Some More Naked Pictures of Claudia Jennings

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Girls of Grindhouse: Claudia Jennings

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Deathsport (1978): In the Year 3000 There'll Be No More Olympic Games, World Series, or Superbowl...

Deathsport

Do you like motorcycle chases?  Do you like to see shit get blown up?  Well, do I have a movie for you.  Deathsport is Roger Corman's attempt to cash in on the success of David Carradine's previous film, Death Race 2000.  From the title and poster art, one would expect this film to be about a post-apocalyptic gladiatorial game involving motorcycles but that is only partly true.  The actual deathsport plays a minor part in the first half of the movie only.  There are still lots of motorcycle chases and explosions and deaths, just not in an arena.  Oh, and did I mention that Roger Corman stole the sound effects from Star Wars and used them for this movie?   What a guy.

After the great Neutron War, humanity has mostly been destroyed except for three races: the civilized city dwellers known as "statesmen," the wild warriors called "range guides" and some flesh eating mutants.  The insane ruler of of the statesman sees the range guides as threats and has them killed or arrested to fight in the deathsport on motorcycles that shoot lasers and sound like TIE fighters.  David Carradine and Claudia Jennings play range guides who escape from the game, rescue a kidnapped child and try to stop the statesman dictator from taking control of fuel resources and expanding his rule.  Doesn't that sound awesome?  It is...  sort of!

"I don't need a safeword."

This is a Roger Corman film so don't expect too much from it.  This isn't Star Wars, after all.  It's a campy science-fiction movie with lots of action and a substantial amount of boobage.  In other words, watch it drunk.

Violence Rating:  3.5 out of 5
Booby Rating:  3 out of 5

Get Deathsport as part of the 
Deathsport / BattleTruck Double Feature 
at TLACult.com 

'Gator Bait (1974)

Half Animal .. All Woman 

'Gator Bait

I've been reviewing quite a few horror movies lately so I thought I'd change things up a little with one of my favorite grindhouse sub-genres, hixploitation.

Exploitation films are often criticized for their graphic depictions of violence and abuse against women, but these women are often the most powerful figures in these films.  The men are portrayed as incompetent buffoons who are slaves to their primitive urges.  The women - usually to get revenge against their abusers - exploit the idiocy and the uncontrolled sexual urges of their male oppressors to triumph in the end.  'Gator Bait is one of these films.  I certainly wouldn't call it a feminist film but is does showcase a strong independent woman as the lead character.

'Gator Bait is essentially the tale of a Cajun girl's revenge against a group of redneck men in the swamps of Louisiana.  Desiree Thibodeau (Claudia Jennings) is a barefoot trapper/poacher who wears a burlap sack as a shirt and steals from traplines in the swamp to feed herself, her sister and little brother.

"Get off my lawn."

Her Cajun family has lived there for generations and the sheriff looks the other way because of that fact.  His deputy son and his hillbilly friend have other ideas.  They set up a trap to catch Desiree poaching so that they can sexually blackmail her into giving them some sugar to avoid jail time.  Things go wrong.  After a boat chase, Desiree throws a sack of poisonous snakes into their boat.  In a panic, the deputy decides that that best course of action is to shoot the snakes, the hillbilly falls overboard and the deputy accidentally shoots his friend in the head.  He then lies to the sheriff and hillbilly's family and says that Desiree shot the guy and sank the boat.  They seek revenge.  After a search they find Desiree's home in the swamp, sexually assault and kill her sister and then burn the place down.  Now Desiree goes after the men, toying with them until they turn on themselves, then letting the perils of her native swamp take care of them.  The ones she doesn't shoot, that is.

I don't care what anyone says, 'Gator Bait is a good movie.  It's not as campy as one might expect and not nearly as graphic as some other grindhouse revenge films, but still, it's a fun little romp through the swamp.

Violence Rating: 3.5 out of 5
Booby Rating: 2.5 out of 5