freakboy on film: DEEP JAWS / THE DICKTATOR (a Walt Davis double feature)

As you remember, or maybe you’ve blocked the disturbing incident out of your mind, I stumbled upon a Walt Davis triple feature earlier this year.  The three early 1970’s films left my mind reeling and saddled me with a morbid interest to see more.  Walt’s IMDb page is filled with eyebrow-raising titles, but two caught my half-blind eyes.  So the search was afoot! 

Something Weird Video had released DEEP JAWS and THE DICKTATOR as a double feature DVD in 2005, but it was out of print and out of my willing price range.  The film gods must have been watching over me because an eBay auction suddenly popped up.  It was a reasonable starting price, so I placed a bid for one dollar more.  For the third time in my eBay history, I won an auction by being the only bidder.  This may or may not have something to do with the sort of films I enjoy.  Anyhoo…as for this Walt Davis double feature…

DEEP JAWS (1976) 

screenplay by Walt Davis / directed by Perry Dell

Uranus Studios is on the brink of bankruptcy, even with the government financing a film about the U.S.-Soviet space race.  Realizing two of the biggest blockbusters in the last ten years was JAWS and DEEP THROAT, the studio decides to use some of the government money to simultaneously make a quick flick combining a disaster film with a porno.  Will Uranus Studios turn a profit or will both projects collapse under the craziness of demanding actors, an inebriated crew and oversexed studio heads?  Unlike the mermaids in the film, my lips are sealed.  

I watched DEEP JAWS in a state of bewilderment.  Even knowing the general plot, it took me a bit to figure out what the hell was going on.  The acting is over-the-top, which makes sense since the script is ridiculously absurd.  Overall, I think I enjoyed DEEP JAWS.  Well, at least there were inappropriate moments that made me laugh. 

THE DICKTATOR (1974, according to IMDb)  

screenplay by Walt Davis / directed by Perry Dell

To solve the problem of overpopulation, the United States government develops a temporary male birth control pill, but it ends up being a permanent solution.  Now the world leaders are demanding the U.S. President do something, but first he needs to play with his wind-up toys and take a dump in the Executive Bathroom.  Eventually five men, including a drag queen, who did not take the pill are located around the globe and are each christened The Dicktator.  Their mission is to impregnate fertile women…at any cost. 

This sociopolitical satire begins as a jarringly loud mess, far removed from political correctness, and doesn’t let up.  Unlike DEEP JAWS, THE DICKTATOR feels like it’s trying to say something about a lot of things.  Much like the script, the acting is all over the place, ranging from over-the-top to lackluster.  There are moments of absurd amusement, especially the spot-on jabs at the U.S. President, but some of the humor falls flat or is extremely uncomfortable.  I feel this is because the plot is more focused on sex and shocking the audience, but perhaps that was the whole point.   

I believe there are two reasons why DEEP JAWS and THE DICKTATOR are not as entertaining as the Walt Davis triple feature I reviewed in March.  First, this double feature lacks female lead characters, which made his other films far more interesting.  Second, Walt Davis did not direct DEEP JAWS and THE DICKTATOR, which is maybe why they still have their moments but aren’t quite as good.  Sort of like an Ed Wood script directed by someone else.  It’s still very much Ed Wood, but it lacks that magical spark.

In conclusion…

Neither DEEP JAWS nor THE DICKTATOR are an ideal introduction to Walt Davis.  Yet, if you’re in the mood for a couple of low-budget 1970’s softcore sexploitation flicks, they are strangely watchable in a different sort of way.  Just be sure to remove the stick before sitting down! 😉 

Thank you for reading or listening to my half-blind words. 

Freak Out, 

JLH 

P.S. click the pics ⤵️ to learn more about my other 1-bid eBay auction wins… 

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booking freakboy: LANDIS (The Story of a Real Man On 42nd Street) by Preston Fassel

Thanks to my love of John Waters and my Andy Milligan obsession, I’ve been circling around the name of Bill Landis and his underground ‘zine Sleazoid Express for some time.  Like a back alley neon-infused sign blinking off as I turned to glance, I kept missing the opportunity to learn more about this mysterious figure peripherally haunting my cinematic reading.  Finally, in my obsession to learn more about Milligan, I caught the neon sign flickering on and lunged for a taste of the phantasmagorical shadows within the 42nd Street netherworld of yesteryear.  

I was quickly fascinated by Bill Landis and his love of obscure, underground cinema.  He not only seriously reviewed these rough gems in Sleazoid Express, he essentially lived his life like he was a character from a 42nd Street grindhouse flick.  Sex and drugs fused and fed his creative soul, especially when Landis fulfilled his dream of becoming a porn superstar!  There’s much more to the story of Bill Landis, but I will leave it to Preston Fassel to tell the rest with his engrossingly compact writing. 

However, I must say a little something about my obsession.  One of the reasons I purchased this book is for the Andy Milligan FANGORIA article reprinted at the end.  Bill Landis interviewed Milligan for the horror mag and it may not reveal anything new, but it seems to confirm everything ever written about the sex-gore filmic auteur.  One aspect of the interview I gleefully appreciated was how, even though the topic mainly focused on his gore films, Milligan managed to slip in  his masterpiece NIGHTBIRDS a couple of times.  

In conclusion…
If you love underground cinema and Andy Milligan, then you MUST drop whatever unimportant thing you’re doing and read LANDIS (The Story of a Real Man On 42nd Street) by Preston Fassel!  Fair warning though, just like the grindhouse films Landis loved and reviewed, don’t expect a happy ending.

Thank you for reading or listening to my half-blind words.

Freak Out, 
JLH 

P.S. I will have to further research Bill Landis to find out if he ever delved into the films of Walt Davis...

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freakboy on film: EVIL DOLL BLUE (a WALT DAVIS triple feature!)

I was perusing Mélusine’s Valentine’s Day sale when this 2-disc Vinegar Syndrome DVD peaked my interest.  I had never heard of writer/director/actor Walt Davis, but the description of his films  made me want to get to know him.  Plus, the collection was marked down to $5. 

EVIL COME EVIL GO (1972) 
story by Bob Chinn/written & directed by Walt Davis

Sister Sarah Jane will not be amused if you derive pleasure from my review!

Sister Sarah Jane is an intense traveling evangelist on a Holy crusade against pleasurable sex.  Along with Penny, her lesbian disciple, they lure oversexed men to their bed of death.  Cleo O'Hara as Sister Sarah Jane gives a maniacally unhinged performance and is the main reason to seek out this low-budget sex thrill-kill fiasco.  The folksy theme song, which appears to be performed by a hippie following Sister Sarah around, is another reason to experience EVIL COME EVIL GO! 

OH! YOU BEAUTIFUL DOLL(1974) 
written & directed by Walt Davis

Gaye Ramon hopes my review will put her name back in the papers!

Gaye Ramon is an aging Hollywood star who spends her days writing her boudoir memoirs while overly enjoying cherries and bananas.  When that’s not enough to fulfill her, she offers personal acting lessons to young men after they measure up to her standards.  Cleo O'Hara as Gaye Ramon channels Divine as she deals with her shutterbug assistant, eager students, intrusive women, and a sex burglar.  Bizarre and inappropriately hysterical, this feels like a John Waters film from another dimension.  The twisted use of the song “I Wanna Be Loved By You” is also a reason to experience OH! YOU BEAUTIFUL DOLL! 

WIDOW BLUE (1970) 
written & directed by Walt Davis 

Eva Blue just wants my review to be killer!

Eva Blue just wants to be happy, but what’s a 1970’s housewife to do?  Pay her brother to have a torrid tryst with her queer husband Jerry, of course.  Things go from torrid to tortuous as Eva and her lover Nick sneak into the bedroom so Nick can plunge a meat cleaver into Jerry’s neck.  After extended scenes of an incestuous nature on Jerry’s coffin and a swingin’ party with unexpected visitors, Eva and Nick must also cleaver his wife to be truly happy together.  Sadly, Cleo O'Hara isn’t in this one, but we get a full-on appearance from writer/director Walt Davis as Jerry Blue and a not-so-small cameo from legendary porn superstar John Holmes as one of the unexpected swingers.  This makes for eyebrow raising viewing amidst the copious crazy sex and visceral violence.  The climactic gory ending before the baffling dreamy second ending is another reason to experience WIDOW BLUE! 

After watching this triple feature, I feel I’ve gotten to know Walt Davis pretty well.  He was wickedly funny, deliriously perverse and unabashedly demented.  I also learned, thanks to his appearance in WIDOW BLUE, that Walt must have sunbathed with a speedo on.  Either I wasn’t looking in the right place or there’s not a lot of info available, but I couldn’t find much about him online.  According to IMDb, his film career was strictly a 1970’s affair with softcore and hardcore sexploitation flicks under his belt, so to speak.  In a DVD interview with producer Bob Chinn, he said Walt got along with the actresses in his films because Walt was just one of the girls.  That turn of phrase makes me believe Walt Davis is in good company with my other favorite renegade queer filmmakers: John Waters and Andy Milligan! 

Is Walt Davis watching a Walt Davis film?

Producer Bob Chinn also dropped a fascinating behind the scenes nugget about EVIL COME EVIL GO.  John Holmes created the gore effects for Sister Sarah’s victims.  Sure, the blood is 1970’s neon red, but he did an effective low-budget job.  I assume Holmes also created the effects for WIDOW BLUE since the gore shares a similar style and he actually appeared in the film.  Guess his talents were more immeasurable than originally thought.

As an unexpected bonus in my Mélusine order, a love glove popped out when I opened my package.  I don’t know if this is something the company does for their Valentine’s Day sale or if they are trying to say I watch too many films with coffin sex.  Either way, I literally laughed out loud because a surprise condom seemed wildly appropriate with my purchase! 

Unlike Sister Sarah, Mélusine believes in pleasurable sex!

In conclusion…
I’m maladjusted enough to brazenly confess I enjoyed this triple feature and would totally purchase a more complete Walt Davis box set if Mélusine, Vinegar Syndrome or Severin are ever brave enough to release one.  However, it’s fair to say his films are not for everyone, just for freaks like me.  So, if you’re in the mood to explore the fringes of the fringes of ‘70’s cinema and you’re not offended by very fake gore or very real, though very unappealing s-e-x, then this may be the Walt Davis triple feature for you!  

Thank you for reading or listening to my half-blind words!

Freak Out, 
JLH 

P.S. click the pic ⤵️ for more about coffin sex…

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