Fight for Your Life (1977) - Robert A. Endelson

Escaped racist convict scum take a family hostage. Nonstop racism ensues for most of the film. Another take on Craven's Last House on the Left basically. This time the unique aspect of the story is the racial aspect. While the violence in these movies often has lost a lot of their shock value over time, the crazy hillbilly racism of "Fight for Your Life" still leaves a sour taste in your mouth. With that said, this thing also features a graphic scene where a kid has his head bashed in with a rock. I also prefer this to Craven's flick.

Eaten Alive (1977) - Tobe Hooper

Weirdo Neville Brand owns a motel and keeps a rubber Nile crocodile as a pet in this Tobe Hooper flick. Definitely no "Texas Chainsaw Massacre", but has a lot of things in common with it. The moral is that weirdos in America will attempt to murder you - this time around with either a scythe or a crocodile. Didn't like this too much, even though the chaotic mayhem at the end was enjoyable.

The Mountain of the Cannibal God (1978) - Sergio Martino

Ursula Andress exploring the jungles of New Guinea, before ending up as the goddess of a cannibal tribe. It's been years since I've seen this, and to be honest I remember it as a forgettable entry into the cannibal tradition. I just realized that it was made by Sergio Martino though, and that would indicate it might actually be a bit interesting. Will have to rewatch this at some point. 

Mardi Gras Massacre (1978) - Jack Weis

This cover is fucking amazing, I was happy to discover that the movie is equally great! Hookers, human sacrifices and disco - that's basically everything I want from a movie! Why have I not seen this fine piece of sleaze before? Yay!

The Last House on the Left (1972) - Wes Craven

Wes Craven's rape/revenge flick ended up on the DPP list obviously. I'm assuming it had something to do with the rapes. David Hess's second appearance as a gentleman on the DPP list too. I never was a big fan of this to be honest, but I guess it's a "genre classic" or something. Zzzzz.

Xtro (1982) - Harry Bromley Davenport

While never actually being on the DPP list (but being seized nonetheless), this truly strange British "Alien" ripoff has a bit of everything. While obviously borrowing from "Alien" at times, this film also offers so much more - clowns, murdering toys, women giving birth to fullgrown men etc. The scene where the alien thingy strolls out in front of a car genuinely scared me too. I really like "Xtro" with all its quirks and its amazing soundtrack. I should see the sequels at some point...

Visiting Hours (1982) - Jean-Claude Lord

The film where a leatherclad Michael Ironside and his receding hairline stabs women! Ironside does knife-wielding killer pretty well actually and keeps on stabbing everyone in his way. Eventually he has to battle William Shatner himself (not really, but that's what I was hoping for)! Not entirely sure what qualified this to be put on the DPP list, but at least this one was enjoyable.

The Slayer (1982) - J. S. Cardone

Four morons have their dream vacation in a shoddy house on a desolate island, while being killed off by something wicked. A pretty shitty way to spend your last days in my opinion. From time to time sort of cool, but still horribly paced. It's not that I have anything against dialogue or anything, but half of "The Slayer" is dedicated to people just doing nothing at all. Picks up a lot towards the end, but it wasn't enough to save this thing. The ending can go fuck itself with a knife by the way.

The Beast in Heat (1977) - Luigi Batzella

The female Dr. Kratsch has created a mutant rape-caveman! This benefits the war efforts of the Third Reich somehow and the rape and torture commences. Salvatore Baccaro was born to play the Beast, and no other actor could have done the scene where the beast eats pubic hair, more convincingly. Luigi Batzella's most well-known nazisploitation flick, the other one being "Achtung! The Desert Tigers" starring Richard Harrison (which I hear is godawful)!

Love Camp 7 (1969) - Lee Frost

Two women are being smuggled into a concentration camp to find information about a scientist held in the camp. They soon realize the SS are a bunch of pervy bastards. One of the earlier nazisploitation flicks, predating the wave of Italian filth by a few years. "Love Camp 7" still manages to be utterly tasteless and speculative though. It's something about directors using the holocaust as an excuse to show a bit of skin, that just boggles my mind. Expect the usual nazisploitation fare.

The Cannibal Man (1973) - Eloy de la Iglesia

A Spanish butcher kills a taxi driver by mistake, and has to keep on killing to stay out of jail. Turns out killing people is far easier than actually taking responsibility for the crimes he's committed. While the title is a tad misleading, this one is actually quite good. Well worth a look, but don't go to this expecting another campy video nasty.

Den Norske Drillbormassakren (1988) - Øyvind Albinussen, Jon ChristianHoller

Somehow this 28 minute masterpiece managed to find its way to Ireland before resurfacing more than twenty years after its creation. What we are looking at is a DIY amateur gore flick from Rognan, Norway. Apparently made by the dude or dudes behind the Norwegian fanzine "Videogore". Probably shot in a day or two on vhs, with title screens and credits filmed off a telly screen. The kids in this are going to work on meat attached to people using a proper drill and some fireworks, so you're basically waiting for someone to get messed up for real while watching this. It's an utter stinker obviously, but it's always fun watching other people's 20 year old home movies. Lots of  Hurra for norsk film!

Delirium (1979) - Peter Maris

If the Vietnam war thought Charlie anything, it was that he has to murder every poor gal he runs across in St. Louis. A secret society of weirdos is somehow also involved, in this odd video nasty. "Delirium" is a strange mix of shitty Vietnam flashbacks, girls getting killed, conspiracy nonsense and the least efficient cops in film history. There are no murders in St. Louis, only suicides. A truly touching drama on Vietnam vets.

The Toolbox Murders (1978) - Dennis Donnelly

Nonstop murdering with tools and sweaty torture sleaze accompanied by a lounge soundtrack! There's a detective trying to figure stuff out and shit, but you keep watching it for the other stuff. Prime smut!

Don't Go in the House (1980) - Joseph Ellison

First heard of this because it features L'Etrique's amazing disco banger Struck by Boogie Lightning. Having been abused by his mother, Donny now murders disco gals. He does so with a flamethrower in a room built for such special occasions. I actually really enjoyed this one. The trippy bits are pretty spooky and the disco is awesome. Reminds me a lot of "Maniac". Yay!

The House by the Cemetery (1981) - Lucio Fulci

Another Fulci classic on the DPP list. Seen this too many times already, so I haven't really seen it again for the Video Nasty theme. Mainly posting this for the awesome Japanese cover.

Night School (1981) - Ken Hughes

A knife wielding biker is decapitating innocent hotties and dumping their heads in water for some reason! A  very stabby decapitatathon from Ken Hughes, the man behind "Chitty Chitty Bang Bang", "Casino Royale" and the absolutely appalling "Sextette". Basically a shitty non-Italian version of "Strip Nude for Your Killer" lacking Edwige Fenech. Not great, not awful, but pretty dull. 

Don't Go in the Woods (1981) - James Bryan

Hikers stumbling around in the woods meets their ends at the hands of a scruffy-looking mountain hobo! The film introduces us to new victims every couple of minutes and offers no explanations whatsoever. That hobo can't be stopped! Amateurish at every level, with an outrageously odd soundtrack. "Don't Go in the Woods" is truly ridiculous. Pure gold.

Video Nasties: The Definitive Guide (2010) - Jake West

An excellent three-part documentary reviewing and discussing every single film from the DPP list and the phenomenon in general. While "the definitive guide" might sound a bit too dramatic, this boxset truly is the most extensive documentary collection you can see on the topic. A must-see for fans of the nasties. Should be seen together with "Ban the Sadist Videos".

The Boogeyman II (1983) - Ulli Lommel

The evil mirror is back! Watching this back to back with the first film was an awful mistake, as this one is worse in every sense. Somehow, Ulli Lommel figured it was a great idea to make a sequel that solely consists of flashbacks to the first film and dining sequences. It's a total mess of a film and not a very entertaining such. If it hadn't been for the death scenes in this being so fucking dumb, this would've been an utter waste of time. A dude is killed with a goddamn toothbrush and a chick dies from having shaving foam applied to her face! Fuck you, Ulli Lommel. 

The Boogeyman (1980) - Ulli Lommel

A terribly uninteresting film about evil mirrors and a kid stabbing a dude to death. Most of the film is just people dropping dead at random, before a piece of the mirror gets lodged in a chick's eye and the film ends. While people dropping dead might be amusing from time to time, it's just awfully dull in "The Boogeyman". Has a french kiss of death and some demon possession. Why would you even bother banning this boring piece of trash? The main theme in this is genuinely good for some reason...

Don't Look in the Basement (1973) - S. F. Brownrigg

Urgh, I started watching the wrong film! I was definitely not in the mood for shit like "Don't Look in the Basement" tonight. Awful acting, awful scares, awful plot, awful everything. The Norwegian cover above is pretty awesome, but judging from its 80 minute running time it's also heavily cut. The thought of watching this flick cut, sends shivers down my spine, as it's a goddamn atrocity uncut. If you started removing the shitty bits in this, the entirety of this film would end up on the cutting-room floor. Should be renamed "The Asylum of Snores".

Night of the Demon (1980) - James C. Wasson

Having tried to watch this while being sleepy two times already, I finally managed to get through on the third attempt today. "Night of the Demon" is actually not the demon film as you might expect, but rather a bigfoot film! Bigfoot definitely fucks up shit in this one - swinging dudes in sleeping bags over his head, raping chicks, killing fishermen, nubile teens and so on - he basically kills everyone he runs across. The most memorable scene is probably when bigfoot grabs a poor gent by the cock and castrates him on the spot. I reckon this movie would've sold better under the title "SASQUATCH COCK DESTROYER". Still, "Night of the Demon" put me to sleep twice... It definitely has its moments, but its terribly paced and mostly told through flashbacks for some reason.

The Werewolf and the Yeti (1975) - Miguel Iglesias

Werewolves vs. Yetis in the Himalayas? The 7th of Paul Naschy's wolfman flicks, featuring our hero Waldemar! While I haven't see a lot of Naschy films as of yet, this film has certainly peaked my interest. It reminds me of the awesome "Horror Express" and plays out somewhat like a hammer flick. A really pleasant surprise, perhaps viewing the nasties I hadn't seen wasn't such a bad idea after all! If a man bitten by a yeti turns into a werewolf, does this mean that yetis are wolves of sorts or are we in fact talking about were-yetis? Interesting...

Cannibal Apocalypse (1980) - Antonio Margheriti

Margheriti, the king of hut destruction's attempt of jumping on the cannibal bandwagon. The film features parts set in the Vietnam war of course, but also John Saxon and Radice/Morghen! Vietnam vets work up an appetite for human flesh and stuff somehow go bad when they head back to the states. I wouldn't really group this with the rest of the Italian cannibal flicks, as this is something else altogether. Also features a radical soundtrack by Alessandro Blonksteiner. Pretty cool!

Axe (1974) - Frederick R. Friedel

Gangsters on the run bother an odd chick that cares for her paralyzed grandfather! Of course people end up getting killed and shit, but it's all pretty uninteresting. The plot leads nowhere and at no points are you given any reason to sympathize or have any interest in any of the characters. I'm assuming half of the plot ended up on the cutting room floor, as a lot of the stuff that happens makes no sense. I wouldn't bother watching this again, but the soundtrack was pretty ok at times. Meh.

Contamination (1980) - Luigi Cozzi

"Contamination" was one of the first Italian horror flicks I watched, just having discovered that there were more stuff to check out than the films of Argento. Featuring the always awesome Ian McCulloch, an equally cool Goblin soundtrack and lots of chestbursting, it's a hard film not to enjoy. Yay!

Cannibal Ferox (1981) - Umberto Lenzi

The other big cannibal flick on the DPP list. Not as good as "Cannibal Holocaust", even though I confused the two for a long time. Not going to say a whole lot about this, but Radice/Morghen gets a truly rough treatment in this. Features the usual stuff to expect from a cannibal film, if that floats your boat.

The House on the Edge of the Park (1980) - Ruggero Deodato

Ruggero Deodato and David Hess, masters of portraying humanity's brighter sides. This film could be mistaken for a bad excuse for showing sadistic rapes and torture for 90 minutes, but this one actually has some merit. Deodato made this in the same year he did "Cannibal Holocaust", and was clearly having a good year. Great performances by most of the cast, with Hess doing one of the most vicious characters in cinema history. Radice/Morghen's character is almost as emasculated as his character is at the end of "Cannibal Ferox"! I really like the class-aspect of this one too. Yay!

Bloody Moon (1981) - Jess Franco

Jess Franco's video nasty entry "Bloody Moon", is filled with both elements from the giallo and slasher traditions. I'm not really sure where to place it to be honest. Anyways, "Bloody Moon" has a ridiculously convoluted plot, even for giallo standards. It's not that it's not obvious from the beginning who the villain is, but rather that it spend too much time getting to the point of revelation. When it finally gets to the point, it is revealed that the solution to the mystery was as simple you feared. Has a lot of slasher/giallo moneyshots, but in the end it's still a dumb and pretty uninteresting movie.

SS Experiment Love Camp (1976) - Sergio Garrone

During the last days of the war a nazi commandant searches for a new pair of testicles! Features the usual stuff you can expect from Italian nazisploitation: torture, rapes, murders, passionate love, etc. Questionable smut from the hands of Sergio Garrone! Yey!

Blood Feast (1963) - Herschell Gordon Lewis

I never really understood the great interest in Gordon Lewis flicks. They are usually laughably bad, "Blood Feast" being no exception. Then again, I like watching terrible stuff and rewatching this was of course entertaining. Not a favorite or anything, but I guess it's somewhat of a classic by now. What was truly shocking about watching this though, was how crisp-looking the new dvd releases of this actually are. It's truly odd to watch this shit in crystal clear quality.

Ban the Sadist Videos! Part 1 & 2 (2005) - David Gregory

What makes the video nasties interesting, is not really the films themselves, but the whole story behind the phenomena. These two documentaries that were included in the "Box of the Banned" boxsets, provide highly informative looks into the political processes behind the nasties and censorship in Britain. Features neat interviews with both distributors, political actors and directors. Well worth a look!

The Living Dead at Manchester Morgue (1974) - Jorge Grau

A pretty decent zombie flick featuring Ray Lovelock. Parts of the film was shot in England, parts in Italy, but was produced by Spaniards if I remember correctly. The plot is revolving around pesticides gone bad and the living dead, somewhat in the same vein as "The Grapes of Death" by Rollin. I thoroughly enjoy this film.

Absurd (1981) - Joe D'Amato

Somehow this was marketed as "Antropophagus 2" at one point. While it does have Eastman with a gaping wound in his tummy, it has nothing to do with the far superior "Antropophagus". "Absurd" has an utterly dull set of characters, one of them actually being literally lame. You end up cheering for Eastman of course, as he tries to kill off all of the bland non-actors. He has too little screentime though and fails in killing all of them, much in the same way "Absurd" fails at being even remotely entertaining. Awful.

Shogun Assassin (1980) - Robert Houston

The chanbara series "Lone Wolf and Cub" recut for easily bored western exploitation audiences. While I'm really fond of the original movies, I also love the Shogun Assassin cut. It is fast, brutal and awesome. This was the film I unknowingly longed for and wanted to stumble upon in the rental shop when I grew up. I only heard of it much later. It still feels weird/wrong to see this film in a super crisp restored widescreen cut, as I learned to love it through a shitty copy with mad pan-and-scan issues. Also, Mark Lindsay's soundtrack for this is badass!

PS: This was never actually on the DPP list if I remember correctly.

I Spit on Your Grave (1978) - Meir Zarchi

A film that features 40 minutes or something of poorly shot rape and some revenge afterwards. An incredibly boring and uninteresting piece of film. For some reason, this film has been given a lot of attention from certain parts of academia, that seem to claim this is a great piece on female empowerment. "I Spit on Your Grave" is textbook exploitation though, made to please the pervs that pay to watch tripe like this. There is nothing empowering about this whatsoever. Zzzz.

Faces of Death (1978) - John Alan Schwartz

The film "everyone" had heard of but few had seen in my schooldays. Also, one of the worst flick on the DPP list. An utterly speculative and amateurish shock video, that somehow managed to gain cult status back in the day. It's basically a really bad mondo. It lacks any merit whatsoever and has somehow managed to age badly. I'm currently amazed by the fact that someone bothered to release this massive stinker on bluray.

Nightmare in a Damaged Brain (1981) - Romano Scavolini

One of the more well-known nasties for some reason, and one of the first I saw myself. It's fame or infamy is not deserved though, as this film is badly paced and not really very entertaining. I think I fell asleep the first time I saw this. Romano Scavolini is not really widely known for any other productions than this, but his "Dog Tags" has been mentioned, screened and enjoyed here earlier.

Island of Death (1975) - Nico Mastorakis

Who would've guessed the Greeks were such pervs? "Island of Death" is an orgy of sleaze and violence, that I must admit I wasn't expecting at all when I first saw this. The elderly get peed on, raped and killed, people are nailed to the ground, people are thrown into lye, goats get fucked, women are burned alive, people are thrown out of planes, the list goes on. It is easy to see why the DPP had problems with this flick. I love it!

Cannibal Holocaust (1980) - Ruggero Deodato

The one cannibal film it is likely anyone has heard of, and the one cannibal flick you should see if you're only going to see one. There are quite a few, but Ruggero Deodato made the best one without a doubt, perfecting the fake snuff at the same time. I can't help but think that Deodato got lucky with "Cannibal Holocaust", as a lot of his other films are utterly mediocre. This one is genuinely haunting though and well worth a look.

Hell of the Living Dead (1980) - Bruno Mattei

An utterly shitty entry into the video nasty list and the zombie genre by the master Bruno Mattei. Pretty uneventful all in all, but has a zombie kid, spliced in mondo/cannibal footage, inserted jungle footage clearly shot on different stock etc. I spent ages trying to track down the soundtrack from the opening scene in this to no avail. It mostly borrows Goblin's soundtrack for "Dawn of the Dead", but the opening track is something else. I heard rumours that it was originally from the Fernando Di Leo poliziotteschi "Blood and Diamonds" from 1977, but I haven't gotten around to seeing that yet... "Hell of the Living Dead" is enjoyable, but atrocious.

Tenebre (1982) - Dario Argento

One of Argento's better gialli. Featuring raw violence and the usual giallo mystery. Mostly posting this for the cover, as it seems rather pointless to go in great lengths about the most well known film of the bunch this time around. The BluRay of this looks stunning by the way!

Bay of Blood (1971) - Mario Bava

Even Mario Bava made it to the nasty-list! Perhaps not that odd that it was "Bay of Blood" the DPP picked out, as it's the giallo with the highest body count I can think of off the top of my head. A classic!

Night Train Murders (1975) - Aldo Lado

Basically an Italian take on The Last House on the Left set on a train. Aldo Lado is of course a far better director than Wes Craven ever was, so a classier and better shot version of "The Last House on the Left" might be a better description. Even though I never was the biggest fan of this whole brand of rape/revenge shenanigans, I sort of like this flick. Sleazy and nasty in the right ways.

Zombi 2 (1979) - Lucio Fulci

If someone had just seen "Dawn of the Dead" and wanted me to recommend them another zombie film I'd always say "Zombi 2". It's not as chaotic/unpolished/feverish as "The Beyond", and cuts straight to the chase. Zombies and violence that's why you're here right? The shark scene still blows me away after having seen this film more times that what probably is healthy. There's supposedly a bluray out of this, which I definitely need to check out.

The Beyond (1981) - Lucio Fulci

This one doesn't need much of an introduction I reckon. Perhaps my favorite Fulci flick and also one of my favorite zombie flicks in general. Great atmosphere, great soundtrack, great ending. It lacks the straight-forward narrative of "Zombi 2" and is instead more convoluted than a giallo. If you haven't seen this, you need to get your priorities straight.

Possession (1981) - Andrzej Żuławski

On the one hand I can see the DPP struggling with how to deal with this film, as I'm sort of unsure how to classify it myself. The strange blend of intense drama and horror you find in "Possession" is quite unique, and I guess this is why it has managed to stay relevant in both the horror and art circuits. The art people shunning at the idea of a rubber monster in a serious film and the horror peeps wondering why it takes so long for the film to "get to the point". Anyways, its brilliant film that doesn't deserve to be in the same group as a lot of the junk on the DPP list. On the topic of Zulawski: Everyone should see his "Third Part of the Night".

The Dorm That Dripped Blood (1982) - Stephen Carpenter, Jeffrey Obrow

This film is actually a pretty nifty little slasher, even though it's pretty predictable. A lot of the nasties would've been forgotten by now if it weren't for their inclusion on the DPP list ("Frozen Scream" damnit!), but "The Dorm That Dripped Blood" is still interesting for slasher-enthusiasts. I'm not entirely sure why it ended up on the list, but I guess it could be related to the ending and a scene involving a janitor's head and a drill.

The Gestapo's Last Orgy (1977) - Cesare Canevari

Some of the nazisploitation flicks out there are basically ordinary WIP flicks with nazi-uniforms tacked on. This film is not one of those though, and somehow still manages to stay all kinds of offensive. This film has tons of murders and rapes, nazis eating jewish babies (!) and an utterly moronic plot. I keep getting entertained by how inane the dialogue is in these flicks and the fact that they actually bothered to write a plot for this smutfest. Also, excellent soundtrack ("Liseeeee!").