It seems Last House on the Left was more influential than Django when it came to producing spin offs. This particular illegitimate child (directed by the mastermind behind Mondo Cane!) is one of the better pseudo- squeals; and is treated right in this Severin release!
FILM- During a hold up, a trio of bank robbers get trigger happy; resulting in their wallets becoming fatter and the police hot on their trail (original, eh?). They decide to hold up in a summer house on the beach. This house is also the weekend retreat of Sister Christina, and her acting troupe. Their dress rehearsal is cut short when the robbers bully their way inside. When one of the actors goes to the bathroom, the criminals find they're in the company of an all female acting group. Of course one gets grabby; and ends up with the sharp end of a hair pick embedded in his thigh. The others begin to take advantage of the girls; from rape to murder and everywhere in between. Well soon enough the inevitable happens, and the girls get their bloody (you should never anger Catholics; has the Spanish Inquisition taught us nothing?) revenge.
This film is almost identical to Craven's unexpected hit, even down to the upbeat music; only this time there's more people to hurt and it all takes place indoors. The film is very linear and predictable, but most movies like this are. It's the small details that make this film shine, like the revenge of one robber on the girl who injured him; or the rape scene with one convict in make up (Rocky Horror Picture Show meets I Spit on your Grave?!). While this film is nothing new structure wise, it's fun; and seeing as how the only notable DVD release prior to this was the (now OOP) German Sanzuma release, it makes me happy to see the more obscure titles like this being brought to America and the United Kingdom. Severin, you had me at the Frank-N-Furter rape scene. 7/10.
PICTURE/ AUDIO- Some of the darker parts of the movie show their age spots noticeably. Aside from that, the colors are strong, and the picture is sharp. 8/10
I didn't pick up on any distortions, pops, or cracks. The dub is strong sounding, and the volume doesn't fade in and out. And listening to upbeat 80's Euro- Music during sexual violence is just icing on the cake. 8/10.
EXTRAS- This is again Quality Vs. Quantity. We get the German trailer; and the featurett Holy Beauty vs. The Evil Beasts. This is an interesting interview with Ray Lovelock (the Krug of this flick, and the lead bank robber), who discuses his involvement with the film and it's actors. This DVD has the same on disk extras as the aforementioned Sanzuma release; but is lacking the CD that release came with. Regardless, this is a solid package. 7/10.
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