Island of Death

Island of Death is a Greek exploitation film from 1976. Greece isn't an area that is exactly known for its cinema. Watching Island of Death always makes me wish it would have sparked some kind of trend of shock movies being filmed there. The fact that a movie like this can get such an awesome blu-ray release makes me a happy camper. Nico Mastorakis successfully takes anyone who has the pleasure of viewing this flick to a strange world where sexual perversion and murder are the norm. This is truly a Video Nasty that actually deserved its spot on the list. Hide your old women, hide your goats, Island of Death is rolling in, packing a tidal wave loaded with bodily fluids.

Island of Death starts up in a way that reminds me much of the Italian cannibal films that came around this era. This illusion doesn't last long though, it wastes little to no time getting into the filth. Within 15 minutes our lead character tries to get freaky with his significant other. When she denies his pleas, he goes out and fucks a goat... yes, you read correctly HE FUCKS A GOAT. This is just the beginning of the onslaught of madness brought forth on the screen.

The essential story here is pretty thin, and is really just an excuse to deliver shock scenes in surplus. We follow an extremely religious couple who's favorite pastime is murdering sinners. However, it appears fairly early on that these two are in fact, the biggest sinners on the island. Upon unleashing their wrath on the island they leave an alarming number of unusual crime scenes in their wake. The whole film showcases just how horribly fractured their minds are.

If I'm having a bad day, nothing does the trick like the last 20 minutes of Island of Death. The final chunk of this film is one of the greatest endings in the history of cinema. I will refrain from giving away anything here, but I'll say the insanity displayed here is unmatched by anything I've ever seen. The fact that so much ridiculous over the top perversion is crammed into such a small time span is nothing short of amazing.

Overall Island of Death is a real sight to see. It is extremely odd to think that this film was made in an attempt to cash in on the shock that came with The Texas Chainsaw Massacre. It honestly makes me wonder what kind of warped shit was finding its way into a Texas Chainsaw print on its way to Greece. The easily offended should stay far, far away. Island of Death makes no excuses about what kind of film it is. An alarming number of taboos are shattered throughout without hesitation. This is pure, uncut exploitation for die-hard exploitation fans, anyone else can steer clear. GET IT!

$kumbagz

$kumbagz is the latest tale of debauchery from Florida's horror/exploitation powerhouse The Sleaze Box. I was first introduced to The Sleaze Box shortly after the release of Amerikan Holokaust  (which John Miller wrote). I was immediately taken aback by the amount of sleaze and style that was poured into nearly every shot. To this day I have still not revisited that film, not because I didn't like it, more because Bob Glazier looks EXACTLY like my uncle and happens to be naked a good chunk of his time on screen. It was a traumatic experience that I still haven't quite recovered from. I am also still avoiding contact with my uncle. 

The film opens with music from Eigh8t the Chosen One AND a woman fingering herself. From this moment on, I knew I was in for a fun ride. Stephanie is 25 and still living at home, much to the dismay of her parents. Her father thinks she is lazy and simply doesn't understand why she can't move on from hopping to different burger flipping jobs. Stephanie heads off to work after being ridiculed over her laziness. Once she gets to her dead-end job, her boss tries to get her to blow him. Stephanie makes a face when he gives some juicy details regarding his sexual quirks, and he fires her on the spot. Frustrated with life and without a way home she sits against a building and stews over another shitty day in her seemingly shitty life.

Before long, a man offers her a ride to his place for a drink. She gladly accepts and before she knows it she's drug and forced into a life of prostitution and abuse. Her $kumbag, drug addicted pimp is far from efficient. Most of Stephanie's clients are giant sacks of shit. Eventually, Stephanie finds her way out when her pimp ends up dead. Luckily, she finds a home with a drug dealer who isn't opposed to getting into the pimp game. Here she is getting a far better lifestyle and things seem to be going great. SPOILER ALERT! This is the fucking Sleaze Box, things won't stay great for long.

$kumbagz is a movie that definitely lives up to its title, and the label it is released on. The level of sleaze coming from the low-budget scene in Florida is enough to balance out the lack-thereof elsewhere in recent years. There isn't really a likable character in this movie (aside from possibly Stephanie and 6-9), but that is actually beneficial to the film. $kumbagz is a journey into some of the crime going on in Florida and all throughout the United States. Some of the settings here don't feel too far off from the area I'm in and I love it. The grit is here, the sleaze is here, and so is the violence. Some of the stylistic choices shown in Amerikan Holokaust are also on display here, but not nearly as often. In exchange for more of those moments, we get montages of ladies shaking their asses backed by rap music. These lengthy scenes were about as far from problematic as you can possibly get for me. 

Overall $kumbagz is an extremely gritty unique experience, and at the same time it managed to be fun as hell. There are many familiar faces from past Sleaze Box flicks and they all turn in awesome performances. Miller's warped sense of humor is still sprinkled in as usual and lands perfectly. This isn't a movie for the easily offended, but if you're easily offended you shouldn't be looking to places with the word sleaze in their name to get your entertainment. If you don't want exploitation, look elsewhere. All you other twisted bastards out there need to check this one out. GET IT!