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THE BEST OF SEX AND VIOLENCE
(1981)
Directed by Ken Dixon
Wizard Video VHS
Reviewed 01.04.07
Review by Joseph A. Ziemba
THE FILM
Every family has a dirty joke teller.
You know the guy; thin mustache,
inside/outside glasses, Old Spice
aftershave, an impressive gut. Another
family gathering rolls ‘round.
Mr. “1001 Dirty Jokes”
arrives. Only this time, he brought
something along. A video tape.
”Haw haw! Wait’ll you
see this tape! It’s all about
-- AND I QUOTE -- ‘Coming
attractions that never come!’
Zowie!”
Wizard Video encourages the dirty
joke teller in your family. They
do it with The Best Of Sex And
Violence. You’re gonna
love it.
The first in a dauntless trio of
VHS trailer compilations from Wizard
and director Ken Dixon (Elvira’s
Filmgore
followed in 1983, then Zombiethon
in 1986), The Best Of Sex And
Violence is all about fun and
money. You can throw breasts in
there, too. Wizard wanted to make
money. Weird people wanted to have
fun. Together, they sought to make
the world of Mom ‘n’
Pop entertainment a better place.
Plan in hand, Wizard hired our old
pal John Carradine, bumpered him
up with some R-rated burlesque chestnuts
(“Truck Stop Women
-- They deusche every 50 miles!”),
and let 28 rare exploitation film
trailers talk shop. 77 minutes of
boobies, titty-tit-tots, butts,
a little bloodshed, and Rudy Ray
Moore. It’s a misleading hit.
A woman’s clothes are torn
off. She runs. Her bra disappears!
There’s a knife! A Barnes
& Barnes-esque theme song performed
by “ROME” rips forth!
Then, J.C. bids us welcome. The
trailers are loosely categorized
around Carradine’s “dirty
old man” bit and they unfold
thusly: Bury Me An Angel,
The Doberman Gang, Tunnelvision,
The Sin Of Adam & Eve,
Bill Osco’s Alice In Wonderland,
Cinderella, Fairy Tales,
Emanuelle Around The World,
Tanya’s Island, I
Spit On Your Grave, Tourist
Trap, The Boogeyman,
Zombie, The Single
Girls (“There’s
a tit maniac on the loose!”),
The Working Girls, The
Manhandlers, Dr. Minx,
Truck Stop Women, The
Twilight People, Beyond
Atlantis, The Devil’s
Wedding Night, Sweet Sugar,
Terminal Island, Ebony,
Ivory & Jade, Dr.
Black & Mr. Hyde, Dolemite,
The Human Tornado, and
The Disco Godfather. David
and Keith Carradine show up for
20 seconds, stare at their feet,
and laugh. Finally, the Earth blows
up. Wizard tells us to “Watch
For The Best Of Sex And Violence
II!” Still waiting.
Though light on presumed savagery,
The Best Of Sex And Violence
rebuffs criticism. Like Continental’s
Terror On Tape, it’s
a heavyweight in the trailer-tape
clique. Mindless, nostalgic, squirm-inducing,
and undeniably fun ‘n’
stoopid, the experience both warms
the heart and crushes it. 1981 is
long gone. However, as long as at
least one copy of this tape exists
(and the Earth doesn’t blow
up), weird people will never forget.
I know I won’t.
AUDIO AND VIDEO
Wizard’s usual high standards
are in full effect, but somebody
needed glasses. The entire tape,
including the opening credits, are
humorously cropped to hell on the
sides and top. I’m still looking
for a copy of THE OOGEYMA,
but no one has heard of it.
EXTRAS
Did you catch that?! A TIT MANIAC
IS ON THE LOOSE!
FINAL THOUGHTS
I smell Old Spice. The Best
Of Sex And Violence remains
extremely rare to this day. You
can find some of the trailers on
fancy, Lysol-approved DVD compilations,
but let’s face it. These imaginative,
trashy fingerprints can never be
replicated. Don’t pass it
by. |
He's got a million of 'em
I need it
Family stuff
Nine to Fivers
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