as the movie draws to a close. But then … there is a little insignificant and totally confusing twist at the end that had me howling with laughter as well as scratching my balding head. What exactly was going on there?

Apparently the first two were big enough hits that Director De Angelis and star Marc Gregory were able to squeeze out a third film. And Odin bless ‘em that they did, cause in many ways III is the best of all three, topping the others with more over the top, implausible and completely insane action and drama to drive you to dizzy distraction. Again, as with the initial entries, we are forced to suffer with Thunder as both he and his people have to contend with brutal and unchecked redneck oppression and uncooperative and unsympathetic police. The opening scene is completely insane. A self regulating paramilitary militia out on pointless maneuvers in the desert decides for no good reason to chase after two wild horses and gun them down in cold blood. Why they would do this is utterly mysterious, but as you might expect, protector of the downtrodden Thunder takes exception to the heartless abuse and confronts these drunk gun-toting morons. Sadly Thunder is outnumbered and gets himself a thorough ass-whooping. But things go a little too far when the militia decides to go after Thunder’s young hunting apprentice, who scampers frightened back to the shanty village where he lives with the rest of the local “Indians”. The militia then go all My Lai on the joint, firing indiscriminately and causing widespread damage and destruction. Not good. Thunder demands reparations, Sheriff John Phillip Law refuses, setting up the carnage to follow. Although the follow-through doesn’t quite manage the exhilaration of the first it is swathed in acceptable amounts of bad-ass-ness. It was a lot of fun, I must say. If only they had made more, I would have watched. Alas, this is Thunder’s last crusade. Enjoy it while it lasts, folks.

None of these movies are particularly well made, stylish or innovative in any way. They get by on sheer cheesy chutzpah and the undeniable charm that girds most 80s Italian exploitation cinema. As noted above Director De Angelis was a veteran producer and had his hand in many of the most extreme horror films that lurked out of the country in the late 70s/early 80s and this experience certainly serves him well. Action was, however, was the genre he most enjoyed making and it shows here. The movies, while consistent in violence and haphazard insanity, are fall less consistent in narrative and in acting performance. The most obvious casting inconsistency is the role of Sheena – Thunder’s loyal love interest, played non-effectively by different actresses in each movie. But at least it’s funny. As are the contrived and seemingly willfully implausible and contradictory story threads. But ultimately you can’t consider these films successful in any meaningful critically accepted way. But that’s OK. Sometimes you want crazed cheesiness. THUNDER WARRIOR I-III certainly does deliver that, so dig in!

The Worldweird Cinema Bruno Mattei YouTube Trailershow Tribute!!!!

Although the maestro of challengingly awful Italian genre cinema passed away this year, his shlock spirit lives on through his glorious and gloriously bad, films. We love them and so do you.
Here's a selection of some awesome ones we found on the YouTube.
Mattei Lives!

ROBOWAR!



STRIKE COMMANDO 2!



CRUEL JAWS!



HELL OF THE LIVING DEAD!

More Turkish Superhero Insanity from Onar Films!!!

Although our pals at Onar seem always to be hovering near at the brink of oblivion, still more and more amazing DVDs are issued forth from the belly of this particularly generous beast. We can only be grateful that they exist at all and pray to the Gods of Trash Sinema that they be allowed to continue. This is what comes after the TARZAN DVD. Another incredible looking superhero freakout to burn-out your little minds! Their last one of this particular ilk, the TURKISH SUPERMAN double feature, is easily one of the best DVDs of the year, if not ever. This one will be cool too.
All the info you need to know:



A never-seen-before Turkish Superhero LOST gem. Another ONAR worldwide premiere! Freely based on the "Spy Smasher" classic comic, it's an altogether Turkish achievement. From the miraculous team that offered us KILINK, this movie guarantees endless masked action, kicks, stunts and nostalgic mayhem. The only surviving elements were surely rotten but ONAR's magic touch made the final result watchable enough.

Country: Turkey
Year: 1968

Director: Yilmaz Atadeniz
Actors: Irfan Atasoy, Yildirim Gencer , Suzan Avci , Sevda Ferdag , Hüseyin Zan

FEATURES:
1200 numbered copies
Turkish audio with English & Greek subs
Dolby Digital 2.0
Interview with Yilmaz Atadeniz
Photogallery
Biographies
Filmographies
Trailers
Poster insert

Return of The Worldweird Cinema DVD News Roundup!!!!

And we're back! Miss us?
Here's a back log of astonishing digital disc news that we've scoured the internets for as to pass along to you who is too busy to track it all down for yourselves.
Read On, Brother and Sister Weirdos!!

Firstly, more Jean Rollin unleashed in Special Edition DVD format from the Netherlands' Encore Films! This time it's LE VIOL DU VAMPIRE getting the deluxe treatment.
It will encompass:

A two disc digipack with slipcase. Special edition limited to 2000 pcs., Feature film and audio commentary by Jean Rollin; (all extra's/interviews with English subtitles: l'Histore de la nuit des Horloges, Original trailer, Picture gallery, Interview Jaqueline Sieger, Interview Alain-Yves Beaujour, Interview François Tusques, Censored scenes, Book (English text inside), Essay on 'Le Viol du Vampire' by Jean Rollin, Lots of rare photos.



Not our favorite Rollin by a longshot but this is a must own nonetheless. Can't wait!

Soon! From Dark Sky Films! Curtis Harrington's masterful slow-burn disturb-a-thon THE KILLING KIND!
Info:



Paroled from prison, sex offender Terry (John Savage of THE DEER HUNTER) returns to the Hollywood boarding house of his mother Thelma (screen legend Ann Sothern), a former dancer with unwholesome ideas about tender loving care.

Escaping Thelma’s suffocating attentions by peeping on pretty tenant Lori (future LAVERNE AND SHIRLEY star Cindy Williams), Terry is unaware that he is being spied on by a neighbor (DEMENTIA 13’s Luana Anders) who keeps a place in her own fantasies for someone of Terry’s special talents.

Meanwhile, terrible things are happening to anyone who has ever done Terry wrong, from the judge (Ruth Roman, from STRANGERS ON A TRAIN) who sentenced him to the girl (Sue Bernard, of FASTER, PUSSYCAT! KILL! KILL!) who testimony put him behind bars.

Special Features:
Interview with Curtis Harrington (His last ever!)

And soon enough (next year, 1/29/08 to be precise) from Dark Sky, we finally get the long delayed Italian genre thrills of RICCO THE MEAN MACHINE and TRAGIC CEROMONY! Save your pennies!

Spaghetti Western specialists Wild East also have a heavy dose of Italian genre thrills coming down the pike and not all of it of the Western variety! Freak out on the covers of these forthcoming DVD releases!






Discotek Films have another HK sickie chomping at the bit with A CHINESE TORTURE CHAMBER STORY, out on November 13th of this very year!
Lookee! Cover, synopsis, specs, and a sultry screen shot!



A man is discovered dead after he was given an aphrodisiac so strong that it causes his penis to explode! His wife Little Cabbage and her lover are dragged before a judge, both protesting their innocence, and charged with adultery and conspiring to kill. In court, they must tell their story of how they became lovers. Little do they know that the real killers are the judge's son and his lover. In order to keep his son free, the judge tries to frame Little Cabbage into a false confession.

Chinese Torture Chamber is a bizarre fantasy mixed with hilarious comedy, sex, and absurd torture. It features the classic sequence where the scholar goes on a journey through the forest, only to run into a man and his extremely horny wife who engage in a long bout of flying sex, complete with appropriately named martial arts moves such as ‘invincible tongue’ and ‘wonder screw’. This scene is packed with wirework, slow motion shots, several gallons of ejaculate, and of course Elvis Tsui, who has the market pretty much covered in this kind of role.

Also starring Yvonne Yung and directed by Bosco Lam. Chinese Torture was produced by Wong Jing the mastermind behind Ebola Syndrome and The Untold Story. This film covers everything from Chinese martial arts movies to even a parody of the American film Ghost!

• NTSC Region 1
• Chinese with English Subtitles
• Anamorphic Widescreen
• Trailer

And according to various posts on the DVD Maniacs Forum in the pipline from Discotek we have Ringo Lam's BURNING PARADISE, Norifumi Suzuki's incredibly sleazy STAR OF DAVID: BEAUTIFUL GIRL HUNTER and Teruo Ishii's PORNO JIDAI GEKI - BOHACHI CODE OF HONOR! What a line-up!

And to wrap things up for this edition we just wanted to point out that our good pal Onar Films is having a sale on his outrageously great Turkish pop cinema DVDs for the entire month of October! Clip on the link to your right under 'DVD Squads' for the full lowdown. If you haven't yet checked any of these out yet or need to fill holes in your collection (and life) then NOW is your golden opportunity! And in further exciting Onar news dig this crazy tease posted a little while back on their website:

I thought that some people might care to know that I'm about to lay my hands on some "lost" turkish old films.
I had been looking for them and asking for them for 3 years now.
Everybody around the world, everybody in Turkey insisted that I should give up on them.
I had unleashed the best hounds after those titles.
I had made the best connections in the turkish cinema industry.
I had offered enormous rewards for the finders.
BUT, even before me, all the strongest collectors had spent a lifetime searching for them.
The actors AND directors of those films had been looking for them too!
I, too, had pronounced them "officially lost".
BUT, my greek village is known for its crazy people.
And like a crazy man, I never ceased the quest.
And NOW, I received official confirmation that many of those titles were discovered in 16mm prints!
The guys are ready to make contracts with me, BUT if I don't see screeners of the films I can NOT believe the story.
BUT, to get screeners I must pay loads of cash.
AND even if the films ARE there, I must pay to acquire them.
Plus, the license fees are enormous.
And since my sales are going from bad to worse I feel totally frustrated.
As for the titles, I just can't announce them before I actually see the screeners and this will obviously take some time.
Besides, right now, I feel as anxious and nervous and frustrated as ever, so here's a nice chance for you to share some of my anticipation and curiosity...

What can they be? We're just in the dark as you and going crazy with anticipation to find out what they are! So buy lots of crap from them so this will happen! Do you hear me? DO IT NOW!!