(2011)
Director: Richard Griffin
Writers: Tony Nunes, Ted Geoghegan
The Disco Exorcist is not a magnificent movie that will garner critical praise, it is destined to become a cult movie; Unheard of by most, ravenously worshiped by a select few. The Disco Exorcist is the tale of Rex Romanski, a seventies ladies' man who scorns disco princess Rita Marie in favor of porn actress Amoreena Jones. Unbeknownst to Rex, Rita Marie is a practitioner of Voodoo and the dark arts. When she uses her nefarious resources to curse Amoreena, Rex is forced to fend off evil forces in order to save his soul starlet.
The Disco Exorcist combines all the best elements of post Exorcist rip-offs (of which I am becoming increasingly fond of) and sleazy 70's porn. Not only is it very ambitious and well done, it's also pretty hilarious. Most of the low budget movies that have come out in the wake of Quentin Tarantino & Robert Rodriguez's Grindhouse have kept up with the whole "grindhouse" editing bit for a few minutes at most and then reverted to just being a goofy horror or exploitation film. The Disco Exorcist retains it's grindhouse front for the full duration of the film. I'll admit, the whole "scene missing" thing ruins it a bit, but for the most part it does a fantastic job of making the movie feel like a legitimate horror/exploitation film from the 70's. And I won't lie, with a few beers, this movie was fantastic.
The ambitiousness of The Disco Exorcist reminded me of another great film that my friends and I used to frequent in our college days that I felt obligated to follow the viewing with...
(2001)
Director: Lee Demarbre
Writer: Ian Driscoll
Full disclosure: When I was in art school, I smoked a lot of pot. I know, it's a big surprise. However, during this time I also lived no more than a few steps away from a Tower Records. At a time when the only feasible way to view a movie was through physical media or the theater, this was a very dangerous thing for someone whose horizons were just beginning to expand. One of my friends spotted a VHS copy of Jesus Christ, Vampire Hunter and based on the title alone, he purchased it. It became an instant classic. With such a bold title, one would reasonably expect a movie that gets by on shock value alone, but JCVH doesn't rely on this crutch. Instead, it's a cleverly orchestrated and intelligent film. It also doesn't hurt that it throws in the character of superstar luchador El Santo. Let's be honest, the budget on this movie shows, but the things that they pull off with it is incredible. The fight choreography is admirable, the soundtrack is great, and the characters come off as legitimately charismatic even though all the audio is done in post-production.
As a personal side note, I had a few friends throughout my time that flat-out refused to watch Jesus Christ, Vampire Hunter because they felt that it was sacreligious. In it's defense, I have to say that JCVH, while being a dumb action movie, remains true to the core ideals of christianity. The "Jesus" in the film kicks many an ass, but still preaches tolerance and acceptance of all. Even those that more radical christians might shun for their outward appearances or personal preferences. As the Jesus in the movie proclaims "Don't follow me, follow my teachings. It's the message that counts.". If you think this is just another dumb movie, You're all up in the Kool-Aid, but you don't even know the flavor.
The Disco Exorcist- 10 out of 12 beers.
Jesus Christ, Vampire Hunter- 10 1/2 out of 12 beers
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